Kāṇḍa 5

5.1.1 Homage to the tawny-armed one, the fierce one born in the Sindhu — whoever pays homage to her, he departs away from this man's house.

5.1.2 Depart from our houses, depart from the calf-rope! You will entangle yourself right here — come down from the kitchen.

5.1.3 Hā, O mother, O Suhūtalā! And also, O Sāmanantamā! Your son who is spotted-armed — make him your sāman; and also your daughter, your granddaughter — and you yourself become reconciled.

5.1.4 Let Bhūtapati drive them out, let Indra drive out the mind-afflicting Sadānvās! May he who is seated at the foundation of the house stand over them with his thunderbolt.

5.1.5 Depart hence, O Sadānvās, not harming this house! Let the milch-cow who stands here remain, along with the draft-ox and the heifer.

5.1.6 You who roam as one who overpowers, like a bull that has prevailed — we address you as the Sadānvā-slayer, for the purpose of victory.

5.1.7 Overpower our malevolent foe, overpower the one arrayed in battle against us! Overpower all the rākṣasas — you are the overpowering one, O plant!

5.1.8 You overpower tigers, you overpower lions with teeth on both jaws; even bees that make honey — you overpower them, O plant!

5.2.1 This sovereign lady goes forward to the Father, to the first-born, to those who stand firm on the earth. For him they prepare this radiant, serpent-like gharma-vessel of the first nourishing draught.

5.2.2 Brahman, born first in the east, the seer Vena illumined it beyond the limits with brilliant light. Its supreme stations are those of the foundation — it opened wide the womb of what exists and of what does not exist.

5.2.3 He who was born knowing the kinship of this — the god speaks forth all births; Brahman seized Brahman up from the midst, rising from low to high, and self-power stood forth.

5.2.4 The great one propped apart the vast realm when born; a second time, heaven and the earthly atmosphere. Arising from the foundation by birth to the foremost position — Bṛhaspati is his deity, the universal sovereign.

5.2.5 Now that cow-domain drives forward the greatness of this great, primal deity. He was born thus, together with the many, and indeed he shall be unwavering from the former half.

5.2.6 For he, standing by cosmic order in heaven and on earth, props apart the great atmospheric spaces, the two realms. When the radiant day was born from the light, may the luminous, unstained ones shine forth.

5.2.7 Thus Atharva-Bṛhaspati addressed the all-divine Father with homage: "You are the begettor of the universe, you sustain first — the wise poet, self-powerful, not betraying the gods."

5.2.8 He who approaches the foremost with his head, with might — the gods worship Bṛhaspati: he split Vala apart, he shatters foes with a crash, bellowing he conquered the cows, the sun, and the waters.

5.3.1 That sun has flown up, the widely-seen, the slayer of the unseen. Rising, may he smite with his rays — rising he rendered them devoid of potency.

5.3.2 That sun has set, the universally-seen, the slayer of the unseen. Setting, may he smite with his rays — setting he rendered them devoid of potency.

5.3.3 Both those that are seen and those that are unseen — those active in both modes here — I have seized their name; let them all perish together.

5.3.4 O herb, slayer of the unseen, of unmeasured power, victorious over poison — O Cukākaṇi, you were born to slay the seen ones; slay them by species.

5.3.5 Slay the chief of the unseen ones, of the serpents that roam in vain! Crush all species of worms as a thresher crushes barley.

5.3.6 Both the stinger and the creeper, and that one who is the eleventh male — O Cukākaṇi, cut them all down as a man with an axe cuts a tree.

5.3.7 Cut them down together, O Cukākaṇi, as a man with an axe cuts a tree! Burn all species of worms together as fire burns dry grass.

5.3.8 Agni, standing at the post, blazing, full of splendor — let him torment all species of worms! O Jātavedas, allied with Bṛhaspati, smite the unseen ones as a millstone smites black beans.

5.4.1 O Agni, may splendor be mine at the invocations; kindled by thee, may we nourish our bodies. May the four quarters bow down to me; with thee as overseer may we conquer armies.

5.4.2 O Agni, thrusting back the fury of our foes, thou art our herdsman — guard us on every side. Let the ill-willed foes turn away, wide awake though they be; may the mind of these wicked ones be scattered in many ways.

5.4.3 May all the gods be at my invocation — the Maruts with Indra, Viṣṇu, Agni. May the wide intermediate space be mine; in this my desire, may Vāyu blow favorably for me.

5.4.4 May they sacrifice to me; may what is dear to me be true in purpose, the intention of my mind. Into no sin whatsoever shall I fall; may all the gods protect me here.

5.4.5 May the gods sacrifice wealth unto me; mine shall be the blessing, mine the invocation of the gods. May the divine priests win this for us; may we be unharmed in body, well-heroied.

5.4.6 O divine, wide six realms, make broad space for us; all ye gods, rejoice here. May we not be bereft of offspring, not of wealth; may we not be delivered to the hater, O King Soma.

5.4.7 May the wide-ranging great one extend shelter to us in this contest, the much-invoked one of abundant food. O bay-horsed Indra, be gracious to us for our offspring; harm us not, deliver us not over.

5.4.8 Dhātṛ, Vidhātṛ, the lord of the world; divine Savitṛ, conqueror of enemies; Bṛhaspati, Indra, Agni, and both Aśvins — may these gods protect the sacrificer from Nirṛti.

5.4.9 Call Indra hitherward, here beyond, for the victory of the conqueror. Let him be ours alone; from here let him work heroic power.

5.4.10 We call Indra hitherward from yonder — him who wins cattle, wins wealth, wins horses. Be pleased with this our sacrifice at the invocation; O bay-horsed one, we make thee our ally.

5.4.11 Indra the protector, Indra the helper, easily invoked in every call, Indra the hero — let us invoke the mighty one, the much-invoked Indra; may Indra the bountiful guard our well-being.

5.4.12 The three goddesses bestow great shelter upon me, and also prosperity upon my offspring and body. May the clans of one mind be well-disposed toward me; may the ancestral field acknowledge us.

5.4.13 He who with Śakra's fury as Indra's enemy seeks to slay us — smite thou him, O Vṛtra-slayer; bring wealth hither to us.

5.4.14 Those who curse us — let them come to naught; by Indra and Agni we repel them. May the Ādityas and Rudras who touch the heights make me the fierce overseer, the supreme sovereign.

5.5.1 Earth is the sacrificial cow; she bears Agni as her embryo. Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.

5.5.2 The atmosphere is the sacrificial cow; she bears Vāyu as her embryo. [Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.]

5.5.3 Heaven is the sacrificial cow; she bears Sūrya as her embryo. [Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.]

5.5.4 The Ṛg-veda is the sacrificial cow; she bears the Sāman as her embryo. [Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.]

5.5.5 The sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā) is the sacrificial cow; she bears the Yajña as her embryo. [Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.]

5.5.6 The Viś (the common people) is the sacrificial cow; she bears the Kṣatriya as her embryo. [Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.]

5.5.7 Speech (Vāc) is the sacrificial cow; she bears the Supreme Being (Parameṣṭhin) as her embryo. [Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.]

