अहं क्रतुरहं यज्ञः स्वधाहमहमौषधम् । मन्त्रोऽहमहमेवाज्यमहमग्निरहं हुतम् ॥
ahaṃ kraturahaṃ yajñaḥ svadhāhamahamauṣadham | mantro'hamahamevaājyamahamagnirahaṃ hutam ||
Translation
I am the ritual, I am the sacrifice, I am the offering to the ancestors, I am the herb, I am the sacred chant, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire, and I am the act of offering.
Interpretation
A remarkable recitation of divine identity with every element of the Vedic sacrifice: the kratu (solemn ritual), the yajna (sacrifice), the svadha (ancestral offering), the aushadha (herb/medicine), the mantra (sacred chant), the ajya (clarified butter — ghee), the agni (fire), and the huta (act of offering). Every component, every participant, every action — the Divine is all of it. Worship is not something one does to the Divine with materials separate from the Divine; every element of worship is itself the Divine. The worshiper and the worshiped are ultimately one.