Yajur Veda on Meditation

If he were to deposit (the gold) without fastening it on, then the foetuses of offspring would be liable to miscarriage. He deposits it fastening it on, to secure the foetuses. He fastens it so that it cannot be untied, for the production of offspring. The cow with which the Soma is bought is speech. 'Thou art the strong', he says; for what he strengthens in his mind, that he expresses in speech. 'Grasped by mind', he says; for by mind is speech grasped. 'Acceptable to Visnu he says [2]. Visnu is the sacrifice; verily be makes her accept able to the sacrifice. 'Through the impulse of thee, of true impulse', he says; verily he wins speech which is impelled by Savitr. As each part is performed, the Raksases are fain to injure the sacrifice; the path of Agni and Surya is one which the Raksases cannot injure. 'I have mounted the eye of the sun, the pupil of the eye of Agni', he says. He mounts the path which is not injured by the Raksases [3]. The cow with which the Soma is bought is speech. 'Thou art thought, thou art mind', he says; verily he instructs her. Therefore children are born instructed. 'Thou art thought', he says, for what one thinks in the mind one expresses in speech. 'Thou art mind', he says; for what one grasps by the mind one performs. 'Thou art meditation', he says; for what one meditates with the mind one expresses in speech [4]. 'Thou art the gift (to the priests)', he says; for (the cow) is the gift. 'Thou art of the sacrifice', he says; verily he makes her fit for the sacrifice. 'Thou art of kingly power', he says, for she is of kingly power. 'Thou art Aditi, double-headed', he says. In that to Aditi belong the opening and the concluding oblations of the sacrifices, therefore does he say that. If (the cow) were not bound, she would be unrestrained; if she were bound by the foot, she would be the funeral cow, and the sacrificer would be likely to perish [5].

By fire he surmounted fervour, by speech holy power, by a gem forms, by Indra the gods, by the wind the breaths, by the sun the sky, by the moon the Naksatras, by Yama the Pitrs, by the king men, by fruit the flavours, by the boa constrictor serpents, by the tiger wild beasts, by the eagle birds, by the stallion horses, by the bull kine, by the he-goat goats, by the ram sheep, by rice food, by barley plants, by the banyan trees, by the Udumbara strength, by the Gayatri the metres, by the Trivrt the Stomas, by the Brahmana speech. vii. 3. 15. Hail! (To) meditation (I offer). To that meditated upon hail! Hail! (To) that which we meditate on (I offer). To mind hail! Hail! (To) mind (I offer). To Prajapati hail! To Ka hail! To Who hail!' To Whoever (katamásmai) hail! To Aditi hail! To Aditi the great hail! To Aditi the gentle hail! To Sarasvati hail! To Sarasvati the mighty hail! To Sarasvati, the purifying hail! To Pusan hail! To Pusan guardian of travellers hail! To Pusan watcher of men hail! To Tvastr hail! To Tvastr the seminal hail! To Tvastr the multiform hail! To Visnu hail! To Visnu the Nikhuryapa hail! To Visnu the Nibhuyapa hail! vii. 3. 16. To the teeth hail! To the jaws hail! To the lips hail! To the mouth hail! To the nostrils hail! To the eyes hail! To the ears hail! The eyelashes above the lower eyelashes-(to them) hail! The eyelashes below the upper eyelashes-(to them) hail!, To the head hail! To the brows hail! To the forehead hail! To the (upper part of the) head hail! To the brain hail! To the hairs hail! To the part that bears (the yoke) hail! To the cervical vertebrae hail! To the neck bones hail! To the spinal column hail! To the vertical column hail! To the flank hail! To the sides hail! [1] To the shoulders hail! To the upper forefeet hail! To the lower forefeet hail! To the legs hail! To the hips hail! To the thighs hail! To the knees hail! To the legs hail! To the buttocks hail! To the mane hail! To the tail hail!