5.5.8 The cow-sacrifice (vaśā) itself is the sacrificial cow; she bears the Rājanya as her embryo. [Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.]

5.5.9 The Sāman is the sacrificial cow; she bears the year (Saṃvatsara) as her embryo. Protect this one; to thee is the oblation due, to thee reverence, to it svāhā.

5.6.1 Seven suns have entered the sky; the one endowed with the southern path follows them along their way. All of them together pour down clarified butter upon him, milking out nourishment without stumbling.

5.6.2 While shining down below, Sūrya destroys the disease of the Dāsas by scorching thoroughly. He who has his wings spread upward rises, following the great courses.

5.6.3 By his upward shining we know the Pitṛs; by his thorough scorching, we know the Dasyus. Those other suns that move in secret following their own courses — they too we know.

5.6.4 Heaven goes along with these peoples; five others dwell higher still, beyond the sky. Into that vast heaven, brahman entered fully; he who truly knows them has crossed over to the farther shore.

5.6.5 He who gives, he who causes gifts to be given, or he who with faith deposits treasure — may Yama, the son of Vivasvat, king, protect all those treasures.

5.6.6 May the cheats who steal the sacrificial fees from the right-side donors not learn of these treasures. By an easy path King Yama leads all such transgressors away.

5.6.7 By the path by which Vaivasvata Yama the king went hence — by that very path may Agni Vaiśvānara lead us, knowing the way, the path-maker, the herdsman of all.

5.6.8 The great light is placed within mortals, by which the gods crossed over their enemies. By that bridge may we all cross over — by the Vaiśvānara light that dispels disease, O gods.

5.6.9 Upward we rise, beholding the higher light beyond the darkness. We have reached the divine Sūrya among the gods, the highest light.

5.6.10 Āroka, Bhrāja, Paṭara, Pataṅga, Svarṇara, the luminous Vibhāsa — all of them pour down clarified butter upon him, milking out nourishment without stumbling.

5.7.1 Let the quarters of the sky, cloud-bearing, fly up together; let the clouds driven by the wind come together. Let the roaring waters of the great bull, cloud-laden, resounding, refresh the earth.

5.7.2 The all-pervading wind surveys the clouds; let the rushing torrents of waters rise up in every direction. Let the streams of rain magnify the earth; let the plants of every form spring up in their diversity.

5.7.3 Thunder forth, O Parjanya, shake the ocean with your roar; saturate the earth with your milk. Through you let the rain be sent forth in abundance; let the lean cow seeking fodder come home.

5.7.4 Stir up, O Maruts, from the ocean; let the blazing hymns send the clouds flying upward. The mighty, bounteous ones pour forth rain; let the plants be attended by the essences of the waters.

5.7.5 Let the Marut-hosts sing out to you, O Parjanya, thundering one by one in their distinct voices. Let the streams of the raining rain pour forth over the earth.

5.7.6 Let the bounteous ones flow together — the springs and the serpentine water-courses. Let the winds of the raining rain blow forth along the earth.

5.7.7 Wind, lightning, cloud, and rain — let the bounteous ones come together. Swell forth, fill out; pour together with milk upon the earth.

5.7.8 Agni, united with the bodies of the waters, who became the lord of the plants — may Jātavedas, the All-knower, win rain for us, the breath of life, the immortal drink, from heaven, for our offspring.

5.7.9 Let lightning flash in every direction; let the winds blow from all quarters. Let the clouds, set in motion by the Maruts, rain down upon the earth.

5.7.10 Prajāpati, stirring up the waters from the primordial flood, from the ocean, agitates the sea. Let the seed of the virile horse swell forth; come hither, our father, the mighty Asura, pouring down the waters with this thunder.

5.7.11 Let the gurgling whirlpools of the waters breathe; send down the waters below. Let the frogs with their speckled arms speak out along the pools.

5.7.12 Having lain dormant for a year, like Brāhmaṇas who observe their vow, the frogs have spoken forth, quickened into voice by Parjanya.

5.7.13 Speak up, O little frog; speak the rain aloud, O tāduri-frog. Float in the middle of the pond, spreading out your four limbs.

5.7.14 Draw up the great treasury and sprinkle it; let there be lightning, let the wind blow. Let them extend the sacrifice released in manifold ways; let the plants be filled with gladness.

5.8.1 As wide as heaven and earth in their expanse, as far as the seven rivers extend — the utterance that corrupts the poison I have now spoken forth from here.

5.8.2 Suparṇa, the winged Garutmān, first carried you, O poison. He neither brought you up nor tasted you, and yet he became its father.

5.8.3 That poison which the five-fingered one placed upon you, even upon the curved part of the bow — from the arms of Apaskambha I have spoken the poison forth.

5.8.4 From the arrow-shaft I have spoken the poison forth, and from the collyrium, and from the quiver likewise. From the tail-fin, from the horn, from the kurmal plant — I have spoken the poison forth.

5.8.5 Sapless is your dart, the arrow-shaft, and likewise sapless is your poison. And of the sapless tree, your bow is utterly devoid of potency.

5.8.6 Those who ground it, those who smeared it on, those who shot it, those who let it fly — may they all be castrated. The poison-mountain is made castrate.

5.8.7 Castrated are your diggers; castrated you yourself are, O herb. Castrated is that mountain, that hill, from which this poison was born.

5.8.8 This water — let it ward off what must be warded off; it has been brought from the realm of Varuṇa. There, where amṛta has been poured in, that has rendered the poison sapless.

5.9.1 With the khadira-wood comb, with the water therein, and with the teeth of the kaṅkata-comb — with that which is the very poison of the poison, I have destroyed the evil ones.

5.9.2 With the kiti-plant of a hundred joints, with the thousand-eyed hide, with sharp digging-spades we drive out the sadānvā-demons.

5.9.3 You are might, O mighty one; drive the Kaṇva-demons away hence, to the beyond. These that have just now arrived and those seizure-demons that were here before.

5.9.4 Let them not remain thus, let them not remain here. A head like a pot, like one with horns — O Bṛhaspati, come here, sharp-horned, looking down upon the sadānvā-demons.

5.9.5 Your churning-rods have now been shattered; your milk-pail has been split. The cow has given to you today, O Kaṇva-demon. Withdraw; I crush what is lower.

5.9.6 Those that stand at the spindle, those at the wicker-frame, those that swing upon the swing, and those that are dreadful — those that harm the embryos: all those evil ones I have destroyed.

5.9.7 Those that dwell in garments and those that haunt distant places — the dark-blue ones, the tawny ones, and the red ones — those that harm the embryos: all those evil ones I have destroyed.

5.9.8 Those that draw in and those that draw out — bind up his breath. Let all the ill-named ones assemble together and leave not a remnant of this man.

5.10.1 This one that has been struck by the pestle, ground by the millstone, infused with poison — Agni burns, the sky burns; burn thou likewise, O surā.

5.10.2 Those who cause the sprout to grow declared thee poison; let the poison flow down into the jar. Thy raw state is poison, O surā; set in the hand thou art poison — become [thou] placed-back-as-poison.

5.10.3 Let the grain be a lion for thee, the boiled rice a tiger; let the kneading-board be a spotted serpent — flow together [as if] into the heart of a wolf.

