Śāṅkhāyana (Kauṣītaki) Āraṇyaka 2.1

2.1

ŚĀ 2.1
With the hiṃkāra he begins this uktha. Breath indeed is the hiṃkāra; with breath alone he begins this uktha. Moreover, strength and sap indeed are the hiṃkāra; he thus places strength and sap in this uktha. Moreover, immortality indeed is the hiṃkāra; he thus places immortality in himself. The Rājana is the pṛṣṭha stoma chant. This indeed is the manifest sāman, namely the Rājana. Thus he makes it thrive with its own sāman. It is [chanted] on undefined verses. Prajāpati indeed is undefined. That is a form connected with Prajāpati. 'It should be on verses containing "ka",' some say. Prajāpati indeed is Ka. That is a form connected with Prajāpati. Then he recites this silent recitation (tūṣṇīṃśaṃsa) in a whisper. Speech indeed is this day; the silent recitation is the mind. With the mind alone he thus makes speech thrive. 'That indeed was the eldest among the worlds' is the stotriya triplet. 'Growing through might, of abundant power' contains the root vṛdh (grow) and contains mahat (great). For this day has the character of mahat.
This self consists of twenty-five [parts]. He recites it joined with the Nada hymn. The self indeed consists of twenty-five [parts]; offspring and cattle are the adjunction. Thus with offspring, with cattle, with servants, with food, he unites the self. 'Nada, of you who stream...'—he makes the Triṣṭubh pādas the former and the pādas of Nada the latter. Having joined the first pāda of the Nada to the first Triṣṭubh pāda, he pauses. Having joined the second to the second Triṣṭubh, he utters the praṇava (oṃ). Having joined the third to the third Triṣṭubh, he pauses. Having joined the fourth to the fourth Triṣṭubh, he utters the praṇava. Having thus transposed the first [verse], he recites it three times; the subsequent [verses] he recites straight on, transposed in the same way. That which is the third [verse] of the hymn: he leaves out its second half-verse and the second [half-verse] of the Nada. That is this aperture of the mouth; with it he speaks speech, for with the mouth one speaks speech. He recites those two before the Dvipadās; thus his stotriya is not separated, after having recited the self.
Then [by reciting] the sūdadohas [verse] the joints become united. Moreover, water indeed is the sūdadohas; with water indeed these joints are united. Moreover, immortality indeed is the sūdadohas; he thus places immortality in himself. And this is the form of this sūdadohas: just as there might be a glue or a leather strap as a fastener of wood, even so the sūdadohas is the fastener of the eighty triplets of all the Vedas.