With reverence and surrender, one approaches the sacred abode of Indra, the all-encompassing, all-man, all-soul, all-bodied. Entering this divine house, one brings all that is theirs, seeking refuge and union with Indra’s presence. This house is not merely a dwelling, but Indra’s protection, his armor, his shield against all harm. In dedicating oneself and entering fully, one becomes joined to Indra—whole, complete, all-person, all-self, all-bodied—carrying everything one owns into the embrace of the divine. Turning to the challenges of life, the devotee prays: “Bring us forward, O divine powers, do not leave us behind in hostility. Keep us on the righteous path; let prosperity and success be ours, and let enmity be absent from our lives.” With humility, one bows to the very forces of enmity, to those who bind and threaten, pleading that destruction and distress may not befall them. The devotee seeks protection from the destruction wrought by gods, both day and night, yearning to pass beyond enmity and offering homage to its absence. Calling upon Sarasvatī, Anumati, and Bhaga, one prays to speak favored, sweet, and pleasing words in the invocations to the gods. With speech and mind yoked to Sarasvatī, the devotee seeks out others, hoping that faith, granted by tawny Soma, may be found and shared. May neither destruction nor speech be taken away; Indra and Agni are invoked to bring wealth and turn away enmity from all who wish to give. The devotee addresses the unsuccessful one, pushing enmity far away, recognizing its blinking and striking nature. Even naked, enmity joins with people in dreams, shaping their minds and intentions toward failure. To the great, proud Nirṛti, who shatters hopes and bears golden hair, homage is offered. To the golden-hued, fortunate, vast, golden-robed, yet hostile one, reverence is given, acknowledging the power and presence of adversity. With the sacred Vaikaṅkata fuel, the offering is carried to the gods. Agni is invited to delight in it, and all are called to the invocation. Indra is summoned, the devotee pledges to perform the ritual, asking that Indra-like helpers bow down their intention and help achieve strength, preserving their bodies. If any godless one seeks to join the gods, let Agni not carry their offering, nor the gods accept their invocation—let the offering belong solely to the devotee. Indra-like helpers are urged to run ahead, strike with Indra’s command, break the ram like a wolf, but let him live, even if bound. Whoever has been set up as priest for the removal of evil, may Indra place him beneath, casting him down to death. If, in ancient times, the gods made prayers and armor for themselves, creating protection for body and life, let all that be rendered flavorless for the adversary. Indra, slayer of Vṛtra, is implored to bring back those he has driven away, restoring scattered people. As Indra made the lower place after obtaining the utterance, so the devotee makes these people subordinate to the ever-abiding ones. Indra is called to strike fiercely at the vital spot of adversaries, to stand over them, for the devotee is his follower, seeking to hold and remain in Indra’s favor. Oblations are offered to the sky, to the earth, and to the atmosphere—again and again, honoring each realm. The sun is claimed as the sight, the wind as the breath, the atmosphere as the self, and the earth as the body. The devotee identifies as Astṛta, established for the protection of heaven and earth. May vigor, strength, discernment, and power rise. May the giver of life and his consort, endowed with their own power, protect the herdsman, dwelling with him and causing no harm. Stone armor is invoked against evil-doers attacking from every direction: east, south, west, north, fixed, upward, and the intermediate regions. With this armor, the devotee is shielded on all sides. With a great mind, the breath of life, Mātariśvan, is invoked—both inward and outward breaths. The eye is drawn from the sun, hearing from the midspace, the body from the earth. Speech is called from Sarasvatī, yoked with the mind, completing the invocation. Finally, the devotee asks: “How, O mighty one, did I speak to the Asura here? How did I address the father, to Hari of fierce and noble strength? Varuṇa, you granted the southern quarter to Pṛśni; again, O bountiful one, you have healed with your mind.” Thus, the story concludes with the devotee’s deep engagement with the gods, seeking protection, favor, and the absence of enmity, while offering devotion and invoking the powers that sustain the cosmos.