'For expiration thee, for inspiration thee', he says; verily he bestows the breaths on the sacrificer. 'For that thee, for Prajapati, of bounteous gifts, full of light, (thee) full of light I offer' [2], he says; all the deities are Prajapati; verily for all the deities he offers it. He should draw the cup of butter for one who desires brilliance; butter is brilliance; verily he becomes brilliant; he should draw the cup of Soma for one who desires splendour; Soma is splendour; verily he becomes resplendent; he should draw the cup of curd for one who desires cattle; curd is strength, cattle are strength; verily by strength he wins him strength and cattle. iii. 5. 10. a All turn their minds towards thee When these twice or thrice become helpers; Mix with the sweet what is sweeter than sweet, I have won with the mead the mead. b Thou art taken with a support; to Prajapati I take thee acceptably; this is thy birthplace; for Prajapati thee! He draws the Prana, cups; so much is there as are these cups, these Stomas, these metres, these Prstha (Stotras), these quarters; whatever there is [1] that he wins. The highest Brahmans have proclaimed these before; they have therefore won all the quarters. He for whom these are drawn attains supremacy, he conquers the quarters. Five are drawn, the quarters are five; verily they prosper in all the quarters. Nine each are drawn; nine are the vital airs in man; verily upon the sacrificers he bestows the vital airs. At the beginning and at the end they are drawn; the Prana cups are the vital airs [2]; verily they begin with the vital airs, and end with the vital airs. Now offspring leave their vital airs in that the Vamadevya (Saman) departs from its norm; on the tenth day the Vamadevya departs from its norm; in that they are drawn on the tenth day, offspring leave not their vital airs. iii. 5. 11. a Bring onward with meditation divine The god, who knoweth all; May he duly bear our sacrifices.

k Their arms have I uplifted, Their radiance, their might; With holy power I waste the foes, I support [3] my own. I Shining like gold, he hath become widely resplendent, For glory shining with immortal life; Agni became immortal in his strength What time prolific Dyaus begat him. m The sage showeth all forms; He hath produced bliss for biped and quadruped; Savitr, the desirable, hath discerned the vault; After the moving forward of the dawn he shineth. n Night and the dawn, one-minded but of various form, United suckle one child; The radiant one shineth between sky and earth [4] The gods, granters of wealth, support Agni. o Thou art the bird of fair feathers; thy head the Trivrt (Stoma), thy eye the Gayatra, thy breath the Stoma, thy body the Vamadevya Saman, thy wings the Brhat and the Rathantara, thy tail the Yajñayajñiya, thy limbs the metres, thy hoofs the altars, thy name the Yajus formulae. p Thou art the bird of fair feathers; go to the sky, fly to the heaven. a O Agni, that sacrifice, that offering, Which on all sides thou dost encircle, It of a truth goeth to the gods. b O Soma, the wondrous aids That there are of thine for the generous man, With these be thou our helper. c Agni the, head. e Thou, O Soma. f These abodes of thine. g That excellent glory of Savitr, The god, we meditate, That he may stimulate our prayers. h What we have done in thoughtlessness against the host divine, With feeble insight, with violence as is man's way [1], Among gods and men, do thou, O Savitr, There instigate us to sinlessness. i Impeller of righteousness, Instigator of devotions, Sarasvati hath established the sacrifice. k May the maiden of the lightning, the one of varied life, Sarasvati, wife of a hero, inspire our devotion; In accord with the ladies, may she accord to the singer Protection uninjured, and guardianship unsurpassable. I May Pusan follow the cows for us, May he guard our horses; May Pusan win booty for us.

o O Agni, whatever is deficient in my body, do thou make that good for me. p O thou of various splendour, in safety may I reach the end of thee. q Kindling thee may we kindle thee for a hundred winters, in radiance, strong the giver of strength, famous the giver of fame, with good heroes, the undeceived, O Agni, the deceiver of foes in the highest firmament. r Thou, O Agni, hast attained the radiance of the sun, the praises of the Rsis, thy beloved abode. s Thou, O Agni, hast the radiance of the sun; grant me life, radiance, and offspring. a I gaze on offspring, Offspring of Ida, connected with Manu; May they all be in our house. b Ye are water; may I share your water. Ye are greatness, may I share your ye are might, may I share your might; ye are strength, may I share your strength. c Ye wealthy ones, stay in this place, this fold, this dwelling, this birthplace; be ye here; go not hence; be many for me [1]. d Thou art composed of every form; enter me with strength, with lordship of kine, with increase of wealth. e May I prosper with your thousandfold prosperity; may your wealth rest in me. f To thee, O Agni, day by day, That shinest in the darkness, with our devotion, We come bearing honour. g Lord of the sacrifices, Guardian of holy order, shining, Waxing in his own horne. h O Agni, be of easy access to us, As a father to his son; Befriend us for prosperity. i O Agni [2] be thou our nearest, Our protector, kindly, a shield; Thee, O shining and most radiant one, We implore for favour, for our friends; Agni, bright, of bright fame, Come hither in thy greatest splendour and give us wealth. k With strength I gaze on you; gaze on me with strength. With increase of wealth I gaze on you; gaze on me with increase of wealth. l Ye are food, making sweetness; kindly enter me, nourishment and drink; may I prosper with your thousandfold prosperity [3], may your wealth rest on me, m That excellent glory of Savitr The god we meditate, That be may stimulate our prayers.

