iii. 5. 1.

Full behind, and full in front,
In the middle hath she of the full moon been victorious;
In her let the gods dwelling together
Rejoice here in the highest firmament.
The share that the gods dwelling together
In greatness bestowed on thee, O new moon,
(Therewith) do thou fill our sacrifice, O thou of every boon
Grant us wealth of good heroes, O fortunate one.
Holder and gatherer of riches,
Clad in all rich forms,
Granting a thousandfold prosperity,
The fortunate one hath come to us with radiance accordant .
O Agni and Soma, the first in strength,
Do ye quicken the Vasus, the Rudras, the Adityas here;
Rejoice in him of the full moon in the midst,
Ye that are made to grow by holy power, won by good deeds,
And allot to us wealth with heroes.

The Adityas and the Angirases piled up the fires, they desired to obtain the new and the full moon (offerings); the Angirases offered the oblation, then the Adityas saw these two offerings, and offered them; then they first grasped the new and full moon (offerings) . He who is commencing the new and full moon (sacrifices) should first offer these two (offerings); verily straightway he commences the new and full moon (sacrifices). The theologians say, 'He indeed would begin the new and full moon (sacrifices) who should know the normal and reversed order'. What follows on the new moon is the normal, what is after the full moon is the reversed order; if he were to begin the full moon (offering) first, he would offer these two (libations) in reverse order; he would waste away as the moon waned ; he should offer these libations to Sarasvant and Sarasvati in front; Sarasvati is the new moon; verily he commences them in normal order; he waxes as the moon waxes. He should offer first on eleven potsherds to Agni and Visnu, to Sarasvati an oblation, to Sarasvant on twelve potsherds. In that it is (offered) to Agni, and the mouth of the sacrifice is Agni, verily he places in front prosperity and the mouth of the sacrifice; in that it is (offered) to Visnu, and Visnu is the sacrifice, verily commencing the sacrifice he continues it. There is an oblation for Sarasvati, and (an offering) on twelve potsherds for Sarasvant; Sarasvati is the new moon, Sarasvant is the full moon; verily straightway he commences these (offerings), he prospers by them. That to Sarasvant is on twelve potsherds, for pairing, for generation. The sacrificial fee is a pair of kine, for prosperity.

iii. 5. 2.

The Rsis could not see Indra face to face; Vasistha saw him face to face; he said, 'Holy lore shall I proclaim to you so that people will be propagated with thee as Purohita; therefore do thou proclaim me to the other Rsis.' To him he proclaimed these shares in the Stoma, therefore people were propagated with Vasistha as their Purohita; therefore a Vasistha should be chosen as the Brahman priest; verily he is propagated. 'Thou art the ray; for dwelling thee! Quicken the dwelling' , he says; the dwelling is the gods; verily to the gods he announces the sacrifice. 'Thou art advance; for right thee! Quicken right', he says; right is men; verily to men he announces the sacrifice. 'Thou art following; for sky thee! Quicken the sky', he says; verily to these worlds he announces the sacrifice. 'Thou art a prop; for rain thee! Quicken rain', he says; verily he wins rain . 'Thou art blowing forward; thou art blowing after', he says, for pairing. 'Thou art the eager; for the Vasus thee! Quicken the Vasus', he says; the Vasus are eight, the Rudras eleven, the Adityas twelve; so many are the gods; verily to them he announces the sacrifice. 'Thou art force; to the Pitrs thee! Quicken the Pitrs', he says; verily the gods and the Pitrs he connects. 'Thou art the thread; for offspring thee! Quicken offspring' , he says; verily the Pitrs and offspring he connects. 'Thou dost endure the battle; for cattle thee! Quicken cattle', he says; verily offspring and cattle he connects. 'Thou art wealthy; for the plants thee! Quicken the plants', he says; verily in the plants he makes cattle find support. 'Thou art the victorious, with ready stone; for Indra thee! Quicken Indra', he says, for victory. 'Thou art the overlord; for breath thee! Quicken breath' , he says; verily upon offspring he bestows breath. 'Thou art the Trivrt, thou art the Pravrt', he says, for pairing. 'Thou art the mounter, thou art the descender', he says, for propagating. 'Thou art the wealthy, thou art the brilliant, thou art the gainer of good', he says, for support.

iii. 5. 3.

By Agni, the god, I win battles, with the Gayatri metre, the Trivrt Stoma, the Rathantara Saman, the Vasat call, the thunderbolt, I trample under foot my foes born before me, I depress them, I repel them, in this home, in this world of earth; him who hateth us and him whom we hate I step over him with the stride of Visnu.
By Indra, the god, I win battles, with the Tristubh metre, the Pañcadaça Stoma the Brhat Saman, the Vasat call, the thunderbolt , (I trample under foot my foes) born along (with me), &c.
By the All-gods I win battles, with the Jagati metre, the Saptadaça Stoma, the Vamadevya Saman, the Vasat call, the thunderbolt, (I trample under foot my foes) born after (me), &c.
In unison with Indra, may we
Withstand our foes,
Smiting the enemy irresistibly.
With the brilliance that is thine, O Agni, may I become brilliant; with the radiance that is thine, O Agni, may I become radiant; with the splendour that is thine, O Agni, may I become resplendent.

iii. 5. 4.

