Satapatha Brahmana Part V (SBE44), Julius Eggeling tr. [1900], at sacred-texts.com
11:5:8:11. Verily, in the beginning, Pragâpati alone was here. He desired, 'May I exist, may I be generated.' He wearied himself and performed fervid devotions: from him, thus wearied and heated, the three worlds were created--the earth, the air, and the sky.
11:5:8:22. He heated these three worlds, and from them, thus heated, three lights (gyotis) were produced--Agni (the fire), he who blows here (Vâyu), and Sûrya (the sun).
11:5:8:33. He heated these three lights, and from them, thus heated, the three Vedas were produced--the Rig-veda from Agni, the Yagur-veda from Vâyu, and the Sâma-veda from Sûrya.
11:5:8:44. He heated these three Vedas, and from them, thus heated, three luminous essences 1 were produced--
[paragraph continues] 'bhûh' from the Rig-veda, 'bhuvah' from the Yagur-veda, and 'svar' from the Sâma-veda. And with the Rig-veda they then performed the work of the Hotri priest, with the Yagur-veda the work of the Adhvaryu, and with the Sâma-veda the work of the Udgâtri; and what luminous essence 1 there was in the threefold science, therewith the work of the Brahman priest then proceeded.
11:5:8:55. The gods spake unto Pragâpati, 'If our sacrifice were to fail in respect of either the Rik, or the Yagus, or the Sâman, whereby should we heal it?'
11:5:8:66. He spake, ‘If (it were to fail) in respect of the Rik, ye should take ghee by four ladlings and offer it in the Gârhapatya fire with 'Bhûh!' and if in respect of the Yagus, ye should take ghee by four ladlings and offer it in the Âgnîdhrîya--or in the Anvâhâryapakana 2 in the case of a Haviryagña--with 'Bhuvah!' and if in respect of the Sâman, ye should take ghee by four ladlings and offer it in the Âhavanîya with 'Svar!' But if it should not be known (where the mistake has occurred), ye should make offering in the Âhavanîya after uttering
rapidly all (the three sacred words 1): thus one heals the Rig-veda by the Rig-veda 2, the Yagur-veda by the Yagur-veda, and the Sâma-veda by the Sâma-veda;--even as one would put together joint with joint 3, so does he put together (the broken part of the sacrifice) whoever heals it by means of these (three sacred words). But if he heals it in any other way than this, it would be just as if one tried to put together something that is broken with something else that is broken, or as if one were to apply some poison as lotion to a broken part 4. Let him therefore appoint only one who knows this (to officiate as) his Brahman, and not one who does not know this.
11:5:8:77. As to this they say, 'Seeing that the work of the Hotri is performed with the Rig-veda, that of the Adhvaryu with the Yagur-veda, and that of the Udgâtri with the Sâma-veda, wherewith then is the work of the Brahman (performed)?' Let him reply, 'With that threefold science.'
102:1 ? Sâyana takes 'sukra' here in the sense of 'flame, light' (vyâhritirûpâni tegâmsi); whilst the St. Petersb. Dict. assigns to it the meaning of 'sap, juice' (Saft, Seim, cf. next note). Ait. Br. V, 32, contains a very similar passage in which the same process of evolution is set forth:--Pragâpati first creates the three worlds, earth, air, and heaven. From them, being heated by him, three lights (gyotis) are produced--Agni from the earth, Vâyu from the air, and Âditya from the sky (or heaven). From them, being heated, the three Vedas are produced--the Rig-veda from Agni, the Yagur-veda from Vâyu, and the Sâma-veda from Âditya. From the Vedas, being heated, three flames (sukra, luminaries, Haug) are produced--Bhûh from the Rig-veda, Bhuvah from the Yagur-veda, p. 103 and Svar from the Sâma-veda. From these in the same way are produced three sounds (or letters, varna), â, u and m, which being combined yield the syllable 'Om.' Cp. J. Muir, Original Sanskrit Texts, vol. iii, p. 4.
103:1 Here Sâyana also seems to take 'sukra' in the sense of 'pure, essential part'--nirmalam rûpam sâratvatâmsah (!).
103:2 That is, the Dakshinâgni. At the Haviryagña (of which class of sacrifices, performed in the Prâkînavamsa hall, the full and new moon serves as model) there is no Âgnîdhrîya, which is, however, required for the Soma-sacrifice. See the plan in part ii, p. 475.
104:1 According to Sâyana, offering would be used with the formula 'Bhûr bhuvah svah, svâhâ!'
104:2 Viz. by the word 'bhûh,' representing that Veda.
104:3 Yathâ khalu loke bhagnam hastapâdâdiparva tatsannihitenânyena parvanâ purushâya samdadhyât samsleshayet, evam evânena vyâhritigñânena tat tad avedoktam prabhrishtam aṅgam punah sahitam bhavati, Sây.
104:4 ? Or, as if one were to put some fluid into some broken (vessel; or, on some broken part),--yathâ sîrnena bhagnena anyak khîrnam bhagnam vastu samdhitset samdhâtum ikkhet; yathâ vâ sîrne garam bhaktâvayave garam abhinidadhyât prahdattipeta (? prakshipet), Sây.