Let us listen to the sacred account of consecration and cosmic order as revealed in these venerable verses. In the beginning, all things were given their place and measure. The head was Vayaḥ, Prajāpati, and the meter, the rhythm of creation. Kṣatra, strength, was Vayaḥ, Mayaṃda, and the meter. The support was Vayaḥ, the lord, and the meter. Viśvakarman, the divine architect, was Vayaḥ, Parameṣṭhin, and the meter. The dwelling was Vayaḥ, Vivalam, and the meter. The strong was Vayaḥ, Viśāla, and the meter. The man was Vayaḥ, Tandra, and the meter. The tiger was Vayaḥ, Anādhṛṣṭa, and the meter. The lion was Vayaḥ, Chadi, and the meter. The Paṣṭhavāḍ was Vayaḥ, Bṛhatī, and the meter. The bull was Vayaḥ, Kakup, and the meter. The ox was Vayaḥ, Satobṛhatī, and the meter. And so, each creature and form was woven into the fabric of the world by Vayaḥ and the sacred meters: the bull without a tail, the cow, the three-year-old, the two-year-old, the five-year-old, the three-calfed, and the four-year-old—all were set in their places, each with its own meter. The ritual was then sanctified: “O Indra and Agni, make the brick unshakable. With its back, support heaven, earth, and the midspace.” Viśvakarman was invoked to seat the brick on the back of the midspace, shining and spreading, holding and establishing without harm, for all beings, for breath in all its forms, for stability, and for the right conduct of life. “May Vāyu protect you with greatness, with welfare, with a shield, with peace; with that divinity, O Angiras, sit firmly.” The sacred directions were honored: “You are queen, the eastern direction. You are Virāṭ, the southern direction. You are sovereign, the western direction. You are lord of sound, the northern direction. You are mistress, the great direction.” Again, Viśvakarman was called to seat the brick radiant upon the midspace, granting light to all, and Vāyu was acknowledged as its lord. The seasons were bound to Agni, the sacrificial fire: Nabhas and Nabhasya were the rainy seasons, the inner binding of Agni. “May heaven and earth be prepared, may the waters and plants be prepared, may the fires be prepared separately, with supremacy and firm vows. The fires that are united between heaven and earth, these rainy seasons being prepared, may the gods enter as they do Indra. With that divinity, O Angiras, sit firmly.” Likewise, Iṣa and Ūrja, the autumn seasons, were the inner embrace of Agni, prepared in the same way, so that the gods may enter as Indra. A prayer arose for protection and blessing: “Protect my life. Protect my breath. Protect my downward breath. Protect my diffused breath. Protect my sight. Protect my hearing. Enrich my speech. Strengthen my mind. Protect my self. Grant me light.” The meters were enumerated, each a measure of the world: Mā, Pramā, Pratimā, Asrīvaya, Paṅkti, Uṣṇik, Bṛhatī, Anuṣṭup, Virāṭ, Gāyatrī, Triṣṭup, and Jagatī. The Earth, Atmosphere, and Sky were meters; so too the Year, the Stars, Speech, Mind, Agriculture, Gold, Cow, Goat, and Horse. The gods presided over all: Agni, Vāyu, Sūrya, Candramas, the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Maruts, all the gods, Bṛhaspati, Indra, and Varuṇa. To the earth itself, consecration was given: “You are the crown, the ruler, the steadfast support, the bearer, the earth. For life, for brilliance, for agriculture, for well-being, I consecrate you.” And again: “You are the controller, the ruler, the restrainer, the steadfast, the supporter. For nourishment, for vigor, for wealth, for prosperity, I consecrate you. Fill the world, fill the gap, sit firm. Indra and Agni, Bṛhaspati, have established you in this womb. The Prishni cows prepare Soma for him, the milkers. At the birth of the gods, the clans in the three luminous realms of heaven. All voices magnified Indra, lord of the ocean, best of charioteers, true lord of prizes.” The universe was described in its manifold measures: the swift is threefold, the shining fifteenfold, the sky seventeenfold, the support twenty-onefold, the outpouring eighteenfold, the heat nineteenfold, the returning twenty-sixfold, the brilliance twenty-twofold, the gathering twenty-threefold, the womb twenty-fourfold, the embryos twenty-fivefold, the vigor thirty-ninefold, the will thirty-onefold, the foundation thirty-threefold, the expanse of Bradhna thirty-fourfold, the summit thirty-sixfold, the turning forty-eightfold, and the sustainer fourfold. To each portion of the hymn and ritual, a deity and a domain were assigned: Agni, Indra, the seers of men, Mitra, Varuṇa, the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Maruts, Aditi, Pūṣan, Savitar, Bṛhaspati, barley and non-barley, the Ṛbhus, and all the gods. Each was given its measure, its lordship, and its touch—whether of rain, vigor, beings, or directions. Again, the seasons were bound to Agni: Saha and Sahasya, the two winters, were the inner embrace of Agni. “Let heaven and earth be prepared, let the waters and plants be prepared, let the fires be prepared separately, with the greatest reverence, steadfast in their vows. The fires who are united within heaven and earth, these two winter seasons, being prepared, let the gods enter as Indra; with that divinity, O Angiras, sit firm.” The hymn recounts the creation of the world through sacred