The gods, destroying the sacrifice, stealing the sacrifice,
That are seated on earth,
May Agni protect me from them;
May we go to those that do good deeds.
We have come, O noble ones, Mitra and Varuna,
To the share of the nights that is yours,
Grasping the firmament, in the place of good deeds,
On the third ridge above the light of the sky.
The gods, destroyers of the sacrifice, stealers of the sacrifice,
That sit in the atmosphere,
From them may Vayu guard me;
May we go to those that do good deeds.
The nights of thine, O Savitr , that go, traversed by gods,
Between sky and earth,
With all your houses and offspring,
Do ye first mounting the light traverse the regions.
The gods, destroyers of the sacrifice, stealers of the sacrifice,
That sit in the sky,
From them may Surya guard me;
May we go to those that do good deeds.
That highest oblation wherewith, O All-knower,
Thou didst collect milk for Indra,
Therewith, O Agni, do thou make him grow;
Bestow on him lordship over his fellows.

The gods are destroyers of the sacrifice, stealers of the sacrifice ; they sit these worlds taking and destroying from him who gives and sacrifices. 'The gods, destroyers of the sacrifice, that sit on the earth, that (sit) in the atmosphere, that sit in the sky', he says; verily traversing the worlds, he goes to the world of heaven with his household, with his cattle. From him who has sacrificed with the Soma (sacrifice), the deities and the sacrifice depart; he should offer to Agni on five potsherds as the final act; all the deities are Agni , the sacrifice is fivefold; verily he wins the deities and the sacrifice. Now Agni is connected with the Gayatri and has the Gayatri as his metre; he severs him from his metre, if he offers on five potsherds; it should be made on eight potsherds; the Gayatri has eight syllables, Agni is connected with the Gayatri and has the Gayatri for his metre; verily he unites him with his own metre. The Yajya and the Anuvakya are in the Pañkti metre the sacrifice is fivefold; verily thereby he does not depart from the sacrifice.

iii. 5. 5.

May Surya, the god, protect me from the gods, Vayu from the atmosphere; may Agni, the sacrificer, protect me from the (evil) eye; O strong one, O impetuous one, O instigator, O thou of all men, with these names, O Soma, we will worship thee; with these names, O Soma, we will worship thee.
I from above, I from below,
I revealed the darkness with the light;
The atmosphere hath become my father;
On both sides have I seen the sun;
May I become highest of my equals .
To the ocean, to the atmosphere, Prajapati makes the cloud to fall; may Indra distil (it), may the Maruts cause (it) to rain.
Flood the earth,
Break this divine cloud;
Give to us of the divine water;
Ruling loosen the water bag.
The Aditya (cup) is these cattle, Agni is Rudra here, having cast plants in the fire he offers the Aditya (cup); verily he hides the cattle from Rudra, and causes the cattle to find support in the plants .
The sage stretcheth the path of the sacrifice,
On the back of the vault, above the light of the sky,
Whereby thou carriest the offering, thou goest as messenger,
Hence wisely, thence with more gain.
All the fire-sticks that are thine, O Agni,
Or on earth, on the strew, or in the sun,
Lot these of thine approach the oblation of ghee,
A protection to the pious sacrificer.
Invoking increase of wealth,
Rich in heroes and rich in steeds,
Bidden I God-speed' by Brhaspati, with wealth
Abide thou for me, the sacrificer.

Continued...

iii. 5. 6.

I yoke thee with milk, with ghee;
I yoke thee with water, and plants;
I yoke thee with offspring;
To-day being consecrated do thou win strength for us.
Let the lady of holy power advance,
Let her sit on the altar with fair colour;
Then may I, full of desire,
Enter my own place, here.
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.
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.
Go forth, go up, to the lovers of holy order; may Agni lead thy head, Aditi give (thee) a middle, thou art that let loose by Rudra, Yuva by name; harm me not.
For the Vasus, the Rudras, the Adityas, for the All-gods, I take you, foot-washing (waters);
For the sacrifice I place you, foot-washing (waters).
In the sight of thee that art all, that hast all, that hast manly power , O Agni, in the lovers, may I deposit all seed.
The sacrifice hath come to the gods, the goddesses have left the sacrifice for the gods, to the sacrificer that poureth blessings, accompanied by the cry 'Hail!', standing in the waters, do ye follow the Gandharva, in the rush of the wind, food that is praised.

iii. 5. 7.

