In reverence to the sacred directions, the sages made offerings, dedicating each to the divine guardians who preside over the quarters of the world. To the east, they invoked Agni, the lord, the black guardian, Aditya, and the arrow-bearing one, praying for protection and guidance. They entreated that what is allotted for old age should not bring decrepitude or death, but rather be set aside, so they might reach the fullness of ripeness in life. Turning to the south, they offered their homage to Indra, the lord, the crosswise ruler, Yama, and the arrow-bearing one, seeking their shelter. Again, they prayed that the portion of old age would not become a cause of decline or death, but be deferred, so they could unite with maturity. To the west, their dedication was for Varuna, the lord, the divider, the guardian of food, and the arrow-bearing one. They sought his protection, asking that the fate of old age not lead them to weakness or death, but be set aside, allowing them to reach their prime. In the north, their offerings were for Soma, the lord, the self-born guardian, and the arrow-bearing one, beseeching him to protect and watch over them, and to keep the perils of old age at bay, so that they might join with ripeness. For the fixed direction, they honored Vishnu, the lord, the dark-necked guardian, and the medicinal plants, the arrow-bearing ones, dedicating their prayers for protection and the postponement of decline, hoping to unite with fullness of life. Upwards, they offered to Brihaspati, the lord, the white guardian, and the rain-bringing arrow-bearing one, imploring the same grace: that old age would not bring decay or death, but be set aside, so they might reach the fullness of their days. Shifting from the vastness of the directions to the bounty of the earth, the sages spoke of the cow, that gentle, sacred being. When one is to partake of her, he should declare, “I give,” and thus, the cow should be given to the Brahmins who ask. In this way, she becomes fruitful, bestowing offspring and children. She is to be purchased with progeny, and cattle are to be given in her exchange. Whoever withholds the divine cow from the seers who request her is severed from the gods. The cow’s suffering is recounted: her horns are shattered by the mallet, her tail is crushed by the block, her dwellings are burned by fire, and her own is handed over by the blind. The reddish one finds her guardian from the very foundation, and so the understanding of the cow is said to be difficult to attain. From the foundation of her foot, her name ‘Viklindu’ is found. Those who sniff her with their mouths are destroyed, remaining nameless. Whoever pierces her ears is cut off among the gods, even if he thinks to make a mark, for the younger one claims what is his own. If anyone, for pleasure, harms her young, the calves die and the wolf preys upon the offspring. When the owl consumes the hair of her guardian, boys perish and disease strikes the nameless. If her dung is tasted by a slave woman, something misshapen is born; thus, sin must be avoided. The cow was born together with the gods and the Brahmins, and so she is to be given to the Brahmins, for she is said to be the guardian of one’s own. Whoever brings her from the forest, for them the cow is made by the gods. She is to be won by Brahma, it is said, by those who cherish her. But if one does not give the cow of the gods to the seers who ask, he is cut off from the gods and from the favor of the Brahmins. If a man possesses her and covets another, he injures the one who has not been given and withholds from the one who asks. The cow is a treasure placed for the Brahmins, and they seek her wherever she is born. When the Brahmins approach the cow, they seek their own, and her restraint is as if another would conquer them. Let her roam unrecognized for three years, bearing an unknown disease; O Narada, let the Brahmins recognize the cow, then she will come. Whoever declares her, the cow, as the treasure set aside for the gods, both Bhava and Sharva circle around him, aiming at him. If one does not know her udder or her teats, yet wishes to milk her, if he is able, he milks the cow with both. He who lies far from her and does not give to the one who asks, his desires are not fulfilled, even if he wishes to give after receiving. The gods requested the cow, making the Brahmin her mouth. To all of them, he gave the cry ‘heḍa’, but not to humans. He gave the cry ‘heḍa’ to the cattle, but the cow herself 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 say to her, “Thus, the cow belongs to the wise.” Whoever, not giving to the wise, gives the cow to others, upon him the earth and its deities impose difficulties. The gods requested the cow in whom she was first born; let Narada know her, for with the gods he raised her. The cow brings barrenness and scant cattle to a man, and when asked by Brahmins, she becomes not dear to him. For desire, to Agni and Soma, to Mitra and Varuna, the Brahmins ask; and among them, he prospers who gives. As long as the master of cattle does not himself hear this verse, let him wander among the cows; after hearing, he should not dwell in the house. If, having heard the verse, he still wanders among the cows, the gods, when invoked, take away his life and prosperity. The cow, roaming in many ways, is the treasure placed for the gods; she reveals her forms when the master intends to kill. She makes herself manifest at that moment, turning her thoughts to the Brahmins, seeking to be asked for. When the master forms the intention in his mind, he attains that very goddess; then indeed, the Brahmins come to her, empowered to beg. By the rite of oblation to the ancestors, by sacrifice to the gods, and by giving gifts, the Kshatriya approaches her power, and he does not incur his mother’s reproach. The cow is considered the mother of the Kshatriya, for she is born first; and it is said that what is given from her to the Brahmins is not to be withheld. Just as clarified butter is taken and offered into the ladles for Agni, so indeed the fires draw forth the cow for the Brahmins, when she is given. Thus, the cow, sacred among all creatures, is to be honored, protected, and given to those who are wise, for in her is the blessing of the gods and the prosperity of men.