If he were to utter speech before the Naksatras appear, he would divide the sacrifice [3]. When the Naksatras have arisen, be utters speech, 'Prepare the fast food.' The consecrated is bound by a vow of sacrifice; verily with regard to the sacrifice does he utter speech. Should he utter speech, he should then repeat a Rc addressed to Visnu. Visnu is the sacrifice; verily he unites the sacrifice with the sacrifice. 'The thought divine we meditate', he says. Thus he makes smooth the sacrifice. 'May it guide us safely according as we will', he says. Verily he wins the dawn [4]. The theologians say, 'Should an offering be made in the house of one who is consecrated, or should an offering not be made?' The man who is consecrated is the oblation, and if he were to sacrifice he would offer a part of the sacrificer; if he were not to sacrifice, then he would omit a joint of the sacrifice. 'The gods, mind born, mind using', he says. The gods, mind born, mind using, are the breaths; verily in them he sacrifices secretly, and the sacrifice is both offered as it were and yet not offered. Now the Raksases are fain to hurt him who is consecrated while he sleeps. Agni [5] indeed is the slayer of the Raksases. 'O Agni, be thou wakeful. Let us be glad', he says; verily having made Agni his guardian, for the smiting away of the Raksases, he sleeps. Now, if a man who is consecrated sleeps, he does something that as it were is contrary to his vow. I Thou, O Agni, art the guardian of vows', he says. Agni indeed is among the gods the guardian of vows; verily he causes him to take up his vow again. 'Among the gods and men', he says for he, being a god [6], is (guardian of vows) among men. 'Thou art to be invoked at our sacrifices', he says; for him they invoke at the sacrifices. Now power and the gods depart from the man who is consecrated when he is asleep. 'All the gods have surrounded me', he says; verily he unites him with both power and the gods.

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! broad atmosphere, hail! from the wind the sacrifice I grasp. 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. 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 [1], thou art of the sacrifice, thou art of kingly power, thou art Aditi, double- 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. a Thou art a Vasvi, thou art a Rudra, thou art Aditi, thou art an Aditya, thou art 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 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 Urvaçi. 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. a Let thy shoot be joined with shoot, joint with joint, let thy scent further desire, let savour which falls not cause rejoicing.

w Thou art broad, and wealthy art thou. x Before the cruel foe slips away, O glorious one, Taking up the earth, with plenteous drops, The earth which they place in the moon by their offerings, Which wise men use to guide them in the sacrifice. a The Raksas is burnt up, the evil spirits are burnt up. b With Agni's keenest flame I burn you. c May I not brush the place of the cattle, I brush thee that art strong and overcomest foes. d Speech, breath, eye, ear, offspring, the organ of generation may I not brush, I brush thee that art strong and overcomest foes. e Beseeching favour, offspring, prosperity, in devotion to Agni, I gird my body for good action. f With fair offspring, with noble husbands, We are come to thee, O Agni, to thee that deceivest the foe, The undeceivable, we that are not deceived. g I loosen this bond of Varuna, Which Savitr the kindly hath bound, And in the birthplace of the creator, in the place of good action, I make it pleasant for me with my husband. h With life, with offspring, O Agni, with splendour again, As wife with my husband I am united. United be my spirit with my body. i Of the great ones thou art the milk, of plants the sap. Of thee that art the imperishable I make the offering. k Thou art the milk of the great ones, of plants the sap; with undeceived eye I gaze on thee for fair offspring. l Thou art brilliance; follow thou brilliance; may Agni not take away the brilliance. m Thou art the tongue of Agni, the good one of the gods. n Be thou (good) for every sacrifice, for the gods, for every prayer. o Thou art the shining, the radiance, the brilliance. p May the god Savitr purify you With a flawless strainer, With the rays of the bright sun. q I grasp thee shining in the shining, for every sacrifice, for the gods, for every r I grasp thee radiance in the radiance, thee resplendent in the resplendence for every sacrifice, for the gods, for every prayer. a Thou I art a black deer, living in the lair, to Agni thee, hail!