The Vasat call cleft the head of the Gayatri; its sap fell away, it entered the earth, it became the Khadira; he, whose dipping-spoon is make of Khadira wood, cuts off with the sap of the metres; his oblations are full of sap. Soma was in the third sky from hence; the Gayatri fetched it, a leaf of it was cut off, that became the Parna, that is why the Parna is so called. He whose ladle is made of Parna wood has his oblations acceptable; the gods rejoice in his oblation. The gods discussed regarding holy power; the Parna overheard it; he whose ladle is made of Parna wood is styled famous; he hears no evil bruit. The Parna is holy power, the Maruts are the people, the people are food, the Açvattha is connected with the Maruts; he whose ladle is made of Parna wood, and his spoon (upabhrt) is of Açvattha, by holy power wins food, and the holy class puts over the people. The Parna is the royalty, the Açvattha is the people; in that the ladle is made of Parna wood and the spoon of Açvattha, verily he puts the royalty over the people. Prajapati sacrificed; where the oblation found support, thence sprung the Vikankata; there he created offspring; the oblation of him whose Dhruva, is made of Vikankata, wood finds rest; verily he is propagated. That is the form of the offering-spoons; on him whose spoons are so formed all forms of cattle attend, nothing unshapely is born in him.

iii. 6. 8.

Thou art taken with a support; for Prajapati thee, for him full of light, thee full of light I take; for Daksa who increases cleverness, (thee) that are acceptable to the gods, thee for those whose tongue is Agni, who are righteous, whose highest is Indra, whose king is Varuna, whose friend is Vata, whose breath is Parjanya, for sky thee, for atmosphere thee, for earth thee!
Smite away, O Indra, the mind of him who hateth us,
Who desireth to oppress us,
Smite him away who practiseth evil against us.
For expiration thee, for inspiration thee, for cross-breathing thee for
being thee, for not being thee; for the waters thee, for the plants for
all beings thee; whence offspring arose unhurt, for that thee, for Prajapati, of bounteous gifts, full of light, (thee) full of light I offer.

iii. 5. 9.

To that deity whom the Adhvaryu and the sacrificer overlook do they fall victims; he should draw the cup of curd for Prajapati, all the gods are Prajapati; verily they make reparation to the gods. This is the foremost of cups; verily he for whom it is drawn attains a foremost place. This cup is the form of all the deities; on him for whom it is drawn all forms of cattle attend. 'Thou are taken with a support ; for Prajapati thee, for him full of light, (thee) full of light I take', he says; verily he makes him a light of his equals. 'For those whose tongue is Agni, who are righteous', he says; so many are the deities; verily for all of them he draws it. 'Smite away, O Indra, the mind of him who hateth us', he says, for the smiting away of foes. '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' , 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.

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.
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 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 ; 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.

Bring onward with meditation divine
The god, who knoweth all;
May he duly bear our sacrifices.
He, the Hotr is led forward for the sacrifice,
The servant of the gods;
Like a covered chariot glowing
He himself knoweth health.
This Agni rescueth
Us from the immortal race,
He that is stronger than strength,
The god made for life.
In the place of Ida we set thee down,
On the navel of the earth,
O Agni, all-knower,
To bear the oblation .
O Agni of kindly aspect, do thou with the All-gods
Sit first on the birthplace made of wool,
Nest-like, rich in ghee, for Savitr
Do thou lead well the sacrifice, for the sacrificer.
Sit thou, O Hotr, in thine own world, wise,
Place thou the sacrifice in the birthplace of good deeds
Eager for the gods, do thou sacrifice to them with oblation;
O Agni, bestow great strength on the sacrificer.
The Hotr hath sat him down in the place of the Hotr wise,
Glittering, shining, skilful,
With vows and foresight undeceived, most wealthy,
Bearing a thousand, pure-tongued Agni.
Thou art the envoy, thou our guardian,
Thou, O bull, leadest us to better fortune;
0 Agni, be thou the guardian of our offspring, our descendants
In their bodies, unfailing and radiant.
To thee, O god Savitr,
Lord of things delightful,
We come for fortune, O thou of constant help.
May the great ones, sky and earth,
Mingle for us this sacrifice,
May they sustain us with support.
Thee, O Agni, from the lotus
Atharvan passed out,
From the head of every priest.
Thee the sage, Dadhyañc,
Son of Atharvan, doth kindle,
Slayer of Vrtra, destroyer of forts.
Thee Pathya Vrsan doth kindle,
Best slayer of foes,
Winner of booty in every conflict.
Let men say too,
'Agni hath been born, slayer of Vrtra,
Winning booty in every conflict.'
Whom, like a quoit in their bands,
Like a child at birth, they bear,
Agni, fair sacrificer of the folk.
Bring forward the god, best finder of riches,
For offering to the gods;
May he sit down in his own birthplace .
In the all-knower cause to rest
The dear guest on birth,
In a pleasant place, the lord of the house.
By Agni is Agni kindled,
The wise, the young, the lord of the house,
The bearer of the oblation, with ladle in his mouth.
Thou, O Agni, by Agni,
The sage by the sage, the good by the good,
The comrade by the comrade, art kindled.
Him they make bright, the wise,
Victorious in the contests,
Strong in his abodes.
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.

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