verses: with one hymn, offspring were studied, Prajāpati was overlord; with three, Brahman was created, Bṛhaspati was overlord; with five, beings were created, the lord of beings was overlord; with seven, the seven seers were created, the lord of the supporter was overlord. With nine, the ancestors were created, Aditi was mistress; with eleven, the seasons, the lords of the seasons as overlords; with thirteen, the months, the year as overlord; with fifteen, sovereignty, Indra as overlord; with seventeen, domestic animals, Bṛhaspati as overlord. With nineteen, Śūdra and Ārya were created, day and night as mistresses; with twenty-one, the one-hoofed animals, Varuṇa as overlord; with twenty-three, the small animals, Pūṣan as overlord; with twenty-five, the wild animals, Vāyu as overlord; with twenty-seven, heaven and earth were expanded, the Vasus, Rudras, and Ādityas as overlords. With twenty-nine, the trees, Soma as overlord; with thirty-one, offspring, barley and non-barley as overlords; with thirty-three, beings were strengthened, Prajāpati, the supreme, as overlord. And again, the refrain: “Fill the world, fill the gap, sit firm. Indra and Agni, Bṛhaspati, have established you in this womb. The Prishni cows prepare Soma for him, the milkers. At the birth of the gods, the clans in the three luminous realms of heaven. All voices magnified Indra, lord of the ocean, best of charioteers, true lord of prizes.” Agni was then invoked: “Drive away those born as our rivals; Jātavedas, drive away those not yet born. Speak to us kindly; let us be unharmed, let us dwell in your triple-protected shelter.” With force, rivals were to be driven away, and goodwill sought, so that the people might dwell in peace. The hymns themselves were praised: the sixteenfold hymn is vigor and wealth; the forty-fourfold hymn is brilliance and wealth. The excrement of Agni is this; the name in the waters; may all the gods praise you. O ghee-offering, seated here on the hymn's back, grant us offspring and wealth as you sacrifice. The meters continued: Eva, Variva, Śambhu, Paribhū, Āccha, Mana, Vyaca, Sindhu, Samudra, Sarira, Kakup, Trikakup, Kāvya, Aṅkupa, Akṣarapaṅkti, Padapaṅkti, Viṣṭārapaṅkti, Kṣuro Bhrāja. And again: Āccha, Praccha, Saṃyac, Viyac, Bṛhac, Rathantara, Nikāya, Vivadha, Gira, Bhraja, Saṃstup, Anuṣṭup, Eva, Variva, Vaya, Vayaskṛc, Viṣpardhā, Viśāla, Chadi, Dūrohaṇa, Tandra, Aṅkāṅka. With each aspect of creation, an invocation was made: “With the ray, impel truth for truth; with the departed, impel righteousness for righteousness; with pursuit, impel heaven for heaven; with connection and the midspace, impel the midspace for the midspace; with opposition and the earth, impel the earth for the earth; with support and rain, impel rain for rain; with the spreading of day, impel day for day; with the following of night, impel night for night; with the swift, impel the goods for the goods; with the sign and the Adityas, impel the Adityas for the Adityas.” And further: “With the thread and prosperity, impel prosperity for prosperity; with movement and hearing, impel hearing for hearing; with the aid and the plants, impel the plants for the plants; with the highest and bodies, impel bodies for bodies; with the attainment of age and learning, impel learning for learning; with the conquering and brilliance, impel brilliance for brilliance.” In the ritual, each step and stage was established: “You are the first step; for the first step, I place you. You are the following step; for the following step, I place you. You are the complete step; for the complete step, I place you. You are brilliance; for brilliance, I place you.” And so on, for the triple, the increased, the expanded, the joined, the advancement, the passage, the ascent, the going forth—each placed for its own purpose. “Impel vigor for vigor, O lord.” The directions were consecrated: “You are royal, the eastern direction; the Vasus are your deities, the lords; Agni is the leader of weapons, the supporter; let the triple praise rest upon the earth; let the clarified butter, the hymn, support without disturbance; let Rathantara Sāman establish in the midspace; the sages, first-born among the gods, let them spread you in heaven by measure and greatness; let the supporter and lord, and all who are assembled, seat you, O sacrificer, on the summit of heaven, in the celestial world.” And so for each direction: the south, with the Rudras and Indra; the west, with the Ādityas and Varuṇa; the north, with the Maruts and Soma; the great direction, with all the gods and Bṛhaspati. Each was honored with its own praise, hymn, and Sāman, and the sages spread the sacrificer to the summit of heaven. The guardians of the directions were then named: In the east, Harikeśa, the sun’s ray, with his charioteer Rathagṛtsa, and Rathaujā as the leader of the army. The Apsarases Puñjikasthalā and Kratusthalā attended, with Daṅkṣṇava as the animals, human as the weapon, and the killing as the missile. Salutation was given, seeking protection and mercy, and enmity was consigned to their jaws. In the south, Viśvakarman, with charioteer Rathasvana, and Rathecitra as the chief. Menakā and Sahajanyā were the Apsarases; Yātudhāna, the weapon; Rakṣas, the missiles. Again, salutation, protection, and the consigning of enmity.