With the power that stretches between heaven and earth, I reach out and take hold of this shelter, drawing upon the vastness of the atmosphere and the domain of dust as a nurturing womb for all that is auspicious. With this invocation, I secure the shelter for the one who seeks its refuge. This shelter is rich with nourishment, abundant like a vessel brimming with milk, firmly established upon the earth, measured and bounded, sustaining all forms of food. O shelter, do not bring harm to the one who receives you. Covered in grass and bearing fruits, clothed like the gentle night, the shelter becomes the resting place for the world itself. Measured and steadfast, it stands upon the earth—solid and sure, like an elephant leaving its footprints. I loosen what is bound within you, O iṭa, and fill you up anew. May Mitra release what Varuna has bound, especially in the morning, bringing freedom and blessing. By the power of Brahman, the shelter is established; by the sages, it is measured and consecrated. May Indra and Agni watch over this shelter, the immortal seat of Soma, keeping it safe and pure. Within this nest upon a nest, within this vessel inside a vessel, a mortal is born—the very one from whom all creation arises. Those with two wings, four wings, six, eight, or ten—beings of every measure—find their home here. O shelter, bride of the mind, you lie as the embryo of fire, nurturing all within. Facing west, I approach you, O shelter, unharmed. Fire and the inner waters are the first doors to truth, and I seek entry through them. I bring forth these pure waters—free from disease, destroyers of sickness—and, together with immortality and Agni, I enter the houses. O shelter, do not bind us with a heavy burden; let it be light. Like a bride, wherever we wish to go, we carry you with us. To the eastern direction of the shelter, I offer homage to its greatness: svāhā to the gods, svāhā to the divine ones. To the southern direction, I offer homage to its greatness: svāhā to the gods, svāhā to the divine ones. To the western direction, I offer homage to its greatness: svāhā to the gods, svāhā to the divine ones. To the northern direction, I offer homage to its greatness: svāhā to the gods, svāhā to the divine ones. To the fixed direction, I offer homage to its greatness: svāhā to the gods, svāhā to the divine ones. To the upward direction, I offer homage to its greatness: svāhā to the gods, svāhā to the divine ones. To every direction of the shelter, I offer homage to its greatness: svāhā to the gods, svāhā to the divine ones. Now, let us praise the thousandfold, powerful bull—rich in milk, bearing all forms within his breast, bestowing good upon the giver and instructing the sacrificer. He is the offspring of Brihaspati, weaving the sacred thread of life. He who was foremost among the waters, the mighty one who became an image for all, like the divine earth—may he, the father of calves and lord of cows, grant us abundance a thousandfold. This strong and ancient bull, full of milk, bears the body of the hidden treasure. May Agni, knower of all births, carry him—with paths fit for the gods—to Indra. He is the father of calves, the lord of cows, and also of the great roaring ones. The calf, wrapped in the membrane, yields nourishing milk—this is the butter, the seed of the treasure. He brings near the share for the gods—the essence of waters, plants, and butter. Shakra chose the food of Soma, and the great mountain became his body. You, O bull, bear the vessel filled with Soma; Tvaṣṭṛ is the creator of forms and cattle. May those here who are fruitful be auspicious for you—grant to us those who are here and those who are elsewhere. He bears clarified butter; his seed is ghee, and his abundance is a thousandfold. Him they call the sacrifice: the bull, clothed in fat, is the very form of Indra. May the gods, being gracious, send him to us as a gift. His strength is Indra’s, his arms are Varuṇa’s, his shoulders are the Aśvins’, his hump is of the Maruts. The wise, the poets, the thinkers, say this is the gathered form of Bṛhaspati. You, O bull, extend yourself with the milky essence of the divine hosts. They call you Indra, they call you Sarasvatī. He who offers the bull to the Brahmin gives a thousand with a single mouth. Bṛhaspati and Savitṛ have given you wings; the vital breath of Tvaṣṭṛ surrounds you. With my mind, I offer you in the midspace—may both heaven and earth stand firm on the sacred grass. He who, among gods and cows, speaks out like Indra—may the Brahman praise the limbs of that bull with a blessing. Let the sides of the bull be of Anumati, the thighs of Bhaga; Mitra declared, “These two, having bones, are mine alone.” Let the buttocks be of the Ādityas, the hips of Bṛhaspati; the tail belongs to Vāta, the god—by it he shakes the plants. The intestines are of Sinīvālī, the skin is said to be of Sūryā; those who made the bull rise up declared, “Let him have a step.” The loins are of Jāmiśaṃsa, the bladder is held for Soma; when the gods assembled, they fashioned the bull entirely. The hooves they gave to Sarama, the nails to the tortoises; the hair they assigned to the insects and burrowing creatures. With his horns he protects, with his tail he drives away, with his eyes he strikes, and with his ears he hears what is good—he who is lord of cows and of the unyoked ones. He who sacrifices with a hundred offerings, him the fires do not harm; all the gods favor him who offers the bull to the Brahmin. Having given the bull to the Brahmins, his mind grows more excellent; he sees the prosperity of the cows in his own cattle-pen. May there be cows, may there be offspring, and may bodily strength exist as well. May all the gods consent to this, for the giver of the bull. Let this one, drinking, O Indra, grant intelligence to the herd. Let this one yield a cow—richly giving milk, always with a calf, yielding at will, wise, surpassing even heaven. Of tawny form, holding the winds of the sky, Indra’s force, of all forms, has come to us. May it grant us long life, offspring, and abundant wealth, and remain with us always. Come near, come to the enclosure for the offering, come close to us. Come to the seed of the bull, to your strength, O Indra. Thus, the shelter, the bull, and the sacrificial gifts are praised and sanctified, blessing all who honor them with abundance, protection, and the favor of the gods.