5.10.4 This one that has been fermented in the vessel, dripping with fresh grass, crackling with residue — born of the fury of a boar, crush the one who lies with feet upturned.

5.10.5 Swelling up, causing to fall, dust-tawny, crackling with residue — born of fury dug up from the ground: what is behind, make thou that to be in front.

5.10.6 Let thy straining be poison, O surā; let there be blood in thy vessel. Let them churn quivers and bows away from thee, one from another.

5.10.7 These mortal drinkers walk about blood-smeared, drinking poison, made powerful by thee, O surā. Some, struck down, still incite others to fight — proclaim that very greatness of surā.

5.10.8 Strike them down with force, O plant with running sap; intoxicate them for combat. Let the surā-drinker, with garments torn, with forearms broken, with head shattered, encounter [his fate] — running with thy stream.

5.10.9 Drink the poison-infused [brew] in great excitement, mixed with raw flesh, blended with blood. The one whose hand has been cut off wanders through the village, bartering manifold deeds of hostile slaying.

5.10.10 I lift up the sword-bearing, arrow-bearing [power] from the hundred. Intoxicate, thoroughly intoxicate them; cause them to rear up like a serpent; let them not leave one another.

5.11.1 May Agni consent for thee; may Varuṇa consent for thee. From that let a son be born to thee; let him, clad in armor, fight among the cattle.

5.11.2 Know this, O Vāyu; know this, O Indra [and] Bṛhaspati. We perform this ointment-rite for the obtaining of a son, [this rite] that causes the birth of a male.

5.11.3 That by which this [womb] has been obstructed, on account of which thou dost not obtain a son — from that sin may Indra and Agni protect thee day by day.

5.11.4 May the Atharvans, the Aṅgirasas, all the gods who strengthen cosmic order — may they hear my invocation today, for the obtaining of a son for her.

5.11.5 Indrāṇī, Varuṇānī, Sinīvālī, and also Aditi — Varutrī, the fierce one among the consorts of the gods: let her point out a son for thee today.

5.11.6 May Mitra and Varuṇa place a son in thee; may the goddess Sarasvatī [grant] a son; may both Aśvins, garlanded with lotus, bestow a son upon thee.

5.11.7 Those whose names I have grasped and those whose names I have not remembered — all those gods, assembling together, shall grant thee a son full of vitality.

5.11.8 Fashion him forth from thine own self; let him be born all around thee. Thou art the fertile field for the seed — do thou bear it in the womb.

5.11.9 The earth together with the sacrifices, the sun together with the nakṣatras, the wind together with the birds — let them point out a son for thee today.

5.12.1 This bull, Madhavāna, was born from the honey-rich [plants]; let him indeed lie down in thy womb — potent is [the power] becoming a male.

5.12.2 Go to the womb, O Madhavāna; in the womb become a male. Thence thou comest forth again headfirst, pushing the hips apart.

5.12.3 Doing as is pleasing to [thy] parents, as [an arrow] drawn from a quiver, not injuring the hips along the way, thou comest forth in the tenth month.

5.12.4 He turns back this way, comes back again at the [passing of the] year, so that thou mayest live by good fortune — bearing thee into great existence.

5.12.5 I have made ready thy womb by good fortune, for the sake of fine progeny. There pour thou the virile, ten-months-destined [seed], unobstructed.

5.12.6 Let the embryo lie in thy womb; let the embryo lie in the afterbirth. Let the boy lie in the amnion, fashioned by Tvaṣṭṛ joint by joint.

5.12.7 As thou, O king Madhavāna, causest the seed to sprout, so split forth the boy from her womb.

5.12.8 Madhavāna has placed the embryo; the god Bṛhaspati has placed the embryo. May Indra and Agni place the embryo in thee; may Dhātṛ place the embryo in thee.

5.13.1 Auspicious, together with auspicious ones, full of vigor, unite with thy body, O Jātavedas! Bearing a jewel, well-disposed, from the front — I scatter thee forth from the houses for radiance.

5.13.2 On earth the hot-pot is set firm; in the atmosphere, resting upon heaven. May Heaven protect him on every side — he who cooks thee, O rice-oblation.

5.13.3 Those who have set the ocean in motion, and the Sindhu, those who have moved the atmosphere, the earth, and the sky — the gods who travel upon the same chariot as the wind — him, the cooker of the rice-oblation, those gods reach here.

5.13.4 By the Ṛc-verse is the pot set upon the fire; by the Sāman-chant the rice-oblation is cooked. This I deem to be the Soma-shoot — this oblation is for all the gods, the Vaiśvadeva offering.

5.13.5 What has clung — in the mortar, in the pestle, in the winnowing fan, on the ground, in the cooking-pot — the drops that have splashed, the washings that have been made — all that I fill up for thee with the sacred formula.

5.13.6 Rise upward! Do not scatter; dispel the intervening murk. Crossing over all the Rakṣasas, mount thou into heaven.

5.13.7 Swift for us, become one that knows no obstacle; let this be established together with the sacred formulas — in harmony with earth, in harmony with Agni, in harmony with the rays of the sun, in harmony with the works of the gods.

5.13.8 Scattering enemies, in the world of the well-doer, on the third vault of heaven, upon the shining firmament — blocking out the footprint of Death, they have now arrived, having cut Death down from behind by stopping his step.

5.14.1 Thou art the face of prosperity, the ray of truth; thy high-sounding fame reaches heaven. Let the two oblation-makers rise up; worship the gods well; cast away the pressings.

5.14.2 The divine waters are the makers of the sacrifice; the resplendent goddesses are the makers of the oblation. The rice-oblation in a single vessel is measured out equal to the Agniṣṭoma rite.

5.14.3 Thou art the Gāyatrī metre, the carrier of the oblation; as the deity Agni thou art fully kindled. Flowing in a thousand streams, in the world of the well-doer, with a back of clarified butter — thou art immortal.

5.14.4 Let the two Parameṣṭhins — Tapas (Austerity) and Satya (Truth) — partake of the rice-oblation. By those two, the heavenly world is brought here; therefore thou art called the overlord.

5.14.5 Thou art of wide-going song, measured by the breath of Vāyu. Strike down contemptuous words from me; may I be freed from wrongdoing.

5.14.6 Drive away the Rakṣasas with splendor; honor the oblation for the gods. Thou art all-pervading and wide-spreading.

5.14.7 Like the high-flying Suparṇa, fly up to heaven; make that dear one dear to the gods; deliver me to the ṛṣis. Let the pure partake of the pure; may the well-doers drink the honey.

5.14.8 Two kinds of gods have come to our sacrifice — those whom the rice-oblation pleases and those by whom it is invited. Let the Ādityas and the Aṅgirasas partake of this heavenly oblation, sitting down in due season.

5.15.1 The first portion of the beestings, of milk, of clarified butter, of food — this we gather together. This share we send forth to those who eat the unhurled oblation; let the divine gods accept that oblation of ours.

5.15.2 Some eat the poured oblation; others eat the unpoured oblation; both together move about the Vaiśvadeva sacrificial offering. Let them, going in harmony, rejoice here; find delight in nourishment and strength for the sacrificer.