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.

e Fare along the broad atmosphere. f Hail! Thee, of kindly nature, to the sun! g To the gods that drink the rays thee! h This is thy birthplace; to inspiration thee! a O Vayu, drinker of the pure, come to us; A thousand are thy teams, O thou that hast all choice boons. For thee this sweet drink hath been drawn, Whereof, O god, thou hast the first drink. b Thou art taken with a support; to Vayu thee! c O Indra and Vayu, these draughts are ready; Come ye for the libations, For the drops desire you. d Thou art taken with a support; to Indra and Vayu thee! This is thy birthplace; to the comrades thee! a This Soma is pressed for you, O Mitra and Varuna, Who prosper holy order; Hearken ye now to my supplication. b Thou art taken with a support; to Mitra and Varuna thee! This is thy birthplace; to the righteous thee! a That I whip of yours which is rich in sweetness And full of mercy, O Açvins, With that touch the sacrifice. b Thou art taken with a support; to the Açvins thee! This is thy birthplace; to the sweet thee! a Ye that yoke early be unloosed O Açvins, come ye hither, To drink this Soma. b Thou art taken with a support; to the Açvins thee! This is thy birthplace; to the Açvins thee! a Vena hath stirred those born of Prçni, He enveloped in light, in the expanse of the Him in the meeting-place of the waters, of the sun, Like a child, the priests tend with their songs. b Thou art taken with a support; to Çanda thee! This is thy birthplace; guard the a Him, as aforetime, as of old, as always, as now, The prince, who hath his seat on the strew and knoweth the heaven, The favouring, the strong, thou milkest with thy speech, The swift who is victor in those among whom thou dost wax. b Thou art taken with a support; to Marka thee! This is thy birth. place; guard offspring. a Ye gods that are eleven in the sky, Eleven on the earth, Who sit mightily in the waters, eleven in number, Do ye accept this saerifice.

e O bright Aditya, this is thy Soma drink, Delight in it, have gladness in it; may we that gladden thee have gladness; With the rain of the sky I mix thee. a Prosperity to-day, O Savitr, prosperity to-morrow, Day by day prosperity mayst thou procure for us; Through this prayer may be won the prosperity Of many a prosperous dwelling, O god. b Thou art taken with a foundation; to the god Savitr thee! a O Savitr with unfailing guardians, Propitious, do thou to-day guard our house; Golden-tongued do thou protect us for new prosperity; May no plotter of evil overpower us. b Thou art taken with a support; to the god Savity thee a To help us I summon The golden-handed Savitr He as a god knoweth the place. b Thou art taken with a support; to the god Savitr thee! a Thou givest good protection, and art well established. b Homage to the great bull! c This is thy birthplace; to the All-gods thee! a Of thee, O drop, pressed by Brhaspati, and possessing power, I draw the cup connected with the wives. b O Agni, with the wives, in unison with the god Tvastr, drink the Soma, hail. a Thou art a bay, yoker of bays, mounter on the bays, bearer of the bolt, lover of to thee, O god Soma, for whom the formula of sacrifice is uttered, the song sung, the hymn recited, I draw the cup connected with the bays. b Ye two are bays; ye are the grains for the bays, mixed with Soma. c To Indra hail! a O Agni, thou purifiest life; Do thou give food and strength to us; Far away drive ill fortune. b Thou art taken with a support; to Agni the radiant thee! This is thy birthplace; to Agni the radiant thee! a Arising in might, Thou didst move thy jaws, O Indra, When thou hadst drunk the cup-pressed Soma. b Thou art taken with a support; to Indra the mighty thee! This is thy birthplace; to Indra the mighty thee! a Overcoming, seen of all, Light-making art thou, Surya; Thou dost illumine all the firmament. b Thou art taken with a support; to Surya the radiant thee!

