In the beginning, from the intense heat of Agni, the Unborn One came into existence. This wondrous being, upon his birth, beheld his own progenitor, Agni, at the very dawn of creation. With the Unborn One, the gods first attained their divine power, and together with him, the pure and righteous among them grew in strength. Now, journeying with Agni, the path is opened toward the highest heaven. Those who bear the leaders in their hands are called to ascend, to touch the very summit of heaven itself, and to proceed onward in the company of the gods. From the surface of the earth, the ascent leads to the midspace, and from there to heaven. From the highest point of heaven, one reaches the radiant world beyond. Those who seek the heavenly realms do not turn back; they ascend, traversing both earth and heaven. These wise ones, who have spread the all-sustaining sacrifice, rise upward, their hearts set on the divine. Agni, foremost among the gods and the eye of both gods and men, leads the way. Those who worship, united with the ancient Bhrigus, are granted the blessing to attain heaven; may the sacrificers prosper. The Unborn One is nourished with milk and ghee, the divine, great-winged, and abundant sustenance. With this sacred nourishment, the path is made clear to the world of the righteous, ascending ever higher to the supreme heaven. The ritual unfolds: the fivefold rice is lifted with five fingers and with the ladle; the head of the Unborn is placed facing east, the right side toward the south. The ashes are set in the west, the left side in the north, the back upward, the foundation in the fixed direction, and the middle at the very center of the midspace. The cooked Unborn, anointed with clarified butter and wrapped in skin, complete in all limbs and forms, is prepared to rise to the highest heaven, to stand firm in all four directions. As the sacrifice is completed, the regions of the sky arise, and the cloud-bearing winds are set in motion. The mighty, roaring waters, born from the clouds, descend to satisfy the earth. The powerful and generous ones look with favor, the juices of the waters unite with the plants, and the showers of rain cause the earth to flourish, bringing forth plants of every form. The singer—Agni—looks favorably upon the heavens, and the swift currents of the waters rise up separately. The Maruts, the hosts of the storm gods, sing forth, their thunder resounding with rain, each in their own way. The streams of rain pour down, making the earth great and fruitful. The Maruts raise the waters from the ocean, the mighty sun ascends the sky, and the bellowing of the great bull drives the waters to satisfy the land. Thunder echoes, shaking both ocean and earth, and the rain, created by these divine powers, comes in abundance, nourishing both the lean and the stout in its proper season. The generous ones—wells and deep pools—offer their protection, and the clouds, driven by the Maruts, rain upon the earth. Hope shines forth; the winds blow from every direction, and the clouds gather and unite over the world. Waters, lightning, clouds, and rain all offer their protection. The generous ones, the wells, and the deep pools, together with the clouds, fill the earth. Agni, united with the waters and lord of the plants, is invoked as Jātavedas, the knower of all births, to grant rain, breath, and immortality for the offspring from the sky. Prajāpati, the lord of creatures, stirs the waters from the ocean, causing the seed of the mighty stallion to swell forth. The thunderer brings rain with this seed. The Asura, our divine father, pours down the waters; the deep pools breathe; Varuṇa and the waters release their streams, and the croaking frogs begin to speak on the dry land. For a year, the Brahmins, keeping their vows, have remained silent, but now, enlivened by the rain, the frogs break their silence and speak. The frogs call for rain, swimming in the ponds with their four legs outstretched. Khaṇvakhā and Khaimakhā, together with Tādurī, call for rain and seek the favor of the Maruts. The great vessel is poured out, the wind blows with lightning, offerings are made in many ways, and the herbs rejoice, refreshed by water. Yet, above all, the great overseer sees all, as if from nearby. No one is hidden from the gods; whoever stands, moves, deceives, or journeys, even when two sit together and plot in secret, King Varuṇa, the third, knows it all. The earth and the vast sky belong to Varuṇa, and the oceans are his wombs; even one hidden in a small pool is within his domain. No one who crosses beyond the sky can escape King Varuṇa. His thousand-eyed spies move about, watching all the earth. Varuṇa sees everything between heaven and earth and beyond; he even counts the blinking of people, just as a gambler counts his dice. O Varuṇa, your nooses, seven by seven, set in threefold ways, are fiercely arrayed. Let them cut off the one who speaks falsehood, but let the one who speaks truth go free. With a hundred nooses, Varuṇa, bind the liar and the wrongdoer, so they do not escape you. Let the evildoer remain, empty and collapsed, like a bag cut open and emptied. Whoever among us, or others, is to be sent or kept away, divine or human—Varuṇa, with all your nooses, bind them as is just. All are assigned to you, O Lord. Turning to healing, the sacred herbs are invoked: "We take hold of you, ruler of remedies, for deliverance. O herb, with a thousandfold power, I apply you for all healing." Victorious by truth, bearing oaths, enduring and ever-returning, may all the assembled herbs call out and carry us across suffering. Let the one who cursed, who brought harm and madness, who was born to steal the sap, let her eat her own offspring. The witchcraft made in raw vessels, in blue and red, in raw flesh—let that witchcraft destroy its own maker. Evil dreams, misfortune, demons, ruin, all ill-named and evil words—these are driven away. Hunger, thirst, childlessness, lack of cattle—all these are wiped away by Apāmārga, the cleansing herb. Thus, through sacrifice, ascent, rain, justice, and healing, the divine order is maintained, and the blessings of heaven and earth are bestowed upon those who seek the righteous path.