In the midst of a great conflict, a fervent invocation arose: May the sharp-footed one descend upon our enemies, sowing confusion in their ranks. Let their armies, on this very day, be cast into bewilderment and lost in a bottomless abyss. May those who oppose us be deluded and destroyed, again and again, their chosen warriors struck down by our own forces. Whether the enemy comes armored or unarmored, whether he rides in a chariot or stands on foot, let the snares of the armored and the chariots ensnare him, and let him fall, defeated. All enemies—those protected by armor, those without, and those only partly shielded—let them be struck down and cast into the abyss, their bodies left to be devoured by the dogs of the earth. The chariot-riders and those on foot alike, the mounted and the unmounted, may all those who fall be consumed by vultures, hawks, and birds of prey. Let the hostile army, vanquished in battle, lie as a heap of corpses, pierced and torn apart by jackals. Those wounded in their vital parts, those who cry out in pain, those struck down and left behind—let them be devoured by the great birds, all those who oppose our sacred westward offering. This offering, witnessed by the gods and impossible to resist, may mighty Indra, the slayer of Vṛtra, strike down our foes with his triple-edged thunderbolt. Yet, beyond the tumult of battle, the hymn turns to the earth herself, the vast and steadfast mother. Truth, greatness, order, might, consecration, austerity, sacred knowledge, and sacrifice uphold the earth. May she, the broad and generous earth—our companion through all time—grant us a wide and abundant world. She is unconfined, her middle open to humankind, her slopes and valleys even and rich, bearing countless healing plants. May the earth spread herself for us and bestow her gifts. Upon her rest the oceans, rivers, and all waters; upon her arise food and peoples; upon her this living world moves and breathes. May that earth place us in the foremost and best of places. Her four directions are the earth itself, the source of food and of all peoples, the bearer of life in many forms—may she place us among cattle and abundance. Upon her, the people of old performed their deeds; upon her, the gods triumphed over demons. May the earth grant us the wealth, strength, and glory of cattle, horses, and offspring. She is the supporter of all, rich in treasures, firm and golden-breasted, the seat of the world, bearing the universal fire. With Indra and the Bull among gods, may she grant us wealth. The sleepless gods protect her, the all-giving, unfailing earth. May she, milking sweet nourishment, sustain us with her splendor. In the beginning, the waters rested upon her in the great ocean; the wise sought her with their thoughts; her heart, in the highest heaven, is veiled in truth and immortality. May she grant us strength and power in the highest realm. Upon her, the ever-flowing waters move day and night, never failing. May this earth, rich in streams, nourish us with abundance and splendor. The Aśvins measured her, Viṣṇu strode across her, and Indra, lord of might, made her unconquered for himself. May this earth, our mother, pour out her milk for her child. Her mountains are the peaks, her snowy ranges and forests, all her varied forms—the variegated, the dark, the red, the steadfast—protected by Indra, unconquered and unbroken. Upon this earth I take my stand. Whatever is your middle, O Earth, your navel, and the forms of strength that arise from your body—place us upon these, let your bounty flow over us. Earth is the mother, I am the son of Earth; Parjanya is the father—may he fill us with abundance. Upon you, O Earth, the altar is set, the sacrifice is extended by the skillful, the singers measure their chants, and the bright offerings rise. May you, ever-growing, make us grow as well. Whoever hates us, whoever fights or attacks us in thought or deed—O Earth, bind them for us, as you did in days of old. From you are all mortals born; upon you they move, two-footed and four-footed alike. The five races of men are yours, O Earth, for whom the immortal Sun spreads his rays. May our offspring be united, may they be complete; grant us sweet speech, O Earth. You are the universal mother of plants, the steadfast upholder of law. May we move upon you in happiness and safety, O all-supporting one. You have become great in your vast abode, mighty and swift, trembling with power; Indra guards you from harm. Shine forth for us as gold, O Earth; let no one injure us. Agni dwells within you, in plants, in the waters, in the rays of light, in men, in cows, in horses—Agni is everywhere. He burns from the sky, and through him the midspace is vast. Mortals kindle Agni, the beloved carrier of offerings. Clothed in Agni, knowing your depths, O Earth, may you not scorch us with your blazing power. Upon you, O Earth, sacrifices are offered to the gods; upon you, mortals live by their food. Grant us breath and life; do not make us decrepit. The fragrance that rises from you, which the plants and waters bear, which Gandharvas and Apsarases have shared—let that fragrance make us fragrant, and let no harm come to us. The fragrance that entered the lotus, gathered at Sūryā’s wedding; the immortal fragrance from the beginning—by that, O Earth, make us fragrant, let no one harm us. Among men and women, among all creatures, in horses, heroes, wild beasts, and elephants, even in the radiance of a maiden—let your brightness flow to us, O Earth; let no one harm us. Stone, rock, and dust—you are all these, O Earth, held together and sustained. To you, golden-bosomed Earth, I offer homage. Upon you stand the trees, the forest-lords, firmly rooted forever. We approach you in reverence, O all-supporting Earth. Whether rising, sitting, standing, or moving forward, may we not stumble upon you, O Earth, with either foot. I speak of you, wide-ranging, patient, strengthened by sacred utterance, the nourisher and provider. O Earth, rich in ghee, may we settle down upon you. Let pure waters flow over us, cleansing all that is unlovely or harmful; with this purification, O Earth, we cleanse you as well. May your eastern, northern, lower, and western quarters be pleasant for us to dwell in; may we not fall as we live upon your surface. Do not drive us away from behind or before, nor from above nor below. Be auspicious for us, O Earth; let none who block our way harm us—ward off all that is dangerous. Thus, from the chaos of battle to the peace of the earth’s embrace, the hymn moves, invoking both victory and harmony, destruction of foes and the nurturing power of the earth, celebrating her as mother, protector, and source of all that sustains life.