Speech and mind disputed; 'I will bear the offering to the gods', speech said; 'I to the gods', mind said. They went to question Prajapati; he said [4], Prajapati, 'Thou art the messenger of mind, for what one thinks of in the mind, one utters in speech'. 'Then assuredly they will not sacrifice to you with speech', said (speech). Therefore in the mind they offer to Prajapati, for Prajapati is, as it were, the mind; (verily it serves) to obtain Prajapati. He rubs the enclosing-sticks; verily he purifies them. (He rubs) the middle one thrice; the breaths are three; verily he conquers the breaths. (He rubs) the southern one thrice; these worlds are three [5]; verily he conquers these worlds. (He rubs) the northern one thrice; three are the paths leading to the gods; verily he conquers them. Thrice he fans (the fire); the worlds of the gods are three; verily he conquers the worlds of the gods. They make twelve; the year has twelve months; verily he delights the year; verily also he brings up the year for him, to gain the world of heaven. He sprinkles; the world of heaven is as it were secret [6]; verily he makes the world of heaven resplendent for him. He sprinkles straight, for the breath is as it were straight. He sprinkles continuously, for the continuity of the breaths and of food and for the smiting away of the Raksases. If he desire of a man, 'May he be likely to perish', he should sprinkle crookedly for him; verily he leads his breath crookedly from him, and swiftly he perishes. The sprinkling is the head of the sacrifice, the ladle is the body [7]. Having sprinkled, he anoints the ladle; verily he places the head of the sacrifice on its body. Agni was the messenger of the gods, Daivya of the Asuras; they went to question Prajapati. Prajapati spake to a Brahman (saying), 'Explain the phrase, "Make announcement"', 'Hearken to this, O ye gods', he said; 'Agni the god is the Hotr', (he said). He chose him of the gods.

o When he creeps forward to the seat [4], the fathers creep along after him; they have power to injure him; having crept to the seat he should look along the south side (saying), 'Come, O ye fathers; through you may I possess the fathers; may ye have good offspring in me'; verily paying reverence to them he creeps to the Sadas, for his own safety. a Food come hither, enter me for long life, for health, for increase of wealth, for splendour, for good offspring. Come hither, O Vasu, preceded by wealth; thou art dear to my heart. b May I grasp thee with the arms of the Açvins. c With clear sight may I gaze' upon thee, O god Soma, who regardest men. d Gentle control, banner of the sacrifices, may speech accept and delight in the Soma; I may Aditi, gentle, propitious, with head inviolable, as speech, accept and delight in the Soma. e Come hither, O thou who art of all men [1], with healing and favour; with safety come to me, O tawny-coloured, for skill, for strength, for increase of wealth, for good heroes. f Terrify me not, O king, pierce not my heart with thy radiance, for manly strength, for life, for splendour. g Of thee, O god Soma, who hast the Vasus for thy troop, who knowest the mind, who belongest to the first pressing, who hast the Gayatri as thy metre, who art drunk by Indra, who art drunk by Naraçansa, who art drunk by the fathers, who hast sweetness, and who art invited, I invited eat. h Of thee, O god Soma, who hast the Rudras for thy troop, who knowest the mind, who belongest to the midday pressing, who hast the Tristubh for thy metre, who art drunk by Indra, who art drunk by Naraçansa [2], who art drunk by the fathers, who hast sweetness, and who art invited, I invited eat.

r In the all-knower cause to rest The dear guest on birth, In a pleasant place, the lord of the house. s By Agni is Agni kindled, The wise, the young, the lord of the house, The bearer of the oblation, with ladle in his mouth. t Thou, O Agni, by Agni, The sage by the sage, the good by the good, The comrade by the comrade, art kindled. u Him they make bright, the wise, Victorious in the contests, Strong in his abodes. v By the sacrifice the gods sacrificed the sacrifice; These were the first ordinances; These mighty powers frequent the vault Where are the ancient Sadhya gods. THE PILING OF THE FIRE ALTAR

