Let the affliction depart, cast off as a fledgling bird is pushed from its nest to find freedom. May the radiant Sun bring healing warmth, and may the gentle Moon draw away your suffering. Diseases of many forms—pale, dark, red, and roan—are called by name: destroyers of life, be gone! Let the woman in labor, the one stricken with illness, the one with a swollen throat or suffering from goiter, all cast off their maladies and be restored. With focused mind and sacred intent, I make this offering—svāhā!—that it may be accepted and bring relief. For the one who sits in terror, bound by unseen chains, I offer this for release. Though people call you Earth, I recognize you in all directions as Nirṛti, goddess of dissolution. Become content with this oblation among beings; this is your portion—release these souls from their sins, svāhā. O Nirṛti, be freed from sin for us; shatter the iron bonds that hold us. Yama, lord of death, returns you to us—homage to Yama, to Death itself. O iron one, wooden one, one pierced and marked among a thousand deaths—may you ascend with Yama and the ancestors to the highest heaven. Behold the Varana tree, divine lord of the forest, standing as a guardian. Whatever illness has entered this person, the gods themselves drive it away. By the decree of Indra, Mitra, Varuna, and the assembled gods, we banish sickness from you. Just as the waters once held back Vritra, restraining his might, so with Agni and Vaisvanara, I ward off illness from you. Indra, mighty bull of heaven, and this one, bull of earth—may you be the single bull, the sovereign of all that exists. The ocean is lord of rivers, Agni the master of earth, and the Moon is lord of stars—may you stand as the single bull among them. You are sovereign of gods and leader of men, holding your share among the divine—be the single bull. I have brought you forth from within; stand firm, unmoving. May all people desire you; may your rule endure. Remain here, do not depart—stand steady as the mountain, as Indra stands, upholding your rule. Indra upheld this firmness with steadfast offerings; to him Soma and Brahmanaspati declared their support. Heaven is firm, earth is firm, the whole world is firm; these mountains are steadfast, and so is the king of the people. Varuna is a firm king, Brihaspati is steadfast; may Indra and Agni together uphold your rule. O steadfast one, strike down your foes; subdue those who oppose you. May all directions unite in purpose, and may your assembly be firmly established. This excellent head, a gift from Soma, is endowed with strength; from it, and what is born of it, we burn away what weighs upon your heart. We burn away what troubles your heart and mind—may all anxieties be scattered like smoke by the wind, and may all that burdens you depart from me. For me, may Mitra and Varuna, the goddess Sarasvati, and the middle space of earth—both ends—be in harmony. Whatever arrow Rudra has loosed against your limbs or heart, today, O twin-born one, we drive that disease away. Whatever hundreds of darts are fixed in your body, we call them out and remove their poison. Homage to you, Rudra—homage to the opposed, the released, the fallen. With these eightfold and sixfold mixtures, this barley has been prepared; by it, may the stains upon your body be washed away, flowing off to the west. The wind blows downward, the Sun burns downward, and the unmilked cow gives her milk downward—so may your impurity also be drawn downward and away. Waters are truly healing; they drive away disease and are the remedy for all—may these waters bring you healing. O swift steed, become as the wind, yoked and eager; go forth with Indra’s urging, swift as thought. Let the Maruts, all-knowing, yoke you; may Tvashtar grant speed to your feet in battle. Your swiftness is hidden, O horse—whether in eagle, wind, or your own circling—use that power to win, to surpass all rivals. May your true form guide your body; may favor come to us, and protection to you. Let the god, unhurried, measure out great support for you, as the light in the sky marks its own path. Yama, Death, Aghamāra, Nirṛti, Babhru, Sharva, Astā, and Nīlaśikhaṇḍa—the hosts of divine beings have arisen; may they shield our heroes from harm. With mind, with offerings, and with ghee, I honor Sharva, Astra, and king Bhava; I bow and make reverence, asking that they lead harm-bringers far from us. Protect us from those who bring harm, from slaughter, O all gods, O Maruts, all-knowing; Agni and Soma, Varuṇa of pure skill, may we be in the favor of Vāta and Parjanya. May your minds, your vows, your intentions be united; even those who are divided, I bring them to unity. With my mind I take hold of yours; let my thought enter your thoughts. I make your hearts subject to me; follow my path as you go. Heaven and earth are woven into me, and the goddess Sarasvatī; Indra and Agni are woven into me—may Sarasvatī grant me success. The holy fig tree is the dwelling of the gods, the third in the boundless sky; there, the gods discovered the healing kuṣṭha, the vision of immortality. A golden ship, bound with gold, moved in the sky; there, the gods found the flower of immortality, the healing kuṣṭha.