The descendants of Bharadvāja gathered in reverence, honoring the divine with their thoughts and hymns. The Hotars, the Vasus, and the invincible ones—praised by all—became worthy of worship, their presence radiant and holy. As dawn broke, the great, unfailing eye of Mitra and Varuṇa rose, beloved of Varuṇa, pure and shining, its beauty dazzling like a golden ornament blazing forth from the sky. The wise one, who knows the three assemblies of these gods and is born again and again, sees straight among mortals and also perceives the crooked; the sun, like Aryaman, surveys all. In devotion, the worshiper praised the great guardians of truth: Aditi, Mitra, Varuṇa, nobly born; Aryaman and Bhaga, whose thoughts never waver. He spoke forth to these radiant ones, who bring prosperity. He honored the destroyers of falsehood, true lords, unwavering and generous donors of the great king, youthful and strong rulers of the sky. With reverence, he approached Aditi. Heaven, our father, and Earth, our steadfast mother; Agni, our brother, and the Vasus—he called upon them to be gracious. All the Ādityas, together with Aditi, were asked to grant wide protection. “Let not the wolf or she-wolf harm us,” he prayed, “nor let the worshipful ones bring us to misfortune. You are our charioteers, guardians of our bodies, upholders of wise speech.” He pleaded that neither he nor his people suffer for another’s offense, nor for any deed the Vasus may have done. For the gods rule over all, and he asked that the enemy not harm his own person. With heartfelt devotion, he proclaimed homage to the mighty—those who uphold earth and sky, to the gods and their lord. Even for any offense committed, he sought forgiveness with his homage. To the charioteers of truth, pure in wisdom and unwavering, dwelling in the home of truth, he bowed with reverence. To all the far-seeing, great, worshipful men, he offered homage. For these gods, of highest splendor, lead the people across all difficulties: Varuṇa, Mitra, Agni—possessing strong rule, true in thought, kings by right, steadfast in truth. He invoked Indra, Earth, the nourishing land, Pūṣan, Bhaga, Aditi, and the five peoples—may they, possessing good protection and self-sustaining, be strong defenders and good guardians. As priest, Bharadvāja sought the divine abode and attained the favor of the gods. Seated, the worshiper prospered; the one desiring the wealth of the gods offered praise. He prayed to Agni to drive away the sinner, the foe, the thief—the one who brings distress—and to make the path easy for the good. The pressing stones, he told Soma, longed for friendship; he called upon Soma to strike down the greedy Paṇi, for such a one is like a wolf. He invoked the generous, powerful, victorious guardians—like Indra—to make the paths easy, O guardians of the home. He wished for a path that leads to well-being, free from harm, by which one casts away all enemies and finds wealth. He declared that neither by day nor by earth, nor by sacrifice or sacred grass, could one reach that ultimate goal; let the mighty mountains help him, and let the worshiper of excessive sacrifice be brought low. Whoever, O Maruts, thinks himself beyond the worshipers or seeks to obstruct prayer—let hardships and misfortunes befall him; let the sky itself burn against the hater of prayer. He asked Soma, protector of prayer, if he would act as guardian against curses, and if Soma saw them being reviled, to aim his scorching weapon at the hater of prayer. He wished for protection from those who are being born, from the swelling rivers, from the steadfast mountains, and from the ancestral fathers honored by the gods. He prayed that they always be of good mind and see the sun rising, so that the lord of treasures, best of helpers, would come to them with the gods’ favor. He invoked Indra for the nearest help, Sarasvati swelling with rivers, Parjanya bringing joy with plants, and Agni, well-praised and easily invoked, like a father. He called all gods to listen to his invocation, to be seated on the sacred grass. Whoever among the gods is honored with an offering rich in ghee, all should approach him together. He wished the divine sons, immortal, to hear their songs and be gracious. He praised all gods, grown strong through truth, who hear invocations at the right times, and wished they enjoy the fitting offering. He invoked Indra, the host of Maruts, Tvashtar, Mitra, and Aryaman to accept their offerings. Agni, as Hotar, was asked to perform the sacrifice skillfully, understanding the divine race. He called all gods—those in the midspace, those nearest in heaven, those with tongues of fire or worthy of sacrifice—to be seated on the sacred grass and rejoice. He prayed that all worshipful gods, heaven and earth, offspring of the waters, listen to his hymn, and that he not speak words that are scattered, but find fulfillment in their favor. He invoked gods of great might, whether born of earth or sky, dwelling in the abode of waters, to grant life and light and open wide the paths. He called Agni and Parjanya to support his prayer, to be easily invoked and well-praised. He wished one to generate nourishment, the other offspring, granting abundant, life-giving riches. On the spread sacred grass, with Agni kindled, he called with a hymn and great reverence. In that assembly, he invited the worshipful gods to rejoice in the offering. Turning to Pūṣan, Lord of the Path, he harnessed him to their thoughts, like a chariot for winning prizes. He asked Pūṣan, noble and generous, to lead to them the heroic, skillful, and gracious master of the house. He appealed to compassionate Pūṣan, even if the master was not generous, to urge him to give, to turn the mind of the miser toward liberality. He prayed for the paths to be cleared for gaining strength, for foes to be scattered and struck down, and for their strong thoughts to succeed. He asked the wise Pūṣan to surround the misers with confusion, using his power, and then make them yield. Finally, he implored Pūṣan to strike the miser with his power, seek out what is dear in his heart, and make him yield to them. Thus, with devotion and prayer, the worshiper sought the favor and protection of the gods, invoking their power, wisdom, and generosity, and offering homage and praise to all who uphold truth and prosperity.