As the sacred rites began, the priests invoked Agni, the divine fire, saying, “Let the one who sleeps awaken, O Agni; arise and shine forth, spreading your radiance across the wide heavens. May the Maruts, those all-knowing storm gods, yoke you and lead you with reverence to the offering.” Their voices reached even into the distance, calling upon the ruddy ones to rouse mighty Indra, and inviting the sage to move forward in friendship. For it was in ancient times that the gods themselves established the Gāyatrī, Bṛhatī, and Sāutrāmaṇī hymns for Indra’s glory. They called upon King Varuṇa to summon Agni from the depths of the waters and upon Soma to call him from the high mountains. Indra was invoked from the settlements of men, and just as a swift falcon descends, so did the priests wish to descend among the people, bearing the sacred presence. The falcon, tireless and unimpeded, was asked to carry the offering from distant fields, traversing unhindered. The Aśvins, divine horsemen, were entreated to smooth the path, so that those of the same lineage might enter the sacred space together. All peoples were called to summon Agni, friends beckoned him forth, and Indra, Agni, and all the gods were invoked to establish safety among the gathered people. Yet, the priests knew there would be those who opposed. They prayed to Indra, “Whoever is born to dispute your call, whoever stands hostile—render him powerless and bring him here, O mighty one.” Turning to the king, the assembled voices invited him, “Come, take up the kingdom with strength and brilliance. Rule as the sole lord of the people, reign supreme. Let all directions summon you, O king, and become worthy of reverence in this place.” The peoples were asked to choose him for kingship, the five divine regions to select him. “Settle on the summit of the kingdom,” they said, “and distribute wealth with a gentle hand.” As the offerings approached, led by their kin, Agni, the swift messenger, moved with them. Blessings were invoked for the king’s household, that his wife and children be of good mind, and that abundant tribute be brought before him. The Aśvins, Mitra, Varuṇa, all the gods, and the Maruts were called to summon the king first; his mind was set upon acquiring wealth, and then, in turn, distributing it among the people. “Run forth from the farthest distance,” they called, “may Heaven and Earth be auspicious for you. Thus speaks King Varuṇa, who has summoned you—come to him.” Indra, too, was asked to go forth among men, standing with the wise and with Varuṇa, called to the assembly where the gods are worshipped and the peoples arranged. Thus, the many prosperous and varied paths that converged made the king great. All were asked to unite in calling him, so that the mighty one, well-disposed, might come under his control. Then came the invocation of the leaf-jewel, powerful and radiant, sent to strike down rivals and grant strength. “May the vigor of the gods, the milk and brilliance of the plants, strengthen me unfailingly. May sovereignty dwell within me, O leaf-jewel; grant me steadfastness, so that I may become the most eminent in the assembly.” The priests recalled the jewel the gods had hidden in the sacred tree, beloved to them, and prayed that it be given to them with long life. The leaf of Soma, strong and shining, given by Indra and preserved by Varuṇa, was invoked for a hundred autumns of life. The leaf-jewel was asked to protect against harm and the attacks of enemies, granting superiority by Aryaman’s favor and by agreement. Skilled artisans—chariot-makers, smiths, and thinkers—were all to be made subject, on every side, by the power of the leaf. So, too, were kings, their appointed officials, charioteers, and leaders of villages. “You are the leaf, a protector, united with a hero, heroic with me. With the energy of the year, I bind you, O jewel.” The Aśvattha tree, offspring of the male, standing above the Khadira, was invoked to strike down all enemies—those whom one hates and those who hate in return. “O Aśvattha, cast out my foes, drive them far away, with Indra, Mitra, and Varuṇa as allies. As the Aśvattha tree is cast into the deep ocean, so may you cast down all my adversaries.” The enduring Aśvattha, moving like a bull among trees, was asked to help overcome rivals. With its strength, the snares of destruction and death would be loosened, and enemies cast down. “As your roots grow upwards, so may you strike and shatter the head of my enemy in all directions, overpowering him.” Those cast down were imagined to drift away, like a boat cut loose from its moorings, with no return for those driven away by distress. “I drive them away with mind, with thought, and with sacred utterance; with the branch of the Aśvattha, we drive them away.” Next, the swift-moving deer was invoked, upon whose head a healing remedy was placed. With its horn, the deer destroyed kṣetriya—the wasting disease—and the evil spirit. The vigorous deer, following with its four feet, bore in its horn the cure for what ailed the heart. The revealed remedy, like a four-cornered cover, was used to destroy all kṣetriya from the limbs. Those who wandered the sky as stars were invoked to release the bonds of kṣetriya, both lower and upper. The waters, ever healing and disease-removing, were called upon to free one from kṣetriya. “Whatever kṣetriya has been produced in you from any act, I know the remedy; I destroy it.” With the withdrawal of the stars and the dawns, all misfortune was asked to depart. Mitra was then invited to come with the seasons, arranging the earth with his rays, so that Varuṇa, Vāyu, and Agni might establish a great and secure domain. Dhātṛ, Rati, and Savitṛ were asked to accept the offerings, Indra and Tvaṣṭṛ to favor the prayers, and Aditi, mother of heroes, to be present among her kin as the best. Soma, the impeller, was invoked with reverence, along with the Ādityas in the north. Agni, blazing with his kin, was kindled by those who did not contradict. The herdsman, lord of nourishment, was asked to remain, not to depart elsewhere, and for all gods, filled with desire, to gather together for the fulfillment of the rites. Thus, with reverence and unity, the people, the gods, the kings, and the sacred powers were invoked, each playing their part in the harmony of the universe, blessing the land, the king, and all who sought protection and prosperity.