iii. 4. 8.
They should be offered for one who desires the kingdom; the Rastrabhrts are the kingdom; verily with the kingdom he wins the king dom for him; he becomes the kingdom. They should be offered for oneself; the Rastrabhrts are the kingdom, the people are the kingdom, cattle are the kingdom, in that he becomes the highest he is the kingdom; verily with the kingdom he wins the kingdom, he becomes the richest of his equals. They should be offered for one who desires a village; the Rastrabhrts are the kingdom, his fellows are the kingdom; verily with the kingdom he wins for him his fellows and the kingdom; he becomes possessed of a village [1]. He offers on the dicing-place; verily on the dicing-place he wins his fellows for him, and being won they wait upon him. They should be offered on the mouth of the chariot for him who desires force; the Rastrabhrts are force, the chariot is force; verily by force he wins force for him; he becomes possessed of force. They should be offered for him who is expelled from his kingdom; to all his chariots he should say, ‘Be yoked’; verily he yokes the kingdom for him [2]. The oblations of him whose realm is not in order are disordered; he should take off the right wheel of his chariot and offer in the box; so he puts in order his oblation, and the kingdom comes into order in accord with their coming into order. They should be offered when battle is joined; the Rastrabhrts are the kingdom, and for the kingdom do they strive who go to battle together; he for whom first they offer prospers, and wins this battle.
The kindling-wood is from the Madhuka tree [3]; the coals shrinking back make the host of his foe to shrink back. They should be offered for one who is mad; for it is the Gandharva and the Apsarases who madden him who is mad; the Rastrabhrts are the Gandharva and the Apsarases. ‘To him hail! To them hail!’ (with these words) he offers, and thereby he appeases them. Of Nyagrodha, Udumbara, Açvattha, or Plaksa (wood) is the kindling-wood; these are the homes of the Gandharva and the Apsarases; verily he appeases them in their own abode [4]. They should be offered in inverse order by one who is practising witchcraft; so he fastens on his breaths from in front, and then at pleasure lays him low. He offers in a natural cleft or hollow; that of this (earth) is seized by misfortune; verily on (a place) seized by misfortune he makes misfortune seize upon him. With what is harsh in speech he utters the Vasat call; verily with the harshness of speech he cuts him down; swiftly he is ruined. If he desire of a man, ‘Let me take his eating of food’ [5], he should fall at length in his hall and (with the words), ‘O lord of the world’, gather blades of grass; the lord of the world is Prajapati; verily by Prajapati he takes his eating of food. ‘Here do I take the eating of food of N. N., descendant of N. N.’, he says; verily he takes his eating of food. With six (verses) he takes, the seasons are six; verily the seasons having taken by Prajapati his eating of food bestow it on him [6]. If the head of a family is expelled, they should be offered for him, placing him on a mound and cooking a Brahman’s mess of four Çaravas in size; the Rastrabhrts are pre-eminence, the mound is pre-eminence; verily by pre-eminence he makes him pre-eminent among his equals. (The offering) is of four Çaravas in size; verily he finds support in the quarters; it is made in milk; verily he bestows brilliance upon him; he takes it out, to make it cooked; it is full of butter, for purity; four descended from Rsis partake of it; verily he offers in the light of the quarters.
iii. 4. 9.
