PRAPATHAKA II
The Soma Sacrifice
i. 2. 1.
a. May I the waters wet (thee) for life, For length of days, for glory.
b. O plant, protect him.
c. Axe, hurt him not.
d. Obedient to the gods I shear these.
e. With success may I reach further days.
f. Let the waters, the mothers, purify us, With ghee let those that purify our ghee purify us, Let them bear from us all pollution, Forth from these waters do I come bright, in purity.
g. Thou art the body of Soma, guard my body.
h. Thou art the milk of the great ones, thou art the giver of splendour; splendour [1] place in me.
i. Thou art the pupil of Vrtra’s eye, thou art the guardian of the eye, guard my eye.
k. Let the lord of thought purify thee, let the lord of speech purify thee, let the god Savitr purify thee
With the flawless purifier, With the rays of the bright sun.
l. O lord of the purifier, with thy purifier for whatsoever I purify myself, that may I have strength to accomplish.
m. We approach you, O gods, Ye that have true ordinances at the sacrifice What O gods ye can assent to,
For that we ask you, O holy ones.’
n. Indra and Agni, heaven and earth, waters, plants.
o. Thou art the lord of consecrations, guard me that am here.
i. 2. 2.
a. To the purpose, to the impulse, to Agni, hail! To wisdom, to thought, to Agni, hail! To consecration, to penance, to Agni, hail! To Sarasvati, to Prisan, to Agni, hail!
b. O ye divine, vast, all-sootbing waters! Heaven and earth, wide atmosphere! May Brhaspati rejoice in our oblation, hail!
c. Let every man choose the companionship Of the god who leadeth. Every man prayeth for wealth; Let him choose glory that he may prosper, hail!
d. Ye are images of the Rc and the Saman. I grasp you two; do ye two [1] protect me until the completion of this sacrifice.
e. O god,Varuna, do thou sharpen this prayer of him who implores thee, Sharpen his strength, his insight; May we mount that safe ship Whereby we’ may pass over all our difficulties.
f. Thou art the strength of the Angirases, soft as wool; grant me strength, guard me, harm me not.
g. Thou art the protection of Visnu, the protection of the sacrificer, grant me protection.
h. Guard me from the lustre of the Naksatras.
i. Thou art the birthplace of Indra [2]; harm me not.
k. For ploughing thee, for good crops, l For the plants with good berries thee!
m. Thou art of easy access, divine tree. Being erect, guard me until the completion (of the sacrifice).
n. Hail! with my mind the sacrifice (I grasp); hail! from heaven and earth, bail! from the broad atmosphere, hail! from the wind the sacrifice I grasp.
i. 2. 3.
a. The thought divine we meditate, Merciful, for our help, That giveth glory, and carrieth the sacrifice.
May it guide us safely according as we will.
b. The gods, mind-born, mind-using, The wise, the sons of wisdom, May they guard us, may they protect us,
To them honour! to them hail!
c. O Agni, be thou wakeful; Let us be glad; Guard us to prosperity; Grant to us to wake again.
d. Thou, O Agni, art the guardian of vows, Among the gods and men. Thou [1] art to be invoked at our sacrifices.
e. All the gods have surrounded me, Pusan with gain, Soma with a gift, The god Savitr the giver of brightness.
f. O Soma, give so much, and bear more hither.
g. May he that filleth never miss of fullness. Let me not be parted with life.
h. Thou art gold; be for my enjoyment. Thou art raiment; be for my enjoyment. Thou art a cow; be for my enjoyment. Thou art a horse; be for my enjoyment [2]. Thou art a goat; be for my enjoyment. Thou art a ram; be for my enjoyment.
i. To Vayu thee; to Varuna thee; to Nirrti thee; to Rudra thee!
k. O divine waters, son of the waters, the stream Fit for oblation, mighty, most exhilarating, That stream of yours may I not step upon.
l. Along an unbroken web of earth may I go.
m. From good to better do thou advance.
n. May Brhaspati be thy leader; Then set him free, on the chosen spot of earth; Drive afar the foes with all thy strength.
o. We have come to the place on earth for sacrifice to the gods, Wherein aforetime all the gods rejoiced. Accomplishing (the rite) with Rc, Saman, and Yajus, Let us rejoice in fullness of wealth, in sustenance.
i. 2. 4.
a. This is thy body, O pure one. This is thy splendour. With it be united. Win brightness.
b. Thou art the strong, grasped by mind, acceptable to Visnu.
c. In the impulse of thee, of true impulse, may I win a support for my speech. Hail!
d. Thou art pure, thou art nectar, thou art the sacrifice for all the gods.
e. I have mounted the eye of the sun. The pupil of the eye of Agni, When thou goest with thy steeds,
Blazing with the wise.
f. Thou art thought, thou art mind, thou art meditation, thou art the gift (to the priests) [1], thou art of the sacrifice, thou art of kingly power, thou art Aditi, double-headed.
g. Be thou successful for us in going, successful in returning.
h. May Mitra bind thee by the foot.
i. May Pusan guard the ways,
k. For Indra, the overseer!
l. May thy mother approve thee, thy father, thy brother sprung of the same womb, thy friend in the herd.
m. Go, goddess, to the god, to Soma for Indra’s sake.
n. May Rudra guide thee hither in the path of Mitra.
o. Hail! Return with Soma as thy comrade, with wealth
