May vigor arise within me, may strength and discernment flourish, and may power ascend. I invoke the Giver of Life and his radiant consort, each adorned with their own divine energy, to protect me, the herdsman. Let these two gracious beings dwell with me always, causing me no harm. For my defense, I call upon a stone armor to shield me from any evil-doer who might approach from the east—may this protective barrier guard me well. Likewise, let this stone armor shield me from those who would attack from the south, the west, and the north. Let it stand strong against threats from the fixed directions, from above, and from the intermediate regions between. In every direction, may this stone armor be my steadfast protection. With a great and focused mind, I invoke the life-breath, Mātariśvan—the inward and outward breaths that sustain all beings. May my sight be illumined by the sun, my hearing attuned to the midspace, and my body grounded in the earth. I call upon Sarasvatī, yoked with the mind, to inspire my speech. O mighty one, I ponder: how did I address the Asura dwelling here? How did I speak to the father, to Hari, whose strength is fierce and noble? Varuṇa, you apportioned the southern quarter to Pṛśni and, with your compassionate mind, you heal again and again. I do not give out of mere desire; rather, I weigh carefully whom I may approach, whom I may join. By what wisdom, O Atharvan, by what birth have you become Jātavedas, the knower of all births? Truly, I am profound through wisdom; by birth, I am Jātavedas. No servant or woman has ever measured the greatness of the vow I uphold. There is none more poetic or wise than you, O Varuṇa, lord of order. You know all the worlds. Even one who belongs to you may tremble before your power. Indeed, O Varuṇa, you know all origins and are well-guided. What lies beyond this region? Is there anything higher? What is below, what is above, O immortal one? One region lies beyond, another below; by your power, even the evil-doer is brought low. I declare this to you, O Varuṇa, knowing: let the gains of the wicked be cast down, let slaves draw near to the earth. O Varuṇa, you proclaim many blameless things to the generous. Let not the greedy come near your gifts. May people never call you harsh, O lord. And may people not call me harsh either; again, I give the southern quarter to the singer. May my praise, filled with power, spread through all regions of humankind. May your praises, O Varuṇa, rise and go forth throughout all peoples. Grant me what you have not yet given, for you are my companion of seven steps, my friend. Let our kinship, O Varuṇa, be united; let our birth be the same, for I know we share this origin. I give you what you have not yet given; you are my companion of seven steps, my friend. The god praises the god, the wise lauds the wise; the inspired one, Varuṇa, lord of order, begot Atharvan, the ancestral friend of the gods. Therefore, grant us your favor, well-praised one; you are our friend and our highest kin. Today, O god Jātavedas, kindled in the house of man, you worship the gods. Bring Mitra and Varuṇa, the wise, for you are the messenger, the sage, the conscious one. O Tanūnapāt, who travels the path of truth, sweet-tongued and honey-loving, arrange our thoughts with wisdom and kindle our sacrifice; make our ritual divine. Come, O Agni, when called and praised, together with the Vasus, in harmony. You are the mighty priest of the gods, most worthy of sacrifice and worship. Let the ancient sacred grass be spread in the eastern quarter of the earth, the best place at the dawn of days. Broad and welcoming, it becomes the most spacious path for the gods, for Aditi—a pleasant seat. Let the shining, wide doors be opened, like wives adorned for their lords. May the great divine doors, all-knowing, be easy of access for the gods. Let the bringer of good fortune worship; let Dawn and Night, the great, heavenly maidens, splendidly adorned, sit together in their seat, bearing radiant beauty. The divine Hotṛ priests, first and eloquent, measure out the sacrifice for men to perform, inspiring the skilled in their assemblies, directing the ancient light toward the proper path. May Bharati, the powerful one, come to our sacrifice, awakening among us; may the three Sarasvatīs of true inspiration sit upon this pleasant sacrificial grass. He, by whom Heaven and Earth, the two mothers, shaped all the worlds with their forms—today, prompted by the Hotṛ, let us worship that god Tvaṣṭṛ here, recognizing his greatness. O Vanaspati, release with your own self the offerings to the gods in proper order; let the divine Agni, the peacemaker, taste the oblation with honey and ghee. Agni, born at once, measured out the sacrifice, becoming the leader of the gods; may the gods partake of the offerings made with svāhā, at the command of this Hotṛ, in the speech of truth. For me, Varuṇa, the wise one from heaven, has given the antidote to poison through powerful words; whether the poison is dug up, not dug up, or still attached at the root, it is dried up in the desert for you. Whatever waterless poison is present, or that which clings to the root, I seize its middle, highest, and lowest sap—let it not harm you out of fear. My roar is strong, like thunder in the sky; with fierce speech, I drive the harm away from you. I, with men, seize the foremost sap of darkness; as from darkness, let the sun arise as light. With my eye I strike your eye; with poison I strike your poison. Die, O serpent, do not live; let the poison return to you. The dark one, the spotted one, the brown one, the black one—hear me, all you false ones! Do not linger near my companion; do not stand by, do not speak out; depart and dissolve the poison. Of the black one, the brown one, and the waterless one, of the mighty and the powerful—I loosen their anger as a bowstring from the bow, as a chariot from its yoke. The binder and the unbinder, the father and the mother—we know all your kin by every means; what can you do now? The daughter of Urugūlā, born of the Dāsi Siknī, is the source of all leprous sores—the sap, the poison of them all. The dog, dwelling near the mountain, declared the ears; whatever of these are dug up, among them the most sappy is the poison. Thus, with invocations, prayers, and the wisdom of the ancients, protection is sought, the gods are honored, and the forces of harm are dispelled.