May the waters that descend from the Himalayas bring you well-being. May the waters that rest in the tranquil lakes also bring you well-being. May the waters that quietly settle, and those that fall from the rains, grant you well-being. Let the waters that arise from the deserts, and those that flow through the marshes, bring you well-being. The waters that are drawn up by digging, and those carried carefully in jars—may they too bestow well-being upon you. There are deep, cloudless waters, profound and potent when drawn forth. Among all healers, these waters are the most healing, and so we invoke them with reverence. We have drunk of celestial waters, tasted the flowing streams, and shared in their gathering. May the strength and swiftness of noble horses now be yours. These waters are auspicious; they remove disease and bring satisfaction. As fulfillment comes, may these waters grant us healing remedies. From the vastness of heaven and earth, from the space in between, from the trees and the sacred herbs—wherever the bearer of the sacred fire, Agni, is praised and welcomed—may all that is holy come to us. Agni, your greatness is present in the waters, in the forests, in the herbs, in the animals, and in the very waters within us. Gather all these forms of your abundance and come to us, O generous giver of wealth. Among the gods, your greatness is heavenly, O Agni; your form dwells among the ancestors. The prosperity you spread among humankind—grant us a share of that wealth. To the wise, the learned, and the attentive, I approach with words of favor. Where there is fear, let safety arise; worship the gods, Agni, and avert all harm. Let us remember the very first offering made by Atharvan, that which was born at the dawn, prepared by the sacred fire-bearer. I invoke this first offering, so that Agni, inspired by these words, may carry it to himself. Svaha. I place before me the divine impulse—auspicious, gracious, the mother of thought. May she be favorable to us. The impulse I desire, may it be mine; let it enter my mind as I wish. By this impulse, O Brihaspati, come near and grant us a share of fortune; be gracious to us. May Brihaspati, descendant of Angiras, acknowledge this speech of mine. He whose divinities became the gods—may well-guided desires follow us. Indra is king over all moving peoples, over the manifold earth. He gives wealth to the worshipper, and when praised, brings it near, even from afar. The Person—the Purusha—has a thousand arms, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. Encompassing the earth on every side, he extends beyond it by ten fingers’ breadth. With three steps he ascended to the sky; with the fourth, he remained here again. Thus he spread everywhere—among what eats and what does not eat. Such are his greatnesses, yet the Person is greater still. One fourth of him is all beings; three fourths are immortal in heaven. This Person is all that has been and will be; he is the lord of immortality, and all that grows with him. When they divided the Person, into how many parts did they apportion him? His mouth became the Brāhmaṇa, his arms became the Rājanya, his thighs became the Vaiśya, and from his feet the Śūdra was born. From his mind, the moon arose; from his eye, the sun. From his mouth came Indra and Agni, from his breath, Vāyu. From his navel arose the midspace, from his head the sky, from his feet the earth, and from his ears the directions—the worlds thus arranged. In the beginning, Virāj was born; from Virāj, the Person. Once born, he spread beyond the earth, both behind and before. When the gods performed sacrifice with the Person as the offering, spring was the clarified butter, summer the fuel, autumn the oblation. They anointed the sacrifice—the first-born Person—with the rains; with it, the gods, the Sādhyas, and the Vasus sacrificed. From that fully-offered sacrifice, horses were born, and all creatures with two rows of teeth. Cows, goats, and sheep were born from it. From that sacrifice, the Ṛc and Sāman hymns were born; the meters and the Yajus emerged as well. From the gathered butter of that sacrifice, he created the animals—of the air, of the forest, and of the village. Seven were the enclosing logs, three times seven the kindling sticks, as the gods, performing the sacrifice, bound the Person as the sacrificial animal. From the head of the great god, king Soma, seventy-seven portions were born after the Person was created. Together with the shining lights in the sky, and the swift creatures that move upon the earth, I seek excellent understanding. I honor the heavenly realm, O Turmisha, with words of praise. May Agni, easy to invoke, and the Krittikas, Rohini, the auspicious Mrigashirsha, and Ardra bring me well-being. May Punarvasu, sweet-spoken, lovely Pushya, radiant Ashlesha, the solstice, and Magha be favorable to me. May the auspicious Purva and Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, and Swati bring me comfort. May Radha, Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshtha, the fortunate star, and unfailing Mula be favorable. May Purva Ashadha grant me food, may divine Uttara Ashadha bring me strength. May Abhijit grant me merit, and may Shravana and Shravishtha bestow abundant nourishment. May great and excellent Shatabhishak come to me; may both Proshthapadas bring good fortune. May Revati and Ashvayuja bring prosperity, and Bharani bring wealth. Whatever constellations are in the sky, in the midspace, in the waters, on earth, on the mountains, and in the directions—those which the Moon arranges and moves among—may all these be auspicious for me. May the twenty-eight auspicious and beneficent stars unite with me in harmony. I seek union and well-being, well-being and union; homage to day and night. May I have well-being in the morning and evening, throughout the day, with good fortune and favorable omens. O Agni, easy to invoke, bring us well-being, and after going forth, return to us with joy. May all ill-will, slander, blame, and censure be driven away. O Savitar, remove from me all empty vessels. May we consume what is pure and auspicious, free from evil and blame. May your nose, O auspicious one, be free from evil, and may all that is virtuous flow toward me.