Jaiminīya (Talavakāra) Brāhmaṇa 58.321

58.321

Prajāpati alone was here in the beginning.
He desired: 'May I be many, may I propagate, may I reach abundance.'
He generated eighteen syllables.
He divided them into two: nine of one kind, nine of the other.
He became both the Trivṛt stoma and the Gāyatrī meter.
This Trivṛt stoma was complete, while the Gāyatrī was nine-syllabled with the praṇava [oṃ].
The praṇava was its ninth.
This Trivṛt stoma said to that Gāyatrī: 'Come, let us unite.'
Being equal, the two could not unite.
He said to her: 'Indeed, we two will not be able to unite while being equal.
Push out that ninth syllable of yours.'
[She asked:] 'What will it become?'
'Whatever is, that it will become,' [he replied].
'So be it,' [she said].
She pushed it out.
It became the praṇava itself.