In the vastness of the universe, the Rudras—innumerable and ever-expanding—spread themselves in all directions, their presence extending far beyond the grasp of mortals. May their mighty bows, potent and fearsome, rest at a thousand leagues’ distance from us, granting us peace. We bow to the Rudras who dwell in the heavens, whose arrows descend as rain, sustaining and testing life. In every direction—ten in the east, ten in the south, ten in the west, ten in the north, and ten above—we offer our homage. To these celestial Rudras, we pray for protection and mercy, entrusting those whom we hate, and those who hate us, into their formidable jaws. Likewise, we offer salutations to the Rudras who inhabit the atmosphere, whose arrows are the winds, carrying power and change. To the ten Rudras in each direction and above, we seek their grace and protection, consigning our enmity and those who bear enmity toward us into their grasp. On earth, too, we honor the Rudras, whose arrows are the food that nourishes all beings. To the ten in each direction and above, we offer our salutations, asking for their shelter and compassion, and we place our adversaries and those who oppose us into their jaws. We invoke the Maruts, those strivers together, to grant us strength and nourishment gathered from stone and mountain, from waters, plants, and trees. The stone, symbolizing hunger, is the source of this strength—may it be ours. And if there be any whom we hate, may the thunderbolt strike them. O Agni, may my bricks become as abundant as cows: one, ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, a hundred million, a billion, a hundred billion, a trillion, as vast as the ocean, in the middle, at the end, and at the highest. May these bricks, O Agni, be cows in this world and the next. You are of the seasons, O offering, strengthened and standing firm in the seasons. Flowing with ghee and honey, radiant and wish-fulfilling, you are inexhaustible. With the foam of the ocean, O Agni, we encircle you, seeking your purity and auspiciousness. With the veil of frost, too, we surround you—be ever pure and auspicious for us. Come near, Agni, as reeds bend by the riverbank, crossing over as rivers do. You are the bile within waters. Frog, come with them and make our sacrifice radiant and blessed. This is the descent of waters, the resting place of the ocean. May your flames, Agni, burn others, not us. Remain pure and auspicious. Agni, pure and radiant, with your shining light and delightful divine tongue, bring the gods and offer them our gifts. Bring them here, O shining one, with our sacrifice and offerings. It was by the pure, discerning, and compassionate one that the earth was illumined, as the dawn is by its rays; swift as a horse, as the wind in motion, ageless and ever-thirsting for praise. We salute your flame, your burning, your radiance, O Agni. May your flames burn others, not us. Be pure and auspicious for us. You are lord among men, among waters, among grasses, among trees, and among lights. Those gods among gods, worthy of sacrifice, who sit by the portion of the year—may they, unbidden, partake of the honey and ghee in this sacrifice. Those gods who, among the gods, attained divinity and are the priests of Brahman—without them, nothing is purified, neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor in the waters. Givers of breath, exhalation, circulation, radiance, and space—may your flames burn others, not us. Remain pure and auspicious. Agni, with your sharp flame, burn away all impurity; Agni brings us wealth. The sage, the priest, who offered all these worlds, sat as our father. Desiring wealth with blessing, he entered the lower realms first. What was the foundation? What the beginning? What indeed was the story? From where did Viśvakarman, the all-seeing, create the earth and stretch out the sky with his greatness? With eyes, faces, arms, and feet everywhere, Viśvakarman moves with his arms and wings, the one god who creates heaven and earth. What was the forest, and what was the tree from which heaven and earth were fashioned? The wise ponder with their minds upon that which upholds the worlds. O Viśvakarman, reveal to your companions your highest, intermediate, and present abodes. Offer yourself, growing in strength. Viśvakarman, growing through offering, present yourself to earth and heaven; let rivals be confused nearby—may Maghavan, the wise, be our benefactor. Today, let us invoke Viśvakarman, lord of speech, swift in mind, for strength. May he delight in our offerings, the all-beneficent, the doer of good, aiding us. Through the increase of offering, Viśvakarman made Indra the invincible protector; to him, peoples bow from ancient times—this mighty one is to be invoked as is fitting. The wise father of vision, with mind, created clarified butter in the names; when the ends were firmly set, then heaven and earth expanded. Viśvakarman, with his mind, departed from here—the creator, the arranger, the highest, the seer. Their desired offerings are enjoyed together, where the seven sages speak of the one beyond. He who is our father, creator, arranger, who knows all abodes and worlds, who alone names the gods—other worlds come to him for inquiry. The ancient sages, singers, offered wealth together for us; in the realms of light and darkness, those who were beings made these worlds. Beyond sky and earth, beyond all that exists among gods and spirits—what was the first embryo the waters bore, where the ancient gods beheld together? That first embryo the waters bore, where all gods gathered; upon the navel of the unborn, the One was placed, in whom all worlds stand. You do not know him who created these; something different has arisen among you. Covered by mist, speaking confusedly, they wander, unsatisfied, reciting hymns. Viśvakarman was born as a god; the Gandharva became the second; the third, the father, created the herbs and placed the embryo of the waters in many places. Swift, roaring, mighty as a bull, thunderous, shaking the peoples—the victorious, unblinking, sole hero, together with Indra, conquered a hundred armies. With the victorious, unblinking, fierce, impetuous, difficult-to-move, bold—conquer with Indra, stand together, O men, in battle with the mighty, arrow-handed. He, with arrows in hand and sword-bearers, the master joined in battle—Indra with his host, victorious, united, Soma-drinker, strong-armed, fierce-bowed, stands firm with those who resist. O Brihaspati, drive around with your chariot, destroyer of demons and enemies, pushing them away. Break their armies, crush them in battle—be victorious, prospering, and protector of our chariots. Thus, the hymns recount the power and mystery of the gods, the guardians of the worlds, and the origins of all things, invoking their protection, wisdom, and strength for those who honor them.