The Placing of the Fire in the Fire-pan a Yoking mind first, Extending his thoughts, Savitr Discerning the light, Hath brought Agni from the earth. b Yoking with mind the gods, Going to the heaven, the sky, with thought, Those that are to make great light, Savitr instigates. c With mind well yoked are we In the instigation of god Savitr, For strength to go to the heaven. d They yoke their minds, they yoke their thoughts, The priests of the mighty wise priest, He alone, who knoweth the way, appointeth their functions [1] Great is the praise of the god Savitr. e I yoke with honour your ancient prayer; The praises go like Suras on their way; All the sons of immortality hear (it), Who have achieved dwellings divine. f He whose advance others followed, Gods, of the god praising might, He who meted out the regions of earth, He is the brilliant god Savitr in greatness. g O god Savitr, instigate the sacrifice, instigate the lord of the sacrifice [2] to good luck; may the divine Gandharva, who purifieth thoughts purify our thought; may lord of speech to-day make sweet our utterance. h This sacrifice for us, O god Savitr Do thou instigate, serving the gods, Finding comrades, ever victorious, Winning booty, winning heaven. i By the Rc make the Stoma to prosper, By the Gayatra the Rathantara, The Brhat with the Gayatri for its metre. k On the impulse of the god Savitr, with the arms of the Açvins, with the hands of Pusan, with the Gayatri metre, I take thee, in the manner of Angiras. l Thou art the spade, thou art the woman [3], from the abode of the earth I bear Agni of the dust in the manner of Angiras; with the Tristubh metre I grasp thee in the manner of Angiras. m Thou art the bearer, thou art the woman; through thee may we be strong to dig Agni of the dust in his place; with the Jagati metre I grasp thee in the manner of n Grasping in thy hand, Savitr, Bearing the spade of gold, Therewith digging Agni Do thou bring for us light unperishing.

f The self of thee with my mind I perceived from afar, Flying with wings from below through the sky [2]; Thy head I saw speeding with wings On paths fair and dustless. g Here I saw thy highest form, Eager to win food in the footstep of the cow; When a mortal man pleaseth thy taste, Then most greedily dost thou consume the plants. h Thee follows the chariot, thee the lover, O steed, Thee the kine, thee the portion of maidens; Thy friendship the companies have sought; The gods have imitated thy strength [3]. i Golden his horns, iron his feet; Swift as thought, Indra was his inferior; The gods came to eat his oblation Who first did master the steed. k Full haunched, of slender middle, The heroic divine steeds, Vie together like cranes in rows, When the horses reach the divine coursing-place 1 Thy body is fain to fly, O steed; Thy thought is like the blowing wind; Thy horns are scattered in many places, They wander busy in the woods. m To [4] the slaughter the swift steed hath come, Pondering with pious mind; The goat, his kin, is led before, Behind him come the sages to sing. n To his highest abode hath the steed come, To his father and his mother; To-day do thou go, most welcome, to the gods; Then boons shall he assign to the generous. a Let not Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Ayu, Indra, Rbhuksan, the Maruts disregard us, When we shall proclaim before the assembly The might of the strong god-born steed. b When they bear before him, covered with a garment and with wealth The gift they have seized, The goat, all-formed, bleating, Goeth straight to the dear stronghold of Indra and Pusan. c This goat is led before the strong steed As share of Pusan, connected with the All-gods, When Tvastr impels him as an acceptable sacrifice Together with the steed for fair renown [1]. d When men thrice lead round in due season The steed going to the gods as an acceptable offering Then first goeth Pusan's share, The goat announcing the sacrifice to the gods.