5.15.3 Let neither Bhava nor Śarva smite these cattle; let no rough-maned disease seize our calves. Those already born and those still within the womb — unharmed, O Agni, let them take hold of the teat.

5.15.4 These cattle, bringing forth, fruitful — let them be of one mind with the women. May the gods mingle abundance into them; their calves I unite with life-force and fat.

5.15.5 May the women and the cows conceive; may Viṣṇu fashion the womb aright. Receiving the seed of the bull, the impetuous draught-bull moves after the cow in heat.

5.15.6 The offered first-portion injures nothing at all; make the Soma-honey according to your wish. Let those who eat the unhurled oblation lead the sacrifice well; may increase of wealth attend the sacrificer.

5.15.7 Let the rivers enter into thy footprints, O Earth; let the plants shoot up; let the refreshments be spurred on. Strike the ocean to its ridge, O Maruts of Parjanya; let the auspicious grain ripen; let the world rejoice.

5.15.8 The seven Ṛṣis, seven are their seats, ten are the finger-like ladles of the Aśvins, five are the prizes of the course. May the breath, the diffused breath, the mind, the intention, and the divine Speech — knowing it all — carry the oblation to the gods.

5.15.9 Those worms that are visible and those that are invisible, and those that are lean — the heads of all these I cut off with a sword; and then their calves I unite with life-force and fat.

5.16.1 May Heaven and Earth together milk this sacrifice; may Mātariśvan, the Purifier, do so from the fore. May Tvaṣṭṛ, Vāyu together with Soma, and Vāta milk it out, unflinching.

5.16.2 I heat the hot-pot with a stream of ambrosia; I present the oblation to Savitṛ for the gods. May the gods eat the bright, well-cooked oblation, while the offerer pours into the womb of immortality.

5.16.3 We have caused the oblation cooked on Agni's fire to send up its fragrance; mount the back of the immortal abode. O forest-lords, strew the sacred grass; make it all around sweet as honey, rich as ghee.

5.16.4 Whatever disease-demon lurks in the waters, I appease him for you; I anoint this pasture-land with nourishing strength. I make the suckling milk uncontaminated for you; drinking life-breath, come back to the herd.

5.16.5 May the sons of Iḍā and of the friendly cows suck their milk unharmed, without injury. May the crops be well-tended according to the seasons; may Iryā the herdsman and Vāyu guard them.

5.16.6 Drink this ghee in due measure—it is secretly placed, deposited among human beings. All you gods, and Vaiśvadeva in Agni, rejoice in the oblation, each according to his share.

5.16.7 You who are the foremost of the gods, O Rudra, the bull who roams the threads of sacrifice—may our heroes be unharmed; let this oblation be offered to you.

5.16.8 Full of dung-fuel, possessed of hundreds, possessed of thousands—I have mounted this cow-pen together with all the gods, O Agni.

5.17.1 From sin against the gods, from hereditary disease, and from the curse—may the gods free you, maddened and beset by demons, from all of that.

5.17.2 The demons that have encircled you as you became a seer, O Agni, howling and shrieking around you—from these protect us, O prize-winner, allied with Indra, for the great battle.

5.17.3 Just as the gods, the wise Ṛbhus, O Agni, released the maddened seer free from sin—so may Śakra grant you fearlessness; be freed from sin; I drive away the demon.

5.17.4 Just as cattle and men are settled in their home upon the earth—so may Earth seize the mind of you, the maddened seer, and restore it.

5.17.5 Earth has upheld the seer; Heaven guards the seer. All living beings hold the seer; Indra himself sustained the seer. I drive away the demon far from you.

5.17.6 Release this man for me, O Agni—he who, seized by a Grāhī-demoness, babbles incoherently. From that state may he then make your ritual portion, so that he may be un-maddened and free from affliction.

5.17.7 May Agni calm for you whatever mind of yours is being swept away. I pour the oblation knowingly, that you may become un-maddened.

5.17.8 The malevolent Apsarases again release you, the Wind again, the Directions again; Yama again, and the messengers of Yama release you from the fetter—for living and not for dying, and for the state of being unharmed.

5.18.1 O gods, raise up again the one who has been cast down; you gods, lift him up once more. Even him who was about to die, O divine gods, make him live.

5.18.2 I have come to you with blessings and with wholeness from harm. I have brought you auspicious vital power; I drive away the disease far hence.

5.18.3 These two winds blow—from the Sindhu, and from the far distance. Let one blow vital power to you; let the other blow your affliction away to the beyond.

5.18.4 Blow in the remedy, O Wind; blow away whatever is affliction. For you, the universal healer, travel as the messenger of the gods.

5.18.5 May the gods protect this one; may the Maruts protect him with their hosts; may all beings protect him, so that he may be free from affliction.

5.18.6 Heaven-and-Earth are sprinkled with ghee; the waters are sprinkled with ghee. Be freed with ghee from the sin that you have brought upon yourself by your own act.

5.18.7 This hand of mine is auspicious; this hand of mine is yet more auspicious. This hand of mine is the universal healer; this is the benign touch.

5.18.8 With two hands of ten branches, the tongue going before as the vanguard of speech—with these two that cause no sickness, that are beneficent, we touch you.

5.18.9 The waters indeed are healers; the waters are destroyers of disease. The waters are the healers of all—may they make healing for you.

5.19.1 I make for you concord of heart, unity of mind, freedom from enmity. Love one another as a newly-born calf is loved by the cow that may not be slain.

5.19.2 Let the son be obedient in vow to his father, of one vow with his mother. Let the wife speak to her husband words that are honey-sweet, full of peace.

5.19.3 Let not brother hate brother, nor sister hate sister. Being harmonious, of one vow, speak ye words that are auspicious.

5.19.4 By that which the gods do not separate, nor bear mutual hatred for one another — that sacred formula we make operative in your house: concord among the people thereof.

5.19.5 You who are endowed with vigour and understanding — be not separated; accomplishing your aims, going together on the same track. Speaking pleasant words to one another, come together; be whole, united in a common direction.

5.19.6 Common is your drinking-trough, common is your share of food; together I yoke you in a common bond. Tending Agni in harmony, as spokes surround a hub.

5.19.7 By the oblation with which the adorable gods drove away evil — anger, wrath, falsehood, fury, ill-speech, and consuming grief — far off we lay down disease.

5.19.8 I make you united in direction, of one mind, eating together, won over by the charm and joined in heart. Like the gods guarding immortality, may your assembly be well-composed morning and evening.

5.20.1 Away, begone! Move afar! Pierce thou yet farther still! By the swift dart of Agni and Vāyu I drive thee away.

5.20.2 This is the course of water; this is the breaking-place of the wind; this is the path of Agni's smoke — here is no passage for thee, O wood-borer.

5.20.3 Agni of the black track encircles thee with smoke and flame. Thou, O wood-borer, move away! Pierce something else — pierce the grass, spare the barley.

5.20.4 Those wood-borers that are impelled by the Asuras, and those impelled by the gods — all of them together with the locusts we crush by the power of brahman.

5.20.5 Of the locust, of the female locust, of the wood-borer, of every flying creature — with the swift dart of Agni and Vāyu we seal shut the mouth.

