O vigorous ones, let us choose and raise the most excellent among us, that he may lead and inspire. For Indra, for sacrifice, for Varuna, for the Maruts, Soma pours forth, granting us wide, open space, and with this sacred flow, desiring all the glories that men may attain, may we, O noble one, be victorious. I am the first-born of the cosmic order, older even than the gods, bearing the very name of immortality. Whoever offers me, truly attains as I do: I am the food, and I consume the eater of food. You, Soma, have been sustained among the black cows, among the red ones, and among the speckled, nourished with radiant milk. The great bull, difficult to restrain and foremost among the speckled herd, bellows as he moves through the worlds, seeking his prize. The magicians measured him by their arts, while the fathers, with human sight, received his embryo. Indra, yoked with his two steeds, mingles his might, his speech harnessed, wielding the golden thunderbolt. Indra, mighty one, protect us in our contests and in those with a thousand prizes, with your powerful aids. Vasiṣṭha took up the name of him who spreads and is spread, the Anuṣṭubh offering, the carrier of gifts, drawn from the brilliance of the supporter, from Savitar and Viṣṇu, the Rathantara. Come, O Vāyu, with your teams; I approach you, O radiant one. You will come to the house of the one who presses the Soma. When you were born, O Maghavan, for the slaying of Vṛtra, you expanded and upheld the earth and the sky. May radiance, fame, and the essence of sacrifice dwell within me; may Prajāpati, the supreme, establish these in heaven as he does the sky. May all nourishing powers and prizes unite, may strengths that conquer opposition join together. Soma, enriched for immortality, place the highest fame in heaven. You, Soma, created all these plants, the waters, and the cows. From your very body you expanded the vast atmosphere, and with your light, you drove away the darkness. I praise Agni, the priest, the god of sacrifice, the officiant, the bestower of treasures. They pondered the first name of the cows—thrice seven in number, the highest name among peoples. Those who knew them pursued after, and the reddish, famed cows appeared on earth. Some go together, others come together; the rivers all touch the same expanse. The pure, shining ones draw near the pure, shining, food-bearing waters. The auspicious young woman of the day rises from the east, her signs spread wide; the auspicious resting place appears—Night, the mother of the moving world. Now let us praise the greatness of the bull, the red one. Let our words be offered to Jātavedas in the assembly, to Vaiśvānara, to the ever-fresh one, pure as Soma when purified, beautiful for Agni. May all the gods hear my sacrifice—heaven and earth, and the son of the waters. May my words not scatter among you; may I speak in your favor, and may we rejoice at the end. May I gain fame from heaven and earth, from Indra and Bṛhaspati, from Bhaga; may fame be released for me, that I may speak in the assembly of the renowned. Now let me proclaim the heroic deeds of Indra, which he first accomplished as wielder of the thunderbolt: he slew the serpent, split open the waters, struck the mountain sides, and shattered the peaks. I am Agni by birth, the Knower of all beings; clarified butter is my sight, immortality my food. I am the threefold supporter, the sun, the traverser of the sky, the unceasing light, the offering, and the all. Agni protects the foremost step of the wise, guards the swift foot of the sun, and at the navel, Agni with seven heads preserves all. Shining Agni, when kindled, blazes forth; his tongue moves within as a spark. You, Agni, grant us wealth, nourishment, brilliance, and clear vision. Spring is here, delightful; summer follows, then the rains, autumn, winter, and the cool season—all are delightful in their turn. The Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet; having pervaded the earth on every side, he stands above it by ten fingers’ breadth. Three quarters of the Purusha rose upward; one quarter was born again here, spreading everywhere—into what eats and what does not eat. All this, whatever has been and will be, is truly the Purusha. All beings are but a quarter of him; three quarters, immortal, are in heaven. Such is his greatness—yet the Purusha is greater still, the lord of immortality, ever growing beyond by food. From him was born Virāj, and from Virāj, the Purusha. Once born, he stretched beyond, behind the earth and before it. I consider Heaven and Earth to be bountiful, boundlessly spread and joined together. Heaven and Earth, be firm for us and release us from sin. O Indra, your beards are tawny, and your steeds are tawny. The poets, men, and singers praise you, O tawny one. Whatever radiance is in gold, in cows, or in truth and sacred utterance, may we be united with that radiance. With that strength, O Indra, grant us power; you are lord of this great might, all-seeing. Grant us wisdom, manliness, enduring strength; in battle, make us slayers of foes. With strong bulls and strong calves, rise up, bearing all forms, O two divine cows. May this wide, broad world be yours; these waters, well-guarded, are here for you. O Agni, purify our lives; bestow quick strength and food upon us, and drive far away all evil-mindedness. Let the radiant one drink the great Soma, bearing life and delight for the lord of sacrifice. He, driven by wind, protects by his own power, nourishes the offspring, and shines in many ways. A wondrous form of the gods has arisen—the eye of Mitra, Varuna, and Agni. It has filled heaven, earth, and the midspace; the sun is the soul of all that moves and stands. This spotted cow has stepped forth; she settled before her mother and approached her father, longing for the dawn.