O Indra, mighty slayer of Vṛtra, the people who have been scattered and those who may yet be driven away—bring them back together, just as you restore a lost and broken community. As you once received the sacred utterance and established the lower realms, so now I seek to place these people under the protection of the ever-abiding ones, making them subordinate as you once did. Indra, here and now, strike down our foes at their very heart, stand over them in your strength, for I am your devoted follower. We take refuge in you, Indra; may your favor rest upon us. With reverence, we offer oblation to the sky, to the earth, and to the atmosphere—each realm honored in turn, again and again, as the sacred order demands. The sun is my sight, the wind my breath, the atmosphere my very self, and the earth my body. I am Astṛta—this is my essence, established for the protection of heaven and earth. May vigor arise within me, may strength and discernment flourish, may power well up like a living spring. May the giver of life and his consort, radiant in their own might, watch over me, the herdsman—may they dwell with me, never causing harm. You, my stone armor, shield me from the evil-doer who approaches from the east, from the south, from the west, and from the north. Protect me from every fixed direction, from above and from the regions between. In every quarter, you are my defense. With a great and focused mind, I invoke the vital breath—Mātariśvan—the inward and outward breaths. From the sun I receive sight, from the midspace hearing, from the earth this body. Speech I call forth from Sarasvatī, yoked with the mind, that all faculties may serve the sacred purpose. O mighty one, how did I speak to the Asura here? How did I address the great father, Hari, fierce and noble? Varuṇa, you gave the southern quarter to Pṛśni; again, you have healed with your mind, O bountiful one. Not by mere desire do I become generous again; I weigh whom I may approach, whom I may join. By what wisdom, O Atharvan, by what birth have you become Jātavedas, the knower of all births? Truly, I am profound through wisdom; truly, by birth I am Jātavedas. No servant, no woman has measured the greatness of the vow I uphold. None but you, Varuṇa, lord of order, is more poetic, none wiser in understanding. You know all the worlds; even your own may fear your power. You, Varuṇa, know all origins, well-guided. What lies beyond this realm? Is there anything higher? What is below, what is above, O immortal one? One region is beyond, another is below; by one, even the evil-doer is brought low. I declare this to you, Varuṇa: let the gains of the wicked be cast down, let the slaves draw near to the earth. You, Varuṇa, reveal many blameless things to the generous; let not the greedy approach your gifts. Let not people call you harsh, O lord. Nor let people call me harsh; again I give the southern quarter to the singer. May my praise, filled with power, reach all humankind. May your praises, raised high, go forth across all peoples. Grant me what you have not yet given; you are my companion of seven steps, my friend. Let our kinship, Varuṇa, be united; let our birth be shared, for I know our origins are the same. I give you what you have not yet received; you are my companion of seven steps, my friend. The god praises the god, the wise lauds the wise; the inspired Varuṇa, lord of order, begot Atharvan, the ancestral friend of the gods. Therefore, well-praised one, grant us your favor; you are our friend, our highest kin. Today, kindled in the house of man, you, O god Jātavedas, worship the gods. Bring Mitra and Varuṇa, the wise, for you are messenger and sage, conscious and aware. O Tanūnapāt, who moves along the path of truth, sweet-tongued and delighting in honey, arrange our thoughts with wisdom and kindle the sacrifice; make our ritual divine. Come, O Agni, when called and praised, with the Vasus, in harmony. You are the mighty priest of the gods; you will worship them, being invoked, most worthy of sacrifice. Let the ancient sacred grass be spread in the eastern quarter, the best place at the dawn of days, broad and spacious for the gods, for Aditi, a pleasant seat. Let the shining, wide doors be opened, like adorned wives for their lords. Let the great divine doors, all-knowing, be easy of access for the gods. Let the bringer of fortune worship; let Dawn and Night together take their seat—great heavenly maidens, splendidly adorned, radiant in beauty. The divine Hotṛ priests, eloquent and first, measure out the sacrifice for men, inspiring the skilled in the assemblies, directing the ancient light toward its proper course. May Bharati, the mighty one, come to our sacrifice, awakening among us; may the three Sarasvatīs of true inspiration sit upon this pleasant sacrificial grass. He by whom Heaven and Earth, the two mothers, shaped all the worlds with their forms—today, prompted by the Hotṛ, let us worship that god Tvaṣṭṛ here, knowing him well. O Vanaspati, with your own self, release the offerings to the gods in due order; let the divine Agni, the peacemaker, taste the oblation, sweet with honey and ghee.