5.20.6 This remedy gathered from the cow, assembled from every form — with its sinew-cord do we bind the mouths of the mouse, the ghuṇa-grub, and the wood-borer.

5.20.7 Thou art perceived by thy fragrance, O herb that crushes the ghuṇa-grub. Crush with thy fiery power all the species of the mouse and the ghuṇa-grub.

5.20.8 Let the wood-borer eat the pith of the grass, let the mouse urged by its instinct eat the root; and let the ghuṇa-grubs eat the pithy part of the tree — but let them not eat the barley.

5.21.1 Heaven is our father and Earth our mother; Agni, the all-seeing Jātavedas, watches over men. May they hurl the fever-demon downward, prostrate, ten-day-bound, far away from us.

5.21.2 O Takmán, having allotted thee thy territory in the eastern half of the earth — passing beyond that, thou dost afflict us. Seizure shall surely seize thee — the white-headed seizure.

5.21.3 O Takmán, yonder are these snow-capped mountains, the Himavants, their ridges bright with soma. They have made the wind our messenger and healer — vanish hence, away to the Muñjavaṭ tribes!

5.21.4 Women do not desire thee, nor do any men whatsoever. Here there is no one longing for the fever — neither the small cries for thee nor the great.

5.21.5 Harm not the great ones, harm not thou the elder men. O tawny one, harm not the boys; harm not our girls.

5.21.6 Thou who dost at once send flying balāsa, cough, and udraja — dreadful are thy shafts, O Takmán; with them do thou spare us!

5.21.7 The thousand-eyed immortal one takes no pleasure in another's domain. The fever-demon Takmán has indeed been besought — he will be gracious to us.

5.21.8 O Takmán, thou hast no horses here, no cattle, no dwellings here. O crusher of Śakambhara, go back to the great mountain ranges!

5.22.1 You two who lull winter to sleep by your power — you who dwell this side of the gods and you who dwell beyond the sky — we choose the benevolence of Bhava and Rudra; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.2 He who stretches out the sky, who props up the atmosphere, being born of vital force — to that Rudra we would render homage with oblation; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.3 From whose deadly stroke nothing escapes, among the gods or among human beings — to those two Rudras we would render homage with oblation; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.4 You two who are lords of the earthly animals — of the four-footed and of those that are two-footed — to those two Rudras we would render homage with oblation; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.5 Into whose quiver the wild beasts and the tame cattle enter together — to that Rudra we would render homage with oblation; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.6 From whom the trembling herbs take flight, from whom all the trees do not stray, from whom the birds move abroad in fear — to that Rudra we would render homage with oblation; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.7 He who set the mountains in place, supremely knowing, who ordains all beings with full awareness — to that Rudra we would render homage with oblation; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.8 You two who, as sovereigns, roam over his two-footed and four-footed creatures, you two who are fierce and swift of bow — to those two Rudras we would render homage with oblation; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.22.9 Restore to us sight, restore breath, restore life, O Jātavedas; O Rudra, healer with cooling balm — knowing this, with this oblation we render homage to you; let the deadly poison go elsewhere from us.

5.23.1 We choose you, the lord of healing herbs, for the sake of conquest; Sarasvān has made you, O herb, of a thousand potencies.

5.23.2 The truly victorious one, the driver-away of curses, the overpowering one, the one that returns — I have summoned all the herbs together, saying: 'Let her carry away from here.'

5.23.3 She who has cursed with a curse, or who has grasped at utter folly, or who has undertaken to steal the sap — let her devour her own offspring.

5.23.4 For you, O Apāmārga, came to be with fruit turned backward; drive away from me all curses more broadly than all others.

5.23.5 That which a rival curses, and that which a kinsman curses upon us, and that which the brahmin curses out of anger — let all of that be beneath our feet.

5.23.6 The sorcery they have made for you in a raw vessel, in a blue-red thread, the sorcery they have made in raw flesh — with that very sorcery slay the sorcerer.

5.23.7 Ill omen from bad dreams, wretched existence, the demon, the monstrous, the niggards, evil speech, all evil being — all that we drive away from here.

5.23.8 Death by hunger, death by thirst, lack of cattle, lack of offspring — with you, O Apāmārga, we wipe away all that.

5.24.1 Even is the earth with the sun; night is equally provided with the day. I make this true formula for protection: let the sorceries be without power.

5.24.2 He, O gods, who makes sorcery and carries it into the house of one who is unaware — let it return upon him as a suckling calf returns to its mother.

5.24.3 He who makes the evil thing at home and with it seeks to slay another — when it is burned, may the many stones crack loudly against him.

5.24.4 O you of a thousand abodes, with bared arrows and twisted neck, with your shadow — carry back the beloved sorcery to the one who made it, to him who holds it dear.

5.24.5 She who made it could not prevail; she has cut off her own foot, her finger; the unfortunate one has brought good fortune to us who are fortunate.

5.24.6 With this herb I have rendered powerless all the sorceries — that which they made in the field, that which they made against the cattle, or that which they made against those men.

5.24.7 Let Apāmārga wipe away hereditary disease and curses from me; drive away the sorcerers, drive away all the niggards.

5.24.8 Having wiped away the sorcerers, having wiped away all the niggards — O Apāmārga, accompany us with offspring and with wealth.

5.25.1 You are as one who severs kinship-bonds, and likewise one who undoes what is born of the same womb; moreover, cut down the progeny of the sorcerer as one cuts the monsoon reed.

5.25.2 You have been consecrated by the Brāhmaṇa, by Kaṇva the son of Nṛṣad; you advance like an army charged with blazing energy — there is no fear wherever you arrive, O herb.

5.25.3 You are foremost among herbs, blazing forth like a light; you are both the protector of the simple-minded and the slayer of the Rakṣas.

5.25.4 When of old the gods drove out the Asuras with your aid, it was from that very act, O herb, that you, the Apāmārga, were born.

5.25.5 Splitting asunder with a hundred branches — "Vibhindan" (the Splitter) is your father's name; split apart in turn the one who assails us.

5.25.6 What arose from the earth came into being; that great utterance ascends to heaven — let it, having driven away the evil like smoke, rebound and strike the one who wrought it.

5.25.7 For you have come into being facing backward, you whose fruit points westward; having turned the sorceries back in the reverse direction, slay that one who wrought the sorcery.

5.25.8 Guard me round about with a hundredfold protection, shield me on all sides with a thousandfold; Indra, the fierce lord of plants, has bestowed upon you his surging might.

5.26.1 O Heaven and Earth, cut off the root of Arātī (Grudging), and likewise her head; having severed her spine in the middle, make her something trodden underfoot.

5.26.2 Hear this, O Jātavedas, this word of mine directed against her; O Aśvins, crush utterly the whole head of Arātī.

5.26.3 She who roams by night having taken the form of a cow, moving among people — O Indra, slay that Arātī; let Agni burn her up utterly.

5.26.4 May Varuṇa, my most excellent king, reach my invocation by means of truth; may the fierce god, having slain Arātī together with her offspring, bestow [good fortune] upon us.

