In contentment may men and oxen both plough, in contentment the plough cleave the furrow, in contentment the yoke be securely attached and the ploughman urge on his oxen!
Rig Veda IV, 57, 4
The divine vital breath from water and the moon permeates him. And, verily, that is the divine vital breath which, whether moving or not moving, neither feels pain nor is injured. He who knows this becomes the self of all beings. As is this deity (Hiranyagarbha), so is he. And as all beings honour this deity, so do they honour him. Howsoever creatures may grieve, that grief of theirs remains with them but only merit goes to him. No demerit ever goes to the gods.
Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I, V-Manifestations of Prajapati, 20
Next follows the consideration of the vow (meditative worship): Prajapati projected the organs. They, when they were projected, quarrelled with one another. The organ of speech resolved: I will go on speaking; the eye: I will go on seeing; the ear: I will go on hearing. So did the other organs, according to their functions. Death, having taken the form of weariness, laid hold of them-it overtook them and having overtaken them, restrained them. Therefore does the organ of speech become tired and so do the eye and the ear.
Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I, V-Manifestations of Prajapati, 21
But death did not overtake the vital breath (prana) in the body. The other organs resolved to know it and said: This is verily the greatest among us; whether moving or not moving, it neither feels pain nor is injured. Well then, let us assume its form. They all assumed its form. Therefore they are called pranas after it. In whatever family there is a man who knows this-that family they call by his name. And whoever competes with one who knows this, shrivels and after shrivelling, in the end dies. This is with regard to the body.
Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I, V-Manifestations of Prajapati, 21 (CONT
Now with regard to the gods. Fire resolved: I will go on burning; the sun: I will go on giving heat; the moon: I will go on shining. And so did the other gods, according to their functions. As is the vital breath in the body among the organs, so is air (vayu) among the gods. The other gods fade, but not air. Air is the deity that never sets.
Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I, V-Manifestations of Prajapati, 22