He purifies (him) with nine (stalks); nine are the breaths in man; verily he purifies him along with his breaths. He purifies (him) with twenty-one (stalks); there are ten fingers and ten toes, and the body is the twenty first; he thus completely purifies the man [8]. He says, 'Let the lord of thought purify thee'; the mind is the lord of thought; verily by the mind he purifies him. He says, 'Let the lord of speech purify thee'; verily by speech he purifies him. He says, 'Let the god Savitr purify thee'; verily being instigated by Savitr, he purifies him. He says, 'O lord of the purifier, with thy purifier, for whatsoever I purify myself, that may I have strength to accomplish.' Verily does he invoke this All the gods who purified themselves for the sacrifice waxed great. He who knowing thus purifies himself for the sacrifice waxes great. Having purified him without he makes him go within. Verily having purified him in the world of men, he leads him forward purified to the world of the gods. 'He is not consecrated by one oblation ', they say; verily he offers four with the dipping-ladle for consecration; the fifth he offers with the offering-ladle; the Pankti has five syllables, the sacrifice is fivefold; verily he wins the sacrifice. 'To the purpose, to the impulse, to Agni, [1] hail!' he says, for with purpose does a man employ the sacrifice, planning to sacrifice. 'To wisdom, to thought, to Agni, hail!' he says, for by wisdom and thought man approaches the sacrifice. 'To Sarasvati, to Pusan, to Agni, hail! 'he says. Sarasvati is speech, Pusan the earth;. verily with speech and the earth he performs the sacrifice. 'O ye divine, vast, all-soothing waters', he says. The waters of the rain [2] are the divine, vast, all-soothing waters; if he said not that praise, the divine waters would descend in anger on this world. He says, 'O ye divine, vast, all-soothing waters.' Verily he makes them soothing for this world; accordingly being soothed they approach this world.

'Through thee I interpose sky and earth [1], I interpose the broad atmosphere', he says; verily with these worlds the sacrificer obstructs his foes. The gods reflected, 'Indra hath now become what we are'; they said, 'O bounteous one, give us a share'; 'In unison with the gods, the lower and the higher', he replied; to both (the sets of) gods, the lower and the higher [2], he gave a share. 'In unison with the gods, the lower and the higher', he says; to both (the sets of) gods, the lower and the higher, he gives a share. 'O bounteous one, do thou rejoice in the Antaryama', he says; verily he does not cut off the sacrificer from the sacrifice. 'Thou art taken with a support', he says, for the support of inspiration. If both (cups) were drawn without a filter, inspiration would follow expiration, he would be likely to die. The Antaryama is drawn with a filter [3], to separate expiration and inspiration. The Upançu and the Antaryama (cups) are expiration and inspiration, the Upançu pressing-(stone) is cross-breathing. If he desire of a man, 'May he be likely to die', he should set them down for him without being in contact; verily he severs his expiration and inspiration from cross- breathing; swiftly he dies. If he desire of a man, 'May he live all his days', he should set them down for him in contact; verily he connects his expiration and inspiration with cross-breathing; he lives all his days. The cup for Indra and Vayu is speech; in that the cups are drawn beginning with that to Indra and Vayu, verily they follow speech. The gods said to Vayu, 'Let us slay Soma, the king'; he replied, 'Let me choose a boon; let your cups be drawn with mine first.' Therefore the cups are drawn with those for Indra and Vayu first. They slew him; he became putrid; the gods could not endure him, they said to Vayu, 'Make him sweet for us' [1]; he replied, 'Let me choose a boon; let your vessels, be said to have me as their deity.

' In that (the cups) are drawn in one vessel, therefore there is one breath within; they are offered in two vessels, therefore the breaths outside are in pairs. Those that are for two deities are the breaths, the Ida is cattle; if he should summon the Ida before those that are for two deities [3], he would obstruct his breaths by cattle, he would be likely to perish. Having eaten those for two deities, he summons the Ida; verily having placed the breaths in himself he summons the Ida. (The cup) for Indra and Vayu is speech, that for Mitra and Varuna is the eye, that for the Açvins is the ear; he eats in front that for Indra and Vayu, therefore in front he speaks with speech; in front that for Mitra and Varuna, therefore in front he sees with the eye; moving all round, that for the Açvins; therefore on all sides he hears with the ear. Those for two deities are the breaths [4], he sets down full vessels; therefore the breaths are full within; wherever in the performance of the sacrifice nothing is done, in that place the Raksases attack the sacrifice; in that he sets down full vessels the part of the sacrifice being performed is deposited to prevent the entry of the Raksases. He sets down in the north track of the southern oblation-cart; verily he places speech in speech. They lie (there) until the third pressing, for the continuity of the sacrifice. Brhaspati was the Purohita of the gods, Çanda and Marka of the Asuras; the gods had the holy power (Brahman), the Asuras had the holy power (Brahman); they could not overcome one another; the gods invited Çanda and Marka; they replied, 'Let us choose a boon; let cups be drawn for us also herein.' For them they drew these cups for Çukra and Manthin; then did the gods prosper, the Asuras were defeated. He for whom knowing thus these Çukra and Manthin (cups) are drawn, prospers himself, his foe [1] is defeated. Having driven away these two, the gods offered to themselves,' to Indra.

