In ancient times, the people sought protection from the many dangers that threatened their lives—jaws of wild beasts, venomous creatures, corruption, and distress. For this, they revered the Jaṅgiḍa, an amulet endowed with a thousand powers. They believed that, worn or kept close, it would guard them on every side. This Jaṅgiḍa was celebrated as a universal remedy, capable of withstanding poison and repelling all that was harmful. It was a gift from the gods, full of delight, and with its divine presence, they could stand firm against poison and the demons that assailed them in their endeavors. To ensure safety, they invoked not only the Jaṅgiḍa but also hemp and other potent substances—one brought from the forest, another from the field, another from the juices of plants. The amulet, they knew, would ward off witchcraft and hostility, carrying them across the sea of life to longevity. In their rituals, they called upon Indra, the mighty hero. They invited him to accept the offerings, to come forth with his swift horses, to drink the pressed Soma, and delight in its sweetness for the sake of joy. Indra, they prayed, should fill himself anew with the honey of heaven, for the exhilarating draughts of Soma had come to him with sweet voices. Indra, the friend who slew Vṛtra and broke open Vala, who never tolerated his enemies, rejoiced in the intoxication of Soma. The people wished that the pressed draughts would enter Indra, filling him with strength, and that he would know their devotion, hear their songs, and delight in their company for the great battle ahead. They proclaimed the heroic deeds of Indra, the wielder of the thunderbolt. He slew the serpent, released the waters, split open strongholds, and shattered mountains. He struck down the serpent lying upon the mountain, wielding the thunderbolt crafted by Tvaṣṭṛ. As Indra triumphed, the waters rushed forth like flowing cows, making their way to the sea. Longing for strength, Indra chose Soma and drank its pressed juice among the Trikadrukas. Then, Maghavan took up the thunderbolt, sharp as an arrow, and slew the firstborn of the earth. Turning to Agni, the people prayed that the seasons and years would nurture him. May the seers, those who are true, increase Agni, and may he shine forth with celestial radiance, illuminating all four directions. They wished to unite themselves with Agni, to increase him further, to stand high for great good fortune. Let no harm come to Agni from those who approach him; may his priests be renowned and honored. Agni was chosen by the priests to be gracious in their protection. As slayer of foes and conqueror of adversaries, Agni was called to keep watch over their homes, ever alert. With his own power, Agni should strive, acting as a true friend among kin and kings, shining brightly and being most honored. The people prayed that Agni would overcome the hidden, the obstacles, the heedless, and the hostile, crossing over all evils and granting them abundant wealth along with heroes. For the sanctity of oaths, the waters were invoked. Born of the gods, shining, and placed upon the path of the oath, the waters were called to look upon oath-breakers as upon filth. Whether the oath was of a rival, a kinsman, or uttered in anger by a priest, the people prayed that all false oaths would fall beneath them. The root of heaven stretched out, the uppermost of earth, and with that thousand-branched one, they sought protection on every side. They implored: protect me, my offspring, our wealth; let enmity not cross us, nor hostile adversaries overcome us. Let the curse return to the curser, whoever acts with ill intent; let the eye of the spell and the evil-hearted be turned away, even their backs heard and recognized. When field-disease threatened their crops, they called upon the blessed one to arise at dawn, at the name of the star, to release the lowest and highest snare of the field-disease. Let the night depart, the dew depart, and the harmful ones depart; let the field-disease be destroyed and the field released. Whether it was tawny barley, white barley, straw, sesame, or sesame husk, let the field-disease be destroyed and the field released. Homage was offered to the ploughs, yokes, harnesses, those who gathered with sickles, messengers, and the lord of the field, seeking release from disease and restoration to health. When someone was seized by demons at the joints, the people called upon ten trees to release him, and upon the lord of the forest to lead him back to the world of the living. He has come, he has arisen, and the host of living beings has come forth. He became the father of sons and men, most divine. He has studied, he has arisen, and entered the city of life, blessed with a hundred physicians and a thousand herbs. The gods, Brahmans, and plants knew the remedy, for all the gods had known the remedy upon the earth. He who made the remedy departed, but he alone was the best of healers, the pure one who prepared remedies for the physician. To release from harm, the people invoked the powers of the field, destruction, the curse of kin, and Varuṇa’s noose. Through the Brahman, they made the afflicted guiltless, praying that Heaven and Earth would be auspicious for them. They sought the favor of Agni and his companions, of Soma and the healing herbs, and of the wind in the midspace and the four directions. The sun surveyed the four divine directions, wives of the wind, and in them, the afflicted was placed, hidden within, so that disease and destruction might go far away. Released from disease, misfortune, blame, and the noose of harm, the afflicted found freedom from enmity, became pleasant, and entered the world of the fortunate. The gods, releasing him from the grasp of darkness, set him forth, sinless, into the immortal light of the sun. Thus, through the power of the Brahman and the blessings of Heaven and Earth, the people found release, healing, and auspiciousness in their lives.