Śāṅkhāyana (Kauṣītaki) Āraṇyaka 8.3

8.3

ŚĀ 8,3
catvāraḥ puruṣā iti vāstyaḥ - śarīrapuruṣaś chandaḥpuruṣo vedepuruṣo mahāpuruṣa iti | śarīrapuruṣa iti yam avocam ya evāyaṃ daivika ātmā tasyaitasya yo 'yam aśarīraḥ prajñātmā sa rasaḥ | chandaḥpuruṣa iti yam avocāmākṣarasamāmnāya eva | tasyaitasyākāro rasaḥ | vedapuruṣa iti yam avocāma yena devān vedargvedaṃ yajurvedaṃ sāmavedam iti tasyaitasya brahmarasaḥ | tasmād brahmiṣṭhaṃ brahmāṇam ṛtvijaṃ kurvīta yo yajñasyolvaṇaṃ vidyāt | mahāpuruṣa iti yam avocāma saṃvatsara eva tasyaitasyāsāv ādityo rasaḥ | sa yaś cāyam aśarīraḥ prajñātmā yaś cāsāv āditya ekam etad iti vidyāt | tad etad ṛcābhyuditam ||

ŚĀ 8.3
"There are four persons," [says] Vātsya: "the bodily person, the person of metre, the person of the Veda, and the great person. As for the one we called the bodily person, this divine self—the bodiless conscious self is its essence. As for the one we called the person of metre, it is the enumeration of letters—the sound 'a' is its essence. As for the one we called the person of the Veda, by which one knows the gods—the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, the Sāmaveda—Brahman is its essence. Therefore one should appoint as the Brahman priest the one most versed in Brahman, who would know any excess in the sacrifice. As for the one we called the great person, it is the year—yonder sun is its essence." And he should know: "That which is this bodiless conscious self and that which is yonder sun—this is one." This has been declared by a verse: