Listen now to the sacred tale woven from the Atharva Veda. On a day apart, or perhaps on both days, there is one who approaches the frog—let him come, even if he keeps no vows, let him draw near. Then, with heartfelt invocation, the seers call upon mighty Indra: “Come, O Indra, with your delightful tawny horses adorned with peacock feathers. Let no one restrain you, let not the binders hold you back—come swift as an arrow, come here to us.” To protect and strengthen, they speak further: “I cover your vital spots with armor; may Soma, the king, anoint you with the essence of immortality; may Varuṇa make your chest broad and strong; may all the gods grant you victory and rejoice in you.” Turning to the mystery of life and death, homage is offered to Death, the Ender. “May your breaths and out-breaths remain here; may this person stay with life, in the portion of the Sun, in the world of immortality.” The gods are invoked: “May Bhaga raise him up, may Soma the radiant raise him up, may the Maruts, the gods, raise him up, and Indra and Agni for his well-being.” With gentle words, his vital forces are gathered: “Here is your breath, here your life, here your mind; we take you away from the snares of Nirṛti by the words of the gods.” A call is made: “Rise up, O person, do not follow the path of death; do not go to the broad house, do not depart from this world, from the sight of Agni and the Sun.” Blessings pour forth: “May the wind blow for you, O Mātariśvan; may the immortal waters rain for you; may the Sun shine well-being upon your body; may Death be merciful to you—do not go away.” A way is prepared: “I make for you, O person, a path for returning, a boat for living, skill for your vigor; come, ascend this immortal, pleasant chariot, and speak with clear voice.” Care is taken for the mind: “Let not your mind go there, let it not vanish; do not depart from the living, do not go to the ancestors; may all the gods protect you here.” They call him back from longing: “Do not long for those who have gone, who lead to the distant place; ascend from darkness to light—come, we take your hands.” The guardians of the road are addressed: “The black and the spotted, the two messengers of Yama, the dogs who guard the road—come this way, do not scatter, do not stand apart with a turned mind.” A warning is spoken: “Do not go on that path, it is dreadful, which they led before—I tell you; O person, do not follow that way; there is fear beyond, safety is here for you.” The fires are invoked for protection: “May the fires that are in the waters protect you, may the fire kindled by men protect you; may Vaiśvānara, Jātavedas, protect you; may the divine one not drive you away together with lightning.” Further shields are set: “Let not the flesh-eater harm you; may you be protected from the one who brings distress. May the sky protect you, may the earth and the sun protect you, may the moon protect you. May the midspace protect you from divine weapons.” Vigilance is prayed for: “May wakefulness and alertness protect you; may dreamless sleep and undisturbed rest protect you. May the guardian and the watchful one protect you.” All the protectors are saluted: “May they protect you, may they guard you. Salutation to them, to them offering is made.” The gods are invoked for life: “May Vāyu, Indra, Dhātṛ, and Savitṛ, the preserver, grant you life among the living. Let not your breath, your strength, depart; we call your vital spirit back.” No harm may befall: “Let not the demon Jambha, nor crushing force, nor darkness harm you; let not your tongue wander to the sacrificial grass. May the Ādityas and Vasus bear you up, may Indra and Agni bring you well-being.” The world itself is called to support: “May the sky, the earth, and Prajāpati uphold you; may the plants and the queen Soma fill you with life, away from death.” With mighty effort, the person is lifted: “Let this person remain here among the gods; let him not go to the other world. With a thousandfold strength, we lift him away from death.” Life is poured in: “May you be filled away from death, may the vital airs and nourishment breathe into you. Let not the one with disheveled hair, nor the wailing messenger of evil, seize you.” Restoration is complete: “I have brought you back, I have found you; you have returned, renewed. All your limbs, all your sight, all your life—I have restored them to you.” Light dawns: “The light has arisen, the darkness has departed from you. We cast away from you death, destruction, and disease.” The elixir of immortality is offered: “Take hold of this draught of immortality; let old age, though biting, not cut you down. I bring back your breath and your life; do not go into the realm of darkness, do not vanish away.” The living are called to the light: “Come near to the light of the living; I lead you back for a hundred autumns. Releasing the nooses of death and misfortune, I set for you a longer span of life.” Breath and sight are restored: “From the wind I have restored your breath, from the sun your sight. I hold your mind within you; know together with your limbs, speak with your tongue.” Strength is kindled: “With your breath I strengthen you, as fire is kindled, among bipeds and quadrupeds. Salutation to you, O Death, for vision; I have made offering to your breath.” A plea for continued life: “Let this one live, let him not die; we send him forth with breath. I prepare a remedy for him—O Death, do not slay the man.” All living things are called for aid: “I call upon the living, the undying, the living plants—those that protect, endure, and are mighty—here, for the safety of this man.” A request for mercy: “Speak over him, do not seize him; release him, let him remain here among your own. O Bhava and Śarva, be gracious, grant protection; remove misfortune, bestow long life.” Death is asked to relent: “O Death, speak over him, have mercy; let him rise up. Let him be unharmed in every limb, well-hearing, full of vigor, living a hundred years, enjoying life with his own self.” All dangers are turned away: “May the weapon of the gods turn away from you; I carry you beyond the dust, even beyond death. I set the fire-eater, the devourer of flesh, far away from you for your life; I place the protective band around you.” A shield of sacred words is made: “That path of yours, O Death, which is impassable in the dust—protecting from that, we make for him the armor of sacred utterance.” Life’s rhythms are secured: “I establish for you the breaths of life and expiration, old age, death, long life, and well-being. I drive away all the messengers of Yama sent by Vaivasvata as they roam.” All evil is cast away: “Far away I cast away hostility, destruction, the seizer, the flesh-eater, the ghouls, and all evil beings; whatever is malevolent, I strike it down as if into darkness.” From Agni, immortality is sought: “From Agni, the knower of all births, I seek for you the breath of immortality and long life. Just as the immortal, joined with companions, does not perish, so I make this for you; may it prosper for you.” Auspiciousness is prayed for: “May Heaven and Earth be auspicious for you, free from distress and full of splendor. May the Sun shine favorably upon you; may the wind blow well for your heart. May the divine, milk-giving waters flow auspiciously around you.” The plants and luminaries are invoked: “May the healing plants be auspicious for you, from the lower to the upper earth. There, may the two Adityas, the Sun and the Moon, both protect you.” Even the garments are blessed: “Whatever garment you wear, whatever loincloth you put on, we make it auspicious for your body; may its touch be harmless to you.” Thus, with the power of word, prayer, and divine invocation, life is cherished, safeguarded, and restored. The person is drawn back from the edge of death, wrapped in the blessings of gods, nature, and the cosmos, to dwell among the living, radiant with the light of immortality.