When pride or scorn threatens the sacred act of prayer, the Maruts are called upon: let those who think themselves too great, or who mock the offerings as they are made, be overtaken by suffering and misfortune. Even Heaven itself weighs heavily upon those who hate prayer. With the power of prayer, the seven breaths and the eight thoughts—those subtle forces of life—are cut off from harm. Through this sacred act, Agni, the messenger of Yama, renders the very seat of death powerless. A step is placed in the kindled Jātavedas, the living Agni. May Agni fully envelop the body, guiding breath and speech to depart as they are meant to, in the proper order. To Agni, the prayer continues: grant long life, choosing vigor and strength. Let ghee—sweet, the precious gift of the cow—be both the beginning and the end of your protection. Having tasted this offering, Agni, care for this one as a father guards his sons. Bestow upon us brilliance and vitality. Remove the touch of old age and death, and grant us long life. Bṛhaspati has given this garment; let it be worn for Soma, the king. May you put on this garment for well-being. You have become the guardian of homes, the one who wards off curses. Live a hundred autumns, wide-seeing one, and gather abundant wealth and prosperity. Come, stand as firm as a stone; let your body be as hard as stone. May all the gods grant you a hundred years of life. From your first garment, your earliest clothing, I take that for you, and may all the gods protect you. May your strong brothers be born after you—many, well-born, and growing together. Let the rootless, the bold, the one-minded, the greedy, and all the fierce one's offspring—constant foes—be destroyed. We drive you out from the cow-pen, from the goats, from the oxen, even from the shoes; we drive you out, daughters of Magundya, from the houses. Whoever dwells in the lowest part of the house, there is the place for the restless; let them lie there, and all the sorcerers as well. Let the lord of beings drive them out, and let Indra be alert, O constant foes. Indra, sitting at the foundation of the house, stands guard with his thunderbolt. Whether you are of the cultivators, sent by men, or born from the Dasyus—let these constant foes perish. Their abodes are surrounded, just as the day encircles the forest. All have been conquered in battle—let these constant foes perish. Just as heaven and earth are neither afraid nor harmed, so, O my breath, do not be afraid. Just as day and night are neither afraid nor harmed, so, O my breath, do not be afraid. Just as the sun and moon are neither afraid nor harmed, so, O my breath, do not be afraid. Just as priestly power and royal power are neither afraid nor harmed, so, O my breath, do not be afraid. Just as truth and falsehood are neither afraid nor harmed, so, O my breath, do not be afraid. Just as the past and the future are neither afraid nor harmed, so, O my breath, do not be afraid. Let the breaths, inhalation and exhalation, not fall into death—svāhā. Heaven and earth, having heard, do not let me fall—svāhā. O Sun, guard me with your eye—svāhā. O Agni Vaiśvānara, protect me with all the gods—svāhā. O All-supporting one, protect me with all support—svāhā. You are vigor; give me vigor—svāhā. You are strength; give me strength—svāhā. You are power; give me power—svāhā. You are life; give me life—svāhā. You are hearing; give me hearing—svāhā. You are sight; give me sight—svāhā. You are protection; give me protection—svāhā. You are the destroyer of enemies; grant me the power to repel enemies—svāhā. You are the destroyer of rivals, the expeller of rivals for me—grant this, svāhā. You are the destroyer of enemies, the expeller of enemies for me—grant this, svāhā. You are the destroyer of demons, the expeller of demons for me—grant this, svāhā. You are the destroyer of persistent foes, the expeller of persistent foes for me—grant this, svāhā. Agni, with your heat, burn him who hates us and whom we hate. Agni, with your powerful grasp, seize him who hates us and whom we hate. Agni, with your flame, scorch him who hates us and whom we hate. Agni, with your blaze, burn him who hates us and whom we hate. Thus, with prayer, protection, and the power of the gods, the devotee seeks long life, strength, and victory over all that threatens well-being, trusting in the guardianship of Agni and the assembled deities.