a May I the waters wet (thee) for life, For length of days, for glory.
b O plant, protect him.
c Axe, hurt him not.
d Obedient to the gods I shear these.
e With success may I reach further days.
f Let the waters, the mothers, purify us, With ghee let those that purify our ghee purify us, Let them bear from us all pollution, Forth from these waters do I come bright, in purity.
g Thou art the body of Soma, guard my body.
h Thou art the milk of the great ones, thou art the giver of splendour; splendour [1] place in me.
i Thou art the pupil of Vrtra s eye, thou art the guardian of the eye, guard my eye.
k Let the lord of thought purify thee, let the lord of speech purify thee, let the god Savitr purify thee With the flawless purifier, With the rays of the bright sun.
l O lord of the purifier, with thy purifier for whatsoever I purify myself, that may I have strength to accomplish.
m We approach you, O gods, Ye that have true ordinances at the sacrifice What O gods ye can assent to, For that we ask you, O holy ones.
n Indra and Agni, heaven and earth, waters, plants.
o Thou art the lord of consecrations, guard me that am here.

i. 2. 2.

a To the purpose, to the impulse, to Agni, hail! To wisdom, to thought, to Agni, hail! To consecration, to penance, to Agni, hail! To Sarasvati, to Prisan, to Agni, hail! b O ye divine, vast, all sootbing waters! Heaven and earth, wide atmosphere! May Brhaspati rejoice in our oblation, hail! c Let every man choose the companionship Of the god who leadeth.
Every man prayeth for wealth; Let him choose glory that he may prosper, hail! d Ye are images of the Rc and the Saman.
I grasp you two; do ye two [1] protect me until the completion of this sacrifice.
e O god,Varuna, do thou sharpen this prayer of him who implores thee, Sharpen his strength, his insight; May we mount that safe ship Whereby we may pass over all our difficulties.
f Thou art the strength of the Angirases, soft as wool; grant me strength, guard me, harm me not.
g Thou art the protection of Visnu, the protection of the sacrificer, grant me protection.
h Guard me from the lustre of the Naksatras.
i Thou art the birthplace of Indra [2]; harm me not.
k For ploughing thee, for good crops, l For the plants with good berries thee! m Thou art of easy access, divine tree.
Being erect, guard me until the completion (of the sacrifice).
n Hail! with my mind the sacrifice (I grasp); hail! from heaven and earth, bail! from the broad atmosphere, hail! from the wind the sacrifice I grasp.

i. 2. 3.

a The thought divine we meditate, Merciful, for our help, That giveth glory, and carrieth the sacrifice.
May it guide us safely according as we will.
b The gods, mind born, mind using, The wise, the sons of wisdom, May they guard us, may they protect us, To them honour! to them hail! c O Agni, be thou wakeful; Let us be glad; Guard us to prosperity; Grant to us to wake again.
d Thou, O Agni, art the guardian of vows, Among the gods and men.
Thou [1] art to be invoked at our sacrifices.
e All the gods have surrounded me, Pusan with gain, Soma with a gift, The god Savitr the giver of brightness.
f O Soma, give so much, and bear more hither.
g May he that filleth never miss of fullness.
Let me not be parted with life.
h Thou art gold; be for my enjoyment.
Thou art raiment; be for my enjoyment.
Thou art a cow; be for my enjoyment.
Thou art a horse; be for my enjoyment [2].
Thou art a goat; be for my enjoyment.
Thou art a ram; be for my enjoyment.
i To Vayu thee; to Varuna thee; to Nirrti thee; to Rudra thee! k O divine waters, son of the waters, the stream Fit for oblation, mighty, most exhilarating, That stream of yours may I not step upon.
l Along an unbroken web of earth may I go.
m From good to better do thou advance.
n May Brhaspati be thy leader; Then set him free, on the chosen spot of earth; Drive afar the foes with all thy strength.
o We have come to the place on earth for sacrifice to the gods, Wherein aforetime all the gods rejoiced.
Accomplishing (the rite) with Rc, Saman, and Yajus, Let us rejoice in fullness of wealth, in sustenance.

i. 2. 4.