To him having sat down hail! [1] To him about to stand hail! To him who is standing hail! To him who hath stood hail! To him about to go down hail! To him going down hail! To him having gone down hail! To him about to lie hail! To him lying hail! To him who hath lain hail! To him about to close the eyes hail! To him closing the eyes hail! To him having closed the eyes hail! To him about to sleep hail! To him who hath slept hail! To him about to wake hail! To him awakening hail! To him who hath awakened hail! To him about to become awake hail! To him becoming awake hail! To him who hath become awake hail! To him about to hear hail! To him hearing hail! To him who hath heard hail! To him about to look hail! [2] To him who is looking hail! To him who hath looked hail! To him who is about to go out hail! To him going out hail! To him who hath gone out hail! To him about to roll about hail! To him rolling about hail! To him who hath rolled about hail! To him about to get up hail! To him getting up hail! To him who hath got up hail! To him about to shake himself hail! To him shaking himself hail! To him who hath shaken himself hail! To him about to step out hail! To him stepping out hail! To him who hath stopped out hail! To him who is about to rush hail! To him who is rushing hail! To him who hath rushed hail! To him about to scratch hail! To him scratching hail! To him having scratched hail! To him about to rub hail! To him rubbing hail! To him who hath rubbed hail! What he eateth, to that hail! What he drinketh, to that hail! To what he evacuateth, to that hail! To the dung he maketh hail! To seed hail! To offspring hail! To begetting hail! To all hail! vii. 1. 20. a To Agni hail! To Vayu hail! To Surya hail! b Thou art holy order, thou art the holy order of holy order; thou art truth, thou art the truth of truth! c Thou art the path of holy order, the shadow of the gods, the name of immortality; thou art truth, thou art Prajapati.

d When on him as on a steed in swift movements, The folk of the sky vie with the sun; Choosing the waters the sage becometh pure, Like a beast the busy guardian that goeth around.

From expiration and inspiration are they separated of whom when consecrated one dies, Mitra and Varuna are expiration and inspiration; verily at the commencement they grasp expiration and inspiration. He should draw the Açvina cup first who is infirm. The Açvins are of the gods those who are infirm, late as it were came they to the front. The Açvins are the gods of him who is infirm; they lead him to the front. He who desires support having attained prosperity should draw the Çukra Cup first. The Çukra is yonder sun, this is the end; a man when he has reached the end [2] of prosperity stops; verily from the end he grasps the end, and becomes not worse. He who practises witchcraft should draw the Manthin cup first. The Manthin vessel is a vessel of misfortune; verily he causes death to seize on him; swiftly does he reach misfortune. He should draw the Agrayana cup first whose father and grandfather are holy, and who yet does not possess holiness. From speech and power is he separated whose father and grandfather are holy [3], and who yet does not possess holiness. The Agrayana (cup) is the breast as it were and the speech as it were of the sacrifice; verily with speech and with power he unites him, then he becomes not worse. He against whom witchcraft is practised should draw the Ukthya cup first. The Ukthya vessel is the power of all vessels; verily he yokes him with all power. He should take as Puroruc (the verse) 'O Sarasvati, lead us to prosperity.' Sarasvati is speech [4]; verily with speech he yokes him. 'May we go not through thee to joyless fields', he says. The joyless fields are those of death; verily he goes not to the fields of death. He should draw full cups for one who is ill. Pain afflicts the breaths of him who is ill, the cups are breaths; verily he frees his breaths from pain, and even if his life is gone, yet he lives. He should draw full cups if rain does not fall.