The ritual began with meticulous preparation of the sacred site. First, a yoni, the altar’s heart, was fashioned to be a span in length and six or seven fingers wide, while trenches were dug around it, each a hand’s breadth, and three raised earthen girdles were formed. Every element of the structure was made uniform in color, and the entire area was adorned with vibrant flags and banners. The framework was constructed using branches from the ashvattha, udumbara, plaksha, and banyan trees, imbuing the space with sanctity. Entrances were created on every side of the pavilion, and at each, eight auspicious priests and eight doorkeepers were stationed. To ensure the proper recitation of mantras, eight Brahmins—well-versed in the Vedas, marked by auspicious signs, disciplined in their senses, and skilled in mantras—were appointed as reciters. The officiants were chosen with great care: only twice-born men of noble lineage and conduct were selected. Around the trenches, water pots and sacrificial implements were placed, all arranged with precision. A clean seat, a fan, and a broad copper vessel were set out, and offerings were prepared for each of the deities to be worshipped. The wise teacher, after due consultation, placed the sacrificial post on the ground; it was to be a cubit in height and crafted from a milky tree, or, for one who desired prosperity, made according to the sacrificer’s own measure. Twenty-five officiating priests, adorned with golden ornaments, were appointed to carry out the rites. Gifts of golden earrings, armlets, bracelets, rings, and various garments were distributed equally to all priests, while the teacher received double, along with whatever pleased the sacrificer, including a bed and a parasol. Symbolic items were also gathered: a golden tortoise and crocodile, a silver fish and drum, as well as a copper pot, frog, crow, and porpoise. Once all these preparations were complete, the sacrificer, adorned in white garlands and garments and anointed with white sandal paste, was bathed in medicinal waters by Veda-knowing priests. Together with his wife, sons, and grandsons, he approached the western entrance and entered the sacrificial pavilion. Auspicious sounds and the deep resonance of drums filled the air, marking the sanctity of the occasion. Within the pavilion, a skilled ritualist created a mandala with colored powders of five hues, depicting a sixteen-spoked wheel with a lotus at its center, featuring four faces. Around this, a square was drawn, enclosing a beautiful circle at its heart. Above the altar, images of the planetary deities and the guardians of the worlds were placed. Each deity was installed in its proper direction with the recitation of sacred mantras, and in the very center, a consecrated water pot was set, blessed with the Varuna mantra. In that central space, the learned installed the images of Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, Vinayaka, Kamala, and Ambika. For the peace of all worlds, the host of beings was invoked and worshipped with offerings of flowers, food, and fruit, thus completing the consecration of the altar. Jewel-filled pots were wrapped in cloth, and all the doorkeepers were adorned with flowers and fragrant substances. The sacrificer then addressed the assembled priests: “Perform the sacrifice,” he said, and honored the teacher. The Rig Veda chanters were seated in the east, the Yajur Veda chanters in the south, the Sama Veda chanters in the west, and the Atharva Veda chanters in the north. The sacrificer himself sat facing north, to the south of the altar. Once more, he commanded the officiants to perform the sacrifice, and instructed the reciters to remain standing, invoking the supreme mantra. With everyone thus instructed, the master of mantras kindled the sacred fire, offering ghee and wood with the proper mantras. The priests, including those dedicated to Varuna, offered oblations in all directions. They made offerings to the planets, to Indra and Ishvara, to the Maruts, the guardians of the worlds, and to Vishvakarma, accompanied by the Shanti hymn, the Rudra hymn, the Pavaman hymn, and other auspicious hymns. Each group of Vedic chanters performed their prescribed recitations. The Rig Veda priest in the east recited the Purusha hymn, as well as the Shakra, Rudra, Soma, Kaushmanda, and Jatavedas hymns. The Yajur Veda chanters in the south recited the Solar hymn, the Viraja, Purusha hymn, Suparna, and Rudra Samhita. The Sama Veda chanters sang the Shaishava, Panchanidhana, Gayatra, Jyestha Sama, Vamadeva, Brihat Sama, Raurava, and Rathantara hymns, as well as the vows of cows, the Vikīrna, Rakshoghna, and Yama hymns at the western entrance. The Atharva Veda chanters in the north mentally recited the Shanti and Pushti hymns, taking refuge in Varuna, the Lord. The installation ceremony was performed at dawn and dusk. From various auspicious places—the meeting grounds of elephants, horses, chariots, anthills, and the cow settlement—earth was collected and placed in pots, together with medicinal herbs, rocanā, siddhārtha, fragrant substances, and guggulu. The sacrificer was then bathed with the five products of the cow, using great mantras as prescribed. After spending the night in ritual observance, at dawn, when purity was restored, gifts of cows were distributed to the Brahmins—one hundred, or sixty-eight, or fifty, or thirty-six, or twenty-five, as appropriate. At the proper, auspicious moment, accompanied by Vedic chants, Gandharva songs, and the music of various instruments, a cow adorned with gold was led into the water and presented to the Sama Veda chanter and to the Brahmin. A golden vessel, adorned with five gems, was prepared and filled with water from a great river, along with all kinds of aquatic creatures—crocodiles, fish, and more. Four Brahmins, accomplished in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas, held this vessel, which was further decorated with curds and unbroken grains, thus bringing the sacred rites to their fulfillment.