a This is thy body, O pure one.
This is thy splendour.
With it be united.
Win brightness.
b Thou art the strong, grasped by mind, acceptable to Visnu.
c In the impulse of thee, of true impulse, may I win a support for my speech.
Hail! d Thou art pure, thou art nectar, thou art the sacrifice for all the gods.
e I have mounted the eye of the sun.
The pupil of the eye of Agni, When thou goest with thy steeds, Blazing with the wise.
f Thou art thought, thou art mind, thou art meditation, thou art the gift (to the priests) [1], thou art of the sacrifice, thou art of kingly power, thou art Aditi, double headed.
g Be thou successful for us in going, successful in returning.
h May Mitra bind thee by the foot.
i May Pusan guard the ways, k For Indra, the overseer! l May thy mother approve thee, thy father, thy brother sprung of the same womb, thy friend in the herd.
m Go, goddess, to the god, to Soma for Indra s sake.
n May Rudra guide thee hither in the path of Mitra.
o Hail! Return with Soma as thy comrade, with wealth.

i. 2. 5.

a Thou art a Vasvi, thou art a Rudra, thou art Aditi, thou art an Aditya, thou art Sukra, thou art Candra.
b May Brhaspati make thee rejoice in happiness.
May Rudra with the Vasus be favourable to thee.
c I pour thee on the head of the earth, on the place of sacrifice, on the abode of the offering, rich in ghee; hail! d The Raksas is enclosed, the evil spirits are enclosed.
Thus I cut the neck of the Raksas.
e Thus I cut the neck of him who hates us and whom we hate [1].
f With us be wealth, with thee be wealth, thine be wealth.
g Gaze, O goddess, together with the goddess Urvasi.
h Let me attend on thee, with Tvastr s aid; rich in seed, bearing seed, may I find a hero in thy presence.
i May I not be separated from abundance of wealth.

i. 2. 6.

a Let thy shoot be joined with shoot, joint with joint, let thy scent further desire, let thy savour which falls not cause rejoicing.
Thou art a home dweller, thy libation is bright.
b Unto that god, Savitr, within the two bowls, The sage, I sing, him of true impulse, The bestower of treasures, unto tile wise friend; He at whose impulse the resplendent light shone high, The golden banded sage hath measured the heaven with his form.
c For offspring thee! For expiration thee! For cross breathing thee! Breathe thou after offspring.
Let offspring breathe after thee.

i. 2. 7.

a I buy Soma from thee, strong, rich in sap, full of force, overcoming the foe, the pure with the pure I buy, the bright with the bright, the immortal with the immortal, to match thy cow.
b With us be the gold.
c Thou art the bodily form of penance, Prajapati s kind, I buy Soma() with the last offspring of thee that bast a thousandfold prosperity.
d With us be union with thee; with me let thy wealth abide.
e With us be light, darkness be on the Soma seller.
f Come as a friend to us, creating firm friendships.
g Enter the right thigh of Indra, glad the glad, tender the tender.
h O Svana, Bhraja, Anghari, Bambhari, Hasta, Suhasta, and Krsanu, here are your wages for Soma; guard them, let them not fail you.

i. 2. 8.

a Up with life, with fair life, Up with the sap of plants, Up with the force of Parjanya, Up have I arisen along with the immortals.
b Fare along the wide atmosphere.
c Thou art the seat of Aditi.
d Sit on the seat of Aditi.
e The bull hath stablished the sky, the atmosphere; Hath meted the breadth of the earth; Hath set him in all worlds as king.
All these are Varuna s ordinances.
f He hath stretched out the sky over the woods; He hath placed strength in horses, milk in kine; Varuna hath set skill in the heart [1], Agni in dwellings, The sun in the sky, the Soma on the hill.
g Thee, all knowing god, Thy rays bear upwards, The sun for all to see.
h Come hither, ye oxen, strong to bear the yoke, Tearless, slaying not man, furthering the prayer.
i Thou art the pillar of Varuna.
k Thou art the prop of Varuna s pillar.
I Varuna s noose is tied.

i. 2. 9.

