When you, O Maghavan—Indra—were born for the destruction of Vṛtra, the mighty foe, you expanded the earth and upheld it, and you supported the vast sky above. In those moments of cosmic battle, the world itself was made firm by your power. May radiance, fame, and the very essence of sacrifice dwell within me, just as Prajāpati, the supreme creator, establishes them in heaven as surely as he establishes the sky. May all nourishing powers come together, may the prizes and strengths that overcome all opposition unite. Soma, enriched for immortality, place the highest fame in heaven. O Soma, you created all these plants, the nourishing waters, and the cows that sustain life. From your own being, you spread the broad atmosphere, and with your light you drove away the darkness. I praise Agni, the divine priest and god of sacrifice, the sacred officiant who bestows treasures upon us. In ancient times, the wise sought out the first and highest names of the cows—thrice seven in number—the highest name among peoples. Those who knew these followed after, and the famous, reddish cows appeared upon the earth. Some go together, others come together; the rivers all touch the same expanse. The pure, shining ones approach the pure, shining, food-bearing waters. The auspicious young woman of the day arose from the east, her signs spreading, and the auspicious resting place appeared—the Night that embraces all moving things. Let us now praise the greatness of the bull, the red one; let our words reach Jātavedas in the assembly, to Vaiśvānara, the ever-fresh-minded 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 be scattered among you; may I speak them in your favor, and may we rejoice together at the end. May fame be mine from heaven and earth, from Indra and Bṛhaspati, from Bhaga; may fame be released for me. May I be the speaker in the assembly of the famous ones. Now I proclaim the heroic deeds of Indra, which he first accomplished as the 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 vision, 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; he guards the swift foot of the sun; at the navel of the world, Agni with seven heads preserves all. When kindled, Agni blazes forth, his tongue moving within like a spark. O Agni, grant us wealth with nourishment, brilliance, and vision. All the seasons are delightful: spring, summer, the rains, then autumn, winter, and the cool season—each brings its own joy. The Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet; pervading 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 that has been and will be is truly the Purusha; all beings are but a quarter of him, while three quarters, immortal, remain in heaven. Such is his greatness, yet the Purusha is greater still—he is the lord of immortality, who grows beyond by food. From him was born Virāj, and from Virāj, the Purusha. Once born, he extended beyond, behind the earth and in front. Heaven and Earth, I consider you bountiful, boundlessly spread, joined together. Be firm for us and release us from sin. O Indra, your beards and steeds are tawny; the poets, men, and singers praise you, O tawny one. May we be united with the radiance of gold, the radiance of cows, the radiance of truth and sacred utterance. With that strength, O Indra, grant us power—you are the lord of great might and see all. Grant us wisdom, manliness, enduring strength; in battles, make us slayers of foes. With strong bulls and calves, rise up, O two divine cows, bearing all forms. May this broad world be yours; these well-guarded waters are here for you. O Agni, purify our lives; bestow quick strength and food upon us; drive far away the evil-minded. Let the radiant one drink the great Soma, bearing life and delight for the lord of sacrifice. He, driven by the 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. He moves within, shining, drawing in breath and sending it forth; the great buffalo has revealed the heavens. In thirty abodes he radiates; speech is set for the swift-winged one, in every place, with the luminous ones. As birds fly away, so these rays depart; like stars with the nights, they go to the sun, the all-seeing one. His signs are unseen, his rays spread among the people, shining like fires. You are the swift one, all-seeing, maker of light, O Sun; you illumine all the shining realms. You turn back the hosts of the gods, the hosts of men, and all the world for the seeing of the sun. With this pure vision, O Varuṇa, you behold all people as they move about. O Sun, you rise, measuring the wide expanse of the sky with your rays, observing the births of all. The sun has yoked seven swift mares, daughters of the chariot; with these, self-yoked, he journeys. Seven bright ones carry you in the chariot, O god Sun, with flaming hair, all-seeing.