5.26.5 Both Sinīvālī who assigns destinies and the seven who are worthy of hearing — may all beings smite Arātī as they smite a slave-woman who has transgressed.

5.26.6 Soma the king with his herbs, and both the Sun and the Moon — may all the Gandharvas and all the Apsarases smite Arātī.

5.26.7 Bhava the king, Bhava and Śarva together, Indra, Vāyu, Bṛhaspati, Tvaṣṭṛ my overlord, and Pūṣan — may they smite that Arātī of yours at all times.

5.26.8 Those gods who roam the earth and those yonder who abide in heaven, those who hold sway over the atmosphere — may they all, united in their ordinance, smite Arātī.

5.26.9 She who is set in motion by the Asuras and she who is set in motion by the gods, and moreover she who is born of wrath — Arātī I smite with the sacred word (brahman).

5.27.1 This has now been revealed to me: the great Yakṣa, the vast form — how Nirṛti, yoked together with all the gods as her allies, is born here in fellowship with Death.

5.27.2 Even Amamriścit struck down, even Sāprathu spoke, burning the serpent that lorded it over like a king, with power; crush even Āyu, even Kutsa, even Atithigva; dispel Nikilbinda with power.

5.27.3 As wide as Heaven and Earth in their breadth, as great as the seven rivers in their greatness — so great is Nirṛti, all-encompassing, she who knows all that is being born.

5.27.4 For you have become the lord of the nourishment of all that is born, O goddess, or of what is fully nourished; reverence be to you, O Nirṛti — do not devour us, and do not cause any further loss.

5.27.5 Regarding Nirṛti as a goddess, I do not pursue her with words as a father pursues a son; she who knows all that is being born — the sun has followed head by head in her wake.

5.27.6 Seek out one who does not press the Soma, who does not sacrifice; follow the path of the thief, pursue the robber; seek one who sleeps — that is your domain; reverence I hereby make to you, O Nirṛti.

5.27.7 Nirṛti, eager to devour those who do not press the Soma — for her no father is known, nor any mother; she smote her own sister utterly in the very midst, yet she did not attain the lordly power of the gods.

5.27.8 The bright light that was born beyond that darkness — may it, O Agni Vaiśvānara, luminously carry us across, beyond our enemies.

5.28.1 The guardian of the world, as it is being released — let the sacrificial animal come here to receive our share. May Agni, the knowing god, carry the threefold, seven-stranded oblation to the gods from the sacrifice.

5.28.2 Your two well-smeared tusks that are ever growing, the right-side ones call out and look upon it together — may the Fathers make that free of evil for us; we would release the food that is bound to the sacrificial post.

5.28.3 You are undiminshed, unspoiled — go forth! Run, knowing one, into Indra's cow-pen. Let the wise seers wipe you clean; be glad of nourishment and strength for the sacrificer.

5.28.4 I receive you here, pleasant in the world, through the seven seers who consume — Jamadagni, Kaśyapa, Bharadvāja — let him make this food sweet as honey. May Gautama, Vasiṣṭha, and Viśvāmitra grant shelter to the receiver, to the giver.

5.28.5 Whatever foremost portion of the oblation has come to us — the vessel of food or of ghee — or whatever wealth has arrived from those two who convey it, may Agni the hotar make that well-offered.

5.28.6 The clarified butter that was received, and the rice grains that the goat consumed together with the moon — may Bṛhaspati be the apportioner of our oblation; may the goat, the horse, and the cow not harm us.

5.28.7 May Agni knowingly receive this for us; may Bṛhaspati, fully knowing, respond. May Indra with the Maruts make it well-offered; may it be free of consumption, free of disease for you.

5.28.8 Whatever imperishable wealth they have given us in the form of a boar, or a bed together with its cushion for us, or whatever vigor along with virile strength — may Agni the hotar make that well-offered.

5.28.9 Whatever all-providing hall, or house, or rope together with its woven mat, or whatever golden ornament along with its fastening the gods have given us — may Agni the hotar make that well-offered.

5.29.1 The luster in the sun — that which I have heard of, by which people go with radiance at their fore — the luster in Soma, the luster in the cows: may the gods, the upholders of sovereignty, place that in me.

5.29.2 The luster that the Maruts strengthened in the sacrifice, that Vāyu released among the cattle together with good fortune, the luster of the Gandharvas and the Apsarases in the waters — [may the gods place] that in me.

5.29.3 The luster in the sacrifice and luster in the sacrificer, the luster that is in the king who has been consecrated with ablution, the luster that is foremost in the sacrificial fee — [may the gods place] that in me.

5.29.4 Luster in the chariot, luster in the horse that draws the chariot, luster in the quiver, luster in the armor, the luster that is foremost among the horses — [may the gods place] that in me.

5.29.5 Luster in the assembly hall, luster in the council, luster in the bride, and luster in the act of choosing, the luster that is foremost in the ceremonial drink — [may the gods place] that in me.

5.29.6 Luster in the lion, luster in the tiger, luster in the wolf, luster in the honey-gatherer, the luster of the eagle among flying creatures — [may the gods place] that in me.

5.29.7 The golden luster and the luster of the elephant, the luster they speak of in battle, of those who have conquered, which the seers have proclaimed in cultivated fields and in the field of the born — may the gods, the upholders of sovereignty, place that in me.

5.29.8 In me be luster, in me be fame, in me be brilliance, in me be fiery energy. May I be the highest, my enemies beneath my feet.

5.30.1 The plants are full of milk; milky too is my speech. I draw the milk of the milk-laden ones here by the thousand.

5.30.2 I know how he made the milk and made the grain abundant. The god who bears the name Saṃbhṛtā — him we worship, in the house of every non-sacrificer.

5.30.3 As heaven and earth have stood firm for the sake of a support, so I spread prosperity on the threshing floors and the granary floors.

5.30.4 As a well has a hundred streams, a thousand streams, and is inexhaustible, so may my grain be of a thousand streams and inexhaustible.

5.30.5 With a hundred hands gather in; with a thousand hands pour together — so that prosperity may come here for what has been done and what is yet to be done.

5.30.6 These five human regions, these five peoples — all of them, auspicious and joy-giving, after rain like rivers that shed curse, may they bring prosperity together here.

5.30.7 Here is the prosperity of plants and the meeting of the gods. Right here may the dice-horse of the Aśvins spring up at the turning point.

5.30.8 Three are the measures of the Gandharvas, four of the mistress of the household. With the highest prosperity among these, we touch you.

5.30.9 With the hands of Āṅgirasa the eldest we take hold of you, so that there may be abundant grain, freedom from consumption, and many men.

5.31.1 She who is to be milked, bearing all sacrifices — the all-divine one — ran forth first. Let the calf be loosed; the cow lows. When released, contented, she makes the sound hiṃ.

5.31.2 Tether the calf, set her to the one that would suckle it, today let the milk-pail sit down and be milked. Swelling with iḍā — the rice-oblation — let her yield sweet drink, ghee, exhilaration, and a share of food for him.

5.31.3 Let her run with her calf to the realm of Yama-king, along the path of the blessed — she who was given here as the first gift. Given without compulsion, she who was given first has come hither. Unite the cow of all forms with her calf.

