I have reached the highest bundle, a supreme attainment from another world, and with reverence I pour out the clarified butter and anoint with ghee, marking this as the honored share of the Angirases among us. For the sake of truth and ascetic fervor, I dedicate this treasure—this good deposit—to the deities. May it never be lost through gambling or conflict, nor cast away by us at any time. I prepare and offer this, for the deed is mine; the wife is born for compassion, and from their union arises the youthful world, the son. May both parents support him and help him advance in years. In this sacred place, there is neither sin nor deficiency; nothing here is measured with friends, and the vessel that is set is never lacking. What is cooked is not reclaimed by the cook. Let us bring together the beloved for the beloved, and allow those who bear hatred to depart as they wish. May the cow, free from tether and with her calf beside her, drive away death from this noble one. The fires recognize one another, just as those who care for the plants and rivers do. All the gods who shine in the sky—golden and radiant—have been honored in this offering. This sacredness becomes the very skin of men, of all animals, and even others untouched by fire. With the dignity of kingship, let one clothe oneself in this garment, making it the very face of joy. Whatever is spoken in dice or in conflict, or whatever falsehood is uttered for gain—let all impurity from these dwell together and be settled on a single thread. Endure the rain, enter even into the water; you cause the gods’ skin, the smoke, to rise. You will spread everywhere, supported by ghee, and having found a good seat, you will journey to this world. Heaven has fashioned the body in manifold ways, with many colors. By purifying the black and making it bright again, whatever is red is offered to Agni. To the eastern direction, to Agni the lord, to the black guardian, to Aditya, and to the arrow-bearing one, we dedicate this. May he protect and guard us, and may what is allotted for old age not bring decrepitude or death, but be set aside so that we may unite with ripeness. To the south, to Indra the lord, the crosswise ruler, Yama, and the arrow-bearing one, we dedicate this with the same prayer for protection and fulfillment. To the west, to Varuna the lord, the divider, the guardian of food, and the arrow-bearing one, we offer this, seeking his guardianship and the postponement of decline. To the north, to Soma the lord, the self-born guardian, and the arrow-bearing one, we dedicate this, asking for protection and the fullness of life. To the fixed direction, to Vishnu the lord, the dark-necked guardian, the medicinal plants, and the arrow-bearing ones, we dedicate this, praying for his protection and the gift of ripeness. To the upward direction, to Brihaspati the lord, the white guardian, and the rain-bringing arrow-bearing one, we dedicate this, seeking his guardianship and the blessing of a ripe old age. When it comes to the cow, let the giver declare, “I give,” and thus partake of her. The cow is to be given to the Brahmins who ask, for by this act she becomes fruitful in offspring and children. She is purchased with the promise of progeny, and cattle are also given. Whoever withholds the divine cow from the seers who request her is severed from the gods. Her horns are shattered by the mallet, her tail is crushed by the block, her dwellings are burned by fire, and her own is given by the blind. The reddish one finds her guardian from her foundation, for the understanding of the cow is not easily attained. From the foundation of her foot comes the name “Viklindu.” Those who sniff her with their mouths are destroyed, nameless. Whoever pierces her ears is cut off from the gods, even if he thinks to mark her, for the younger one claims his own. If anyone, for enjoyment, slaughters her young, then the calves perish and the wolf destroys the offspring. If the owl eats the hair of her guardian, then boys die and disease strikes the nameless. If her dung is tasted by a slave woman, something misshapen is born; thus, one should avoid sin. The cow was born together with the gods and the Brahmins, and so she is to be given to the Brahmins, for she is called the guardian of one’s own. Whoever brings her from the forest, for them the cow is fashioned by the gods. She is to be won by Brahma, for whoever makes her dear is blessed. But whoever withholds the divine cow from the seers who ask, he is cut off from the gods and the favor of the Brahmins. Whoever possesses her and desires another wrongs the one who was not given and withholds from the one who asks. The cow is set apart as a treasure for the Brahmins, and they seek her wherever she is born. When the Brahmins approach the cow, they seek their own, as if another would conquer them—that is her restraint. Let her move unrecognized for three years, bearing an unknown disease; then, O Narada, let the Brahmins know the cow, and she will come forth. Whoever declares the cow as the treasure set aside for the gods, both Bhava and Sharva circle around him, watching. If one does not know her udder or teats but wishes to milk her, he may succeed, but only if able. He who stays far from her and does not give to those who ask will find his desires unfulfilled, even if he wishes to give after receiving. The gods once requested the cow, making the Brahmin her mouth; to all, they gave the cry “heḍa,” but not to humans. They gave this cry to the cattle, but the cow herself was given to the Brahmins. If a mortal takes for himself what is meant for the gods, he is not beloved. If other Brahmins ask for a hundred cows from the master of cattle, the gods declare that the cow thus belongs to the wise. Whoever, not giving to the wise, gives the cow to others, upon him the earth and its deities bring difficulties. The gods requested the cow from the one in whom she was first born; let Narada know her, for together with the gods he raised her.