Jaiminīya (Talavakāra) Brāhmaṇa 2-8.413

He says: "e vratam"—food indeed is the vrata—for the obtaining of food. / He says: "e suvar"—for the attainment of the heavenly world. / He says: "e śakunāḥ"—having become birds, they attain the heavenly world. / On this they say: "The Vāravantīya should be made the Agniṣṭoma-sāman of this day." / Prajāpati created cattle. / Created, they departed from him. / With the Vāravantīya, having broken off a varaṇa branch, he warded them off. / In that he warded them off (avārayata), that is the Vāravantīya-nature of the Vāravantīya. / Therefore they call the varaṇa tree healing. / In that the Vāravantīya becomes the Agniṣṭoma-sāman of this day, it is with the thought: "Whatever we have warded off (avārutsmahi) by this ritual act, let that, warded off by the Vāravantīya, stand by us at the end." / It contains the words "ehi" and "iha", which is the characteristic mark of the end. / For this day is the end. / But on this they also say: "Whatever other speech does not surpass, that should be made the Agniṣṭoma-sāman of this day. / The Yajñāyajñīya no other speech surpasses. / Speech indeed is the Yajñāyajñīya. / For whence could speech surpass speech? / Therefore the Yajñāyajñīya alone should be made the Agniṣṭoma-sāman of this day."

Food indeed is the vrata; prosperity indeed is the vrata.

By the vrata food is eaten; by the vrata prosperity is obtained.