5.31.4 She came here first, she who was given as the very first — she by whom, in that world, he immediately gives you. O milk-cow, as the first you shall carry him across. Given with faith, she dwells in the highest heaven.

5.31.5 Know, O milk-cow prepared with rites, the lord of cattle who gives you as the foremost of gifts of svadhā. For there the meritorious deeds of former times pass on; and this one shall come to the far side beyond old age.

5.31.6 The milk-cow strode beyond the draught ox, beyond any other creature; she ran back facing the bull, the father of calves.

5.31.7 Luminous one, go to the blessed among the brilliant! O milk-cow, let your lords be gracious. May the seven suns shine upon you. Run to Yama; do not stray away from the path, wandering into the distance.

5.31.8 Yielding milk yonder for the giver, for me, enjoying both worlds, stride forth. Clothed together in the ritual fees, in nourishment and vital energy, we encounter the stream of Bhaga for our protection.

5.31.9 She of a thousand limbs, a hundred luminaries belong to her — the purifier of the sacrifice, the immortal, the heavenly one. Let that ritual fee of all forms come to us; we receive her who does no harm.

5.32.1 Your snares, O Varuṇa — seven, seventy — stand deployed in three places, gleaming. They bind every speaker of falsehood; the one who speaks truth they let pass beyond.

5.32.2 Here his spies range about; these thousand-eyed ones survey the earth. Whoever violates his ordinance in any way — he is not freed from the snare of Varuṇa.

5.32.3 This broad earth is in accord with him; so too is yonder great sky of distant ends. And the ocean is Varuṇa's belly; and in this little water he is also not unloosed.

5.32.4 He who stands still with the mind, he who deceives, he who moves in concealment, he who moves in dispersal — whatever two people say sitting together, King Varuṇa knows it as the third.

5.32.5 All that King Varuṇa surveys — what lies between the two world-halves, what lies beyond. The twinkling of men's eyes is counted by him; like a gambler counting dice, he measures the worlds.

5.32.6 You alone, O King Varuṇa, are the upholder of the gods; you are all-formed. Let him be wretched of skin — the lowest, the tawny one — who strikes down truthful speech with falsehood.

5.32.7 The Varuṇa who belongs to one's own village, the Varuṇa who belongs to the foreign village; the Varuṇa of the home district, the Varuṇa of the alien district; the divine Varuṇa and the human Varuṇa — I release all of them from you here.

5.32.8 Bind him about, O Varuṇa, with a hundred snares; let the speaker of falsehood not be freed from you, O all-seeing one. Let the wretch sit with his belly sagging, being trimmed around like a sheath without its string.

5.32.9 He makes him fall down from you; he also ties him down to you. He also makes him propertyless — thus King Varuṇa moves about.

5.32.10 Varuṇa cuts him down as a reed is cut for a mat. He cuts out the root of the one who wishes to do him harm.

5.33.1 The god who bound this girdle upon me, who fastened it on, who also yoked me — at whose divine instruction I move — may he seek the far shore; may he also release me.

5.33.2 You are offered, you are well-offered; you are the weapon of the seers. Partaking first of the vow, O girdle, become a slayer of heroes.

5.33.3 Inasmuch as I am a student of sacred knowledge pursuing death — wresting beings, man and all, away for Yama — with Brahman, with austerity, with effort, with this girdle I bind him.

5.33.4 Let this thunderbolt satisfy through vow; let it strike down alive the kingdom of this one. Let it cleave his shoulders; let the meters shatter them.

5.33.5 Below and above, lower and lower still, hidden by the earth, let him not creep out. Struck down by the thunderbolt, may he lie.

5.33.6 Him who conquers — seek him out; him who conquers — strike him down. O thunderbolt, O missile, strike down the one who conquers, striking him along the parting of his hair.

5.33.7 When I eat, I make strength; I take up the thunderbolt, as it were. Shattering the shoulders of that one, like the lord of Śacī against Vṛtra.

5.33.8 When I drink, I drink him up together; like an ocean, a drinker-together. Drinking up together the vital breaths of that one, I drink him up together — let me drink.

5.33.9 When I swallow, I swallow him up together; like an ocean, a swallower-together. Swallowing together the vital breaths of that one, I swallow him up together — let me swallow.

5.33.10 Born of Faith, sprung from austerity — the sister of the seers and of the creators of beings she became. O girdle, place in us understanding, wisdom; and grant us austerity and vital power.

5.33.11 You whom the seers of former times, the creators of beings, encircled — do you encircle me, O girdle, for long life.

5.34.1 May your mother-in-law speak ill of you, may your father-in-law speak worse of you; the gods have made the brahman-spell against you a cause of anguish, of estrangement.

5.34.2 Howl and wail, utter disagreeable speech; grasp your head with both hands — your hair shall be your anguish.

5.34.3 These tresses, those two hair-bands, that head-ornament, that tuft of hair — and whatever belongings are yours: all these shall be your anguish.

5.34.4 Shrink away from your garment — I make a maddening spell for you; and whatever garment is your own, all that shall be your anguish.

5.34.5 Eat the arka-plant, take flight — I make your eyes wild as a sage's; and toward the barking dogs keep making your whimpering sound.

5.34.6 Rise up, run away, become the abode of mirages; and in doing your business, press together the two testicles in longing.

5.34.7 Hiss at him and agitate him; drive him as the wind drives a tuft of cotton; biting with teeth upon the arms, lift up the braid-fastened one.

5.34.8 Sing toward the spotted one, the yellow one, the well-pulling dog; keep stirring and agitating the dappled one as it comes.

5.34.9 Swift as the wind, swift as the mind — that chariot with the tail of the spotted antelope and the tail of the dog: may the gods harness it for you; riding it, seek your husband.

5.35.1 They bowed together to Agni; to him they bowed together through the earth. Just as they bowed together to Agni through the earth, so may all bow together to me. Acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman — O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!

5.35.2 They bowed together to Vāyu; to him they bowed together through the atmosphere. Just as they bowed together to Vāyu through the atmosphere, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.3 They bowed together to Sūrya; to him they bowed together through the sky. Just as they bowed together to Sūrya through the sky, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.4 They bowed together to Candra; to him they bowed together through the asterisms. Just as they bowed together to Candra through the asterisms, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.5 They bowed together to Soma; to him they bowed together through the plants. Just as they bowed together to Soma through the plants, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.6 They bowed together to the sacrifice; to it they bowed together through the sacrificial fees. Just as they bowed together to the sacrifice through the sacrificial fees, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.7 They bowed together to the ocean; to it they bowed together through the rivers. Just as they bowed together to the ocean through the rivers, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.8 They bowed together to Brahman; to it they bowed together through the student-ascetics. Just as they bowed together to Brahman through the student-ascetics, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.9 They bowed together to Indra; to him they bowed together through heroic might. Just as they bowed together to Indra through heroic might, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.10 They bowed together to the gods; to them they bowed together through immortality. Just as they bowed together to the gods through immortality, even so may all bow together to me — [acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman; O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!]

