You are the leaf, a guardian and protector of the body, joined with a hero and heroic alongside me. With the vital force of the year itself, I bind you, O precious jewel, to serve as a shield and companion. High above stands the Aśvattha tree, the offspring of a noble line, rising above the Khadira. May this sacred tree’s power strike down those who are my enemies—those whom I hate and those who hate me. O Aśvattha, cast out these adversaries, drive them far away, aided by mighty Indra, slayer of Vṛtra, and accompanied by Mitra and Varuṇa. Just as the Aśvattha tree, once felled, is cast into the deep, boundless ocean, so may you cast down all those whom I hate and those who hate me. You, O Aśvattha, who endure and move like a strong bull among the steadfast, by your might may we overcome our rivals. With your strength, may all destruction and the snares of death be loosened; O Aśvattha, bring down my enemies, those whom I hate and those who hate me. As you cause your roots to grow upward, so too strike and shatter, in every direction, the heads of my enemies and overpower them. Let those who are cast down drift away like a boat cut loose from its moorings; for those driven away by distress, there is no return. I drive them away with my mind, with my thought, and with sacred utterance; with the branch of the Aśvattha tree, we send them far from us. Upon the swift-moving deer's head lies a remedy; with its horn, it has destroyed kṣetriya—wasting disease and the evil spirit. The vigorous deer follows you with all four feet, and in its horn is the cure for the kṣetriya lodged in the heart. That which is revealed, like a four-cornered cover, by that we destroy all kṣetriya from your limbs. Those who dwell in the sky, O blessed one, wandering as stars by name, may they release the upper and lower bonds of kṣetriya from you. Waters are truly healing, waters remove disease, waters are the remedy for all; may they free you from kṣetriya. Whatever kṣetriya has arisen in you from being struck, I know the remedy for it; I destroy the kṣetriya within you. As the stars withdraw, as the dawns recede, may all misfortune depart from us, may the kṣetriya be removed. Let Mitra arrive with the seasons, arranging the earth with his rays; then may Varuṇa, Vāyu, and Agni establish for us a great and secure domain. May Dhātṛ, Rati, and Savitṛ accept our offerings; may Indra and Tvaṣṭṛ favor my words. I call upon the goddess Aditi, mother of heroes, to dwell among her kin as the best. I invoke Soma, the impeller, with reverence, and all the Ādityas in the north. This Agni, kindled by those who never contradict, has long blazed forth among his kin. Here you should stay, do not go elsewhere—the herdsman, lord of nourishment, has come; for his desire, let all you gods, full of longing, assemble here. May your minds, your vows, your intentions be united; I bow to you. Those of you who are divided, I bring together. With my mind, I take hold of your minds; my thought follows your thoughts. I draw your hearts to mine, let your paths follow my own. Heaven is the father, earth is the mother of the ploughshare and its share; as the gods have joined them, so, O waters, join them again. Those who could not bear were supported, as Manu once did; I make the barren branch fruitful, like the udder of cows. With a tawny thread, they bind the khṛgala; let the skilled ones make firm the shravasyu, the shushma, the kābava, and the vadhri. By these, the shravasyus move, as gods with the illusion of asuras; the bandhurā and kābava are like a monkey, a defiler. For harm, I revile you, I defile the kābava; like chariots without horses, you will go forth with curses. A hundred viṣkandhas are spread over the earth; among them, you are lifted up in front, the jewel, the defiler of viṣkandha. She was the first to awaken, she became the cow of Yama; may she, rich in milk, yield for us the highest, utmost abundance. The gods delight in her, as night approaches like a cow; she, the wife of the year, may she bring us good fortune. You, whom we worship as the counterpart of the year, as night, grant us offspring with long life, unite us with wealth and nourishment. This is she who first moves among the dawns, entering them; great powers dwell within her, the bride has conquered, the mother of nine offspring. The stones of the forest, making sound, prepare the offering for the year; on the eighth night, may we be lords of wealth, blessed with good offspring and strong sons. To the abode of Iḍā, rich in ghee, Jātavedas, accept the offerings; among the seven diverse domestic animals, may their delight be in me. In nourishment and increase, O night, may we find favor with the gods; leap forth from the full ladle, leap forth again from the well-filled one; having enjoyed all the sacrifices, bring us food and strength. This year has come, the lord in the eighth night for you; grant us offspring with long life, unite us with wealth and nourishment. I worship the seasons, their lords, the seasonal periods, and the years; I worship the months and the years for the lord of beings. To the seasons, the seasonal periods, the months, and the years; to the supporter, the arranger, the prosperous, I offer worship for the lord of beings. With Iḍā, offering with ghee, we worship the gods; may we enter homes without greed, into those rich in cattle. The eighth night, heated by austerity, produced the great embryo, Indra; with him, the gods overcame their enemies, and he became the slayer of the Dasyus, the lord of power.