a Move I forward, O lord of the world, To all thy stations.
Let no opponent find thee, Let not robbers find thee; Let not the evil working wolves (find) thee; Nor the Gandharva, Visvavasu, injure thee.
b Become an eagle and fly away to the place in the house of the sacrificer which we have prepared with the gods (for thee).
Thou art the good luck of the sacrificer.
c We have reached the path Which leadeth to bliss, without a foe, Whereby a man defeateth all his foes and winneth wealth.
d Honour to the radiance of Mitra and Varuna.
This worship, this reverence offer to the god; To the far seeing, god born, the banner, The son of the sky, the sun, do ye sing.
c Thou art the pillar of Varuna.
f Thou art the prop of Varuna s pillar.
g Varuna s noose is loosened.

i. 2. 10.

a Thou art the hospitality of Agni.
For Visnu thee! Thou art the hospitality of Soma.
For Visnu thee! Thou art the hospitality of the stranger.
For Visnu thee! For Agni thee, giver of wealth, for Visnu thee; for the eagle, bringer of the Soma, thee, for Visnu thee! b Thy powers which they honour with oblation, May they all envelop the sacrifice! Giver of wealth, impeller, rich in heroes, Slaying not heroes, O Soma, enter the dwellings.
c Thou art the seat of Aditi; sit on the seat of Aditi [1].
d Thou art Varuna who guardeth law; thou art of Varuna.
e Be prosperity ours from our friendship with the gods.
May we be not severed from our service of the gods.
f For him who rushes on I seize thee; for him who rushes around I seize thee; for Tanunapat I seize thee; for the mighty I seize thee; for the mightiest in strength I seize thee.
g Thou art unapproached, the unapproachable might of the gods, guarding from imprecations, impervious to imprecations.
h May the lord of consecration approve my consecration, the lord of penance my penance.
Speedily may I attain truth.
Place me in good fortune.

i. 2. 11.

a May thy every shoot, O god Soma, swell, For Indra who gaineth the chiefest wealth; May Indra swell for thee; Do thou swell for Indra.
b Make thy comrades to swell with wealth and skill; with good fortune may I accomplish thy pressing, O god Soma.
c Desired are riches exceedingly for food, for prosperity.
Be right to the proclaimers of right.
Honour to the sky, honour to the earth! d Agni, lord of vows, thou art the vow lord of vows; this body of mine be in thee [1], that body of thine be in me.
Together, O lord of vows, be the vows of us two that keep vows.
e Thy dread form, O Agni, with that protect us; hail to that form of thine! f That form of thine, O Agni, which rests in iron, which rests in silver, which rests in gold, the highest, that dwells in the cleft, g (By it) I have driven away harsh speech, (by it) I have driven away angry speech.
Hail!

i. 2. 12.

a Thou I art the abode of riches for me; thou art the resort of the afflicted for me; protect me when in want; protect me when afflicted.
b May Agni, named Nabhas, know (thee).
c Agni Angiras, thou who art in this earth, come with the name of Ayus.
Whatsoever unapproached, holy name is thine, [1] therewith I take thee up.
d Agni Angiras, thou who art in the second (the third) earth, come with the name of Ayus.
Whatever inviolate, holy name is thine, therewith I take thee up.
e Thou art a lioness; thou art a buffalo.
f Extend wide; let the lord of the sacrifice extend wide for thee.
g Thou art firm.
h Be pure for the gods; be bright for the gods.
i May the cry of Indra guard thee in front with the Vasus; may the swift of mind guard thee on the right with the Pitrs; may the wise one guard thee behind with the Rudras; may Visvakarman guard thee on the left with the Adityas.
k Thou art a lioness, overcoming rivals; hail! Thou art a lioness, bestowing fair offspring; hail! Thou art a lioness, [2] bestowing increase of wealth; hail! Thou art a lioness, winning (the favour of) the Adityas hail! Thou art a lioness; bring the gods to the pious sacrificer; hail! l To beings thee! m Thou containest all life, strengthen the earth; thou restest firm, strengthen the atmosphere; thou restest inviolable, strengthen the heaven.
n Thou art the ashes of Agni; thou art the rubble of Agni.

i. 2. 13.

