In ancient times, the sages invoked the sacred power of herbs, calling upon their defenders and utterers in ever-growing numbers—sixty-six, seventy-seven, eighty-eight, ninety-nine, a hundred, and even a thousand. Each invocation was made with reverence: “O herb, born of truth and protected by truth, make sweet for me the honey and the honey-bearer.” With each increase in number, the prayer intensified, seeking the blessing of honey and the skill of honey-handedness, all rooted in the power of truth. The sages cherished the vitality of the herbs, noting their strength and richness at every stage of growth. Whether a herb was one year old, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten, it was always full of juice—brimming with life. Yet, at eleven years old, the herb became waterless, its vigor spent. Amidst these recitations, the sages spoke of profound mysteries. They remembered the first sin of Brahman, the wellless waters, and Mātariśvan, the carrier of heat and joy, the divine waters that were the firstborn of truth. Soma the king was first to enter the Brahman's wife; she was given and taken away, and Varuṇa and Mitra followed. Agni, the priest, led her, grasping her by the hand. It was said that the Brahman's wife is to be grasped only by the hand, never sent to a messenger, for she is the seat of sacred power. Thus, the realm is guarded for its rightful ruler. There was one, the star-haired and disheveled, who brought misfortune to a village as she entered—it was she, the Brahmin's wife, who scattered the kingdom where the hare, bearing a blazing brand, had arrived. The celibate wandered freely, without hatred, and became a limb of the gods. By his austerity, Bṛhaspati found the wife whom the gods, led by Soma, had carried away like an oblation. The gods and the ancient Seven Sages, sitting in austerity, spoke of her. The terrible wife of the Brahmin, once taken away, placed a grievous burden in the highest heaven. The Brahmin’s wife brought harm to all: embryos cast down, whatever moved and was destroyed, and heroes who perished in mutual strife. Even if a woman had ten previous husbands who were not Brahmins, if a Brahmin grasped her hand, he alone was her true husband. The Brahmin alone was the rightful husband—not the Kṣatriya, not the Vaiśya. The Sun proclaimed this truth to the five races of men. The gods restored her, men restored her, and kings, upholding truth, restored the Brahmin’s wife. Once restored and freed from guilt with the gods, they partook of the earth’s nourishment and abundant praise. In any kingdom where the Brahmin’s wife was held captive, prosperity faded. The ruler’s wife did not lie on a splendid, well-adorned couch. No one with mutilated ears or a broad head was born there; no servant adorned with a coin necklace came before his sons. No white ox with black ears was yoked to the plough, no lotus pond or stalk grew in the fields, and no speckled cow was milked. Even his finest cow did not endure the yoke with the bull, for the Brahmin spent the night in sin. The gods did not give her to the king, nor to anyone in the wilderness. The sages warned: “Do not desire to seize the Brahmin’s ancient cow, O Kṣatriya.” If a Kṣatriya, blinded by dice, anger, or evil, and defeated by himself, sought to take the Brahmin’s cow, let him die today, not tomorrow. The Brahmin’s cow was covered with the poison of sin, fierce and not to be eaten. Whoever tried to lead her away destroyed the power of the warrior, brilliance, and, like fire, burned up everything. To think the Brahmin is merely food is to drink poison and be ruined by that very act. Whoever kills him, thinking him gentle, desiring wealth like one who eats what belongs to the gods without thought, Indra kindles fire in his heart. Both heaven and earth hate him as he moves about. Thus the ancient sages taught: truth is the foundation of all blessing, and the sanctity of the Brahmin and his wife is guarded by the gods, by kings, and by the very laws of nature. Those who honor this truth partake in the earth’s abundance; those who violate it are shunned by heaven and earth alike.