5.35.11 They bowed together to Prajāpati; to him they bowed together through his creatures. Just as they bowed together to Prajāpati through his creatures, even so may all bow together to me. Acquisition, prosperity, nourishment, cattle, sacred knowledge, and the lustre of a brahman — O bow-makings, you are here; bow together to me. Svāhā!

5.35.12 Seven are the bow-makings; the eighth is the accomplisher of insight. Make the paths favorable to those who desire; may there be mutual understanding among you in the matter of wealth.

5.36.1 The fetters belonging to Varuṇa and those belonging to Nirṛti, the fetters of trees and of plants, those earthly ones that have arisen from the earth — may they not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.36.2 The fetters that are in the atmosphere, those that are in the sky, those scattered throughout food that bind in manifold ways, those that have arisen from among cattle — may they not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.36.3 The human bond with which men curse, or the priestly rite of the fathers which one undertakes — Varuṇa who comes as the proximate one, may he not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.36.4 Whether you plunged into the waters with intent, or whether you laid hold of the fire when it was blazing — whatever falsehood you spoke, knowing or unknowing, may that not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.36.5 What was ground on a stone in the western direction, what raw grains and raw oblation you drank from a raw vessel — bereft of truth, whatever falsehood you spoke, may that not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.36.6 The one they equip with arrows and well-plastered with clay, or the hand of the brahman that one lays hold of — Varuṇa who is proximate, whom he struck down: the clod brought from his cremation-ground, may that not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.36.7 The pressing-stone they lay hold of, with which they press the soma shoots — or the wealth you coveted and took away, the field, the cow, the horse, the person, or both together: may that not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.36.8 Whether you plunged into the waters with hostile intent, or laid hold of the blazing fire, or took hold of the hand of a female kinsman as was done, or strung the bow — or whether you are caught in the wrath of King Varuṇa: may he not harm you; may welfare be yours.

5.37.1 Whatever offspring-bearing capacity of yours has been obstructed and undone, or whose womb has been befouled and beset by piśācas; or whatever dreadful impurity has taken hold at the bathing-place — all that I purify for you by means of sacred brahman-power.

5.37.2 If the offspring of this woman have been throttled by Varuṇa, or if ill-named beings lick away her fertile season; if from hatred of a co-wife they have wrought this upon her — may this fire, the destroyer of harmful things, strike those evils away.

5.37.3 If this woman's mark of fortune brings childlessness, or if her embryo has been carried off by yātudhānas; or if a bad dream has been seen while she slept — may Indra and Agni restore all that with auspiciousness once more.

5.37.4 If through a sin against the gods you do not obtain a son, or if a curse from men has afflicted you; or if your birth has been hemmed in by the Fathers — this we now undo entirely, so that you shall bring forth a son.

5.37.5 May Vaiśvānara, Jātavedas who is so from birth, Prajāpati, pour seed into her. Let him drive away hatred and Nirṛti to the far distance; may he make this woman one who bears sons and gives birth with ease.

5.37.6 May Agni here grant progeny to this woman, united with the Ādityas and the Vasus. Let all the gods come to my invocation — may her son be born, endowed with heroic vigor.

5.37.7 By that same means whereby divine Aditi received the embryo, whereby Prajāpati sent forth offspring — by that same power I offer oblation for her with this havir, so that she may bring forth a male child, a son.

5.37.8 I beg a son for you from the deities; may the Maruts, born of Pṛśni, consent. May the ten-month embryo enter you; when the boy is born, may he be nurtured at your lap.

5.38.1 The Long-haired one bears fire; the Long-haired one bears poison; the Long-haired one sustains the two worlds. The Long-haired one is all that is, to behold the sun — the Long-haired one is called this very light.

5.38.2 The munis girt by wind, tawny-hued, clad in soiled garments — they follow along the rushing course of the wind, there where the gods have yoked themselves.

5.38.3 Intoxicated by the state of mauneya — the silent wisdom — we have mounted the winds. You mortals look only upon our bodies.

5.38.4 Through the mid-air he flies, gazing down upon all living beings below as upon the sun. The muni, friend set in place for the welfare of every single god.

5.38.5 The steed of Indra, the companion of Vāyu — and moreover the muni impelled by the gods: he dwells in both oceans at once, in a single instant, both the eastern and the western.

5.38.6 Wandering in the pathway of the Gandharvas, the Apsarases, and the gods, the muni, knowing the intention of the wise, is a sweet and supremely ecstatic companion.

5.38.7 Vāyu churned for him; Kunaṃnamā — the bent one — ground the herbs. The muni, together with Rudra, drank from the cup of poison.

5.38.8 Heaven and Earth standing joined together, immovable and inseparable — by the hair of a single god did the lord of Śacī prop them apart.

5.39.1 No affliction, no distress has reached that mortal, O gods, whom Aryaman, Mitra, and Varuṇa — of one accord — lead safely past the haters.

5.39.2 For this very boon we choose you, O Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman: that you protect us free from anguish and guide the mortal past the haters.

5.39.3 So now, you — for our aid, O Varuṇa [Mitra, Aryaman] — you are the surest guides, you are leaders; you who have carried across shall carry us across, past the haters.

5.39.4 For auspicious aid to us, O Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman — O Ādityas, grant us broad shelter, for which we beseech you, past the haters.

5.39.5 The Ādityas — Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman — overcome those who would crush us. We invoke fierce Rudra along with the Maruts, Indra and Agni, for well-being, past the haters.

5.39.6 Do indeed guide us across, O Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman — kings over all peoples — beyond all distresses, past the haters.

5.39.7 You protect everything, O Varuṇa, Mitra, Aryaman. May we be beloved in your shelter, well-led by you, past the haters.

5.39.8 Just as, O Vasus, O adorable ones, you released even the Gaurī cow that was bound at the foot — so do release us from anguish; O Agni, extend our life yet further forward.

5.40.1 By the impulsion of divine Savitṛ, impelled by the arms of the Aśvins, by the hands of Pūṣan, I offer thee forth to the Brāhmaṇas. May he never be exhausted for me, ever being eaten, in the world of the Pitṛs.

5.40.2 With the assent of Earth I cook this; may Heaven assent to me, may the Atmosphere assent. May Aditi, mother of the gods, assent; may these be in the heavenly world.

5.40.3 I place the cooking-pot of Brahman upon the fire; upon the earth I uphold thee, upon earth. May Agni, as he cooks, protect this rice-offering; may Jātavedas drive away the Rakṣases and Piśācas.

5.40.4 Unfailing, undiminished, ever-giving, like a spring perpetually inexhaustible — let the father, the grandfather, and he who is the third ancestor live upon this share here.

5.40.5 Swelling full, undiminished, ever-giving, replenishing itself again like Soma — let this deposited share belong to the son, the grandson, and him who is the great-grandson.

5.40.6 Let not this deposited share of mine wear away; let it be guarded from human to human. I have laid this treasure with Vaivasvata; let him release it for me alone.

5.40.7 Let it fill again what they eat of it; may this rice-offering ever remain undiminished. Let it be guarded by King Vaivasvata; may my own people live and come to me.

5.40.8 A spring of a hundred streams, of a thousand streams, undiminished, overflowing upon the surface of the waters, milking out nourishment without faltering — upon that I would attend, where the world of those who have done good deeds abides.