a They yoke their minds, and yoke their thoughts, The priests of the mighty wise priest; He alone, who knows the way, ordains their priestly functions; Great is the praise of the god Savitr.
b With fair voice, O god, do thou address the dwelling.
c Ye two, famed among the gods, make proclamation among the gods.
d For us be born a hero of great deeds, On whom we may all depend, Who shall be ruler over many.
e Over this Visnu strode; Thrice did he set down his foot; (All) is gathered [1] in its dust.
f So then be ye two rich in food, in cows, In good grass, ye that are famous, for man These two firmaments Visnu held asunder; He holdeth the earth on all sides with pegs.
g Come ye two then forward, ordaining the offering; bring upward the sacrifice; do not falter; there rest on the height of the earth.
h From the sky, O Visnu, or from the earth, Or from the great (sky), or from the atmosphere, Fill thy hands with many good things, Give to us [2] from right and from left.
i I shall proclaim the mighty deeds of Visnu Who meted out the spaces of the earth, Who established the highest abode, Stepping thrice, the far goer.
k Thou art the forehead of Visnu; thou art the back of Visnu.
I Ye two are the corners of Visnu s mouth.
m Thou art the thread of Visnu.
n Thou art the fixed point of Visnu.
o Thou art of Visnu; to Visnu thee!

i. 2. 14.

a Put forth thy strength like a spreading net; Come like a mighty king with thy retainers; Hurling thy swift net thou shootest arrows; Pierce the Raksases with thy keenest (darts).
b Swiftly thy whirling flames descend; bring upward Follow them, glowing in thy fury; Thy heat, O Agni, thy winged (flames) with thy tongue, Unfettered, on all sides spread thy firebrands.
c Send forth thy spies, swiftest in thy motion; Be an unfailing guardian to this folk, From him who afar plans evil [1], from him who near; O Agni let no trouble from thee overwhelm us.
d Arise, O Agni; spread thyself out; Burn up our foes, O thou of keen dart; Him who hath wrought evil for us, O blazing one, Do thou consume utterly like dry stubble.
e Arise; drive from us (our foes); Reveal thy heavenly strength, O Agni, Slacken the strung (weapon) of the demon driven; Crush our foes, kin or not kin.
f He knows thy [2] loving kindliness, O most youthful one, Who hath given furtherance to this devotion; All happy days for him, glory, and wealth Opening the doors of the miser he hath revealed.
g Let him, O Agni, be fortunate and munificent, Who with constant oblation, who with praise, Seeks to delight thee in his life in his house; May all days be happy for him; be that the will.
h I praise thy loving kindness; loud sounding (thou singest) a reply; Let this song of mine, beloved of thee, sing with thee [3] With good steeds and fair chariots may we adorn thee; Maintain for us the lordly power as the days go by.
i Here let each serve thee readily, That shinest in the darkness, as the days go by; Happy and joyous may we attend thee That dost surpass the glories of men.
k He who with good steeds and rich in gold Approacheth thee, O Agni, with a rich chariot, His protector thou art, the comrade of him Who duly offereth thee glad reception.
l The great I overcome [4] through kinship and my songs; That hath descended to me from Gotama, my sire; Pay heed to this song of ours, O Hotr, most youthful, skilful, friend of the house.
m Sleepless, speedy, propitious, Unwearied, never hostile, unexhausted, May thy guardians, O Agni, taking their places here united, Protect us, O wise one.
n In Thy guardians, O Agni, who seeing, Guarded from ill the blind Mamateya, He of all wisdom guarded these kindly ones; The foes that were fain to deceive could not [5] deceive.
o In unison with thee, aided by thee, Under thy leadership, let us gain strength; Fulfil both our desires, O truthful one; Perform it forthwith, O fearless one.
p With this fuel, O Agni, will we serve thee; Accept the song of praise recited for thee; Burn those that revile, the Raksases; guard us, From the foe, the reviler, O rich in friends, from blame.
I touch the steed that slayeth the Raksases; I go for shelter to the friend most spreading; May Agni, enkindled with our offerings, sharpening (his dart) Guard us by day, [6] from harm and by night.
r With great radiance Agni shineth; All things doth he reveal by his might; He overcometh godless and malign enchantments He sharpeneth his horns to pierce the Raksas.
s Let the roarings of Agni rise to the heaven, Sharp weapons to slay the Raksas; In the carouse his radiance bursteth forth The godless assailers cannot restrain him.