He who desires offspring should offer (the oblations to) the minor deities; the minor deities are the metres, offspring are as it were the metres; verily by the metres he produces offspring for him. He makes Dhatr first; verily he produces pairing with him, Anumati gives approval to him, Raka gives, Sinivali produces, and in offspring when produced by Kuhu he places speech. These (offerings) also should he make who desires cattle; the minor deities are the metres, cattle are as it were the metres [1]; verily by the metres he produces offspring for him. He makes Dhatr first; by him he scatters, Anumati gives approval to him, Raka gives, Sinivali produces, and by Kuhu he establishes offspring when produced. These (offerings) also should he make who desires a village; the minor deities are the metres, a village is as it were the metres; verily by the metres he wins a village for him [2]. He puts Dhatr in the middle; verily he places him in the middle of a village. These (offerings) also should he offer who is long ill; the minor deities are the metres, the metres are unfavourable to him whose illness is long; verily by the metres he makes him well. He puts Dhatr in the middle, it is not in order in the middle of him whose illness is long; verily thereby in the middle he puts (things) in order for him. These (offerings) also [3] should he offer to whom the sacrifice does not resort; the minor deities are the metres, the metres do not resort to him to whom the sacrifice does not resort. He puts Dhatr first; verily in his mouth he places the metres; the sacrifice resorts to him. These (offerings) also should he make who has sacrificed; the minor deities are the metres, the metres of him who has sacrificed are worn out as it were. He puts Dhatr last [4]; verily afterwards he wins for him metres unwearied; the next sacrifice resorts to him. These (offerings) should he make to whom wisdom does not resort; the minor deities are the metres, the metres do not resort to him to whom wisdom does not resort. He puts Dhatr first; verily in his mouth he places the metres; wisdom resorts to him. These (offerings) also should he make [5] who desires brilliance; the minor deities are the metres, brilliance is as it were the metres; verily by the metres he bestows brilliance upon him. They are made in milk; verily he bestows brilliance upon him. He puts Dhatr in the middle; verily he places him in the middle of brilliance. Anumati is the Gayatri, Raka the Tristubh, Sinivali the Jagati, Kuhu the Anustubh, Dhatr the Vasat call. Raka is the first fortnight, Kuhu the second, Sinivali the new moon (night), Anumati the full moon (night), Dhatr the moon. The Vasus are eight [6], the Gayatri has eight syllables; the Rudras are eleven, the Tristubh has eleven syllables; the Adityas are twelve, the Jagati has twelve syllables, the Anustubh is Prajapati, the Vasat call Dhatr. Thus indeed the minor deities are all the metres and all the gods and the Vasat call. If he were to offer them all at once, they would be likely to burn him up; he should offer first two, and a third for Dhatr, and then offer likewise the last two; thus they do not burn him up, and for whatever desire they are offered that he obtains by them.
iii. 4. 10.
a. O Vastospati, accept us;
Be of kind entrance for us and free from ill;
That which we seek from thee, do thou accord us,
And health be thou for our bipeds, health for our quadrupeds.
b. O Vastospati, may we be comrades of thee
In a friendship, effectual, joyful, and proceeding well;
Aid our wishes in peace, in action;
Do ye guard us ever with blessings.
In that evening and morning he offers the Agnihotra the sacrificer thus piles up the oblation bricks [1]; the bricks of him who has established a sacred fire are the days and nights; in that he offers evening and morning, verily he obtains the days and nights, and making them into bricks piles them up. He offers ten in the same place; the Viraj has ten syllables; verily having obtained the Viraj, he makes it into a brick and piles it up; verily in the Viraj he obtains the sacrifice; the piling up must be repeated by him. Therefore that is the place of sacrifice where he advances having spent ten (nights); not suitable is the place where (he spends) less time than that [2] Now Vastospati is Rudra. If he were to go on without offering to Vastospati, the fire becoming Rudra would leap after him and slay him; he offers to Vastospati; verily with his own share he appeases him; the sacrificer does not come to ruin. If he were to offer with the chariot yoked, that would be as when one offers an oblation on a place he has left; if he were to offer without the chariot being yoked, that would be as when one offers an oblation at rest; verily no offering would be made to Vastospati [3]. The right (animal) is yoked, the left not yoked, and thus he offers to Vastospati; verily he does both, and appeases him completely. If he were to offer with one (verse) he would make (it) a ladle offering; having pronounced the Puronuvakya he offers with the Yajya, to win the gods. If he were to load (his cart) after the offering, he would make Rudra enter his house. If he were to set out without extinguishing the smouldering embers, it would be like a con fusion of the sacrifice or a burning. ‘This is thy birthplace in season’, (with these words) he places (the embers) on the kindling-sticks [4]; this is the birthplace of Agni; verily he mounts it on its own birthplace. Now they say, ‘If being placed on the kindling-sticks it should be lost, his fire would be dispersed, it would have to be piled up again. ‘With thy body, O Agni, worthy of sacrifice, come hither and mount’, (with these words) he makes it mount on himself; the birthplace of fire is the sacrificer; verily on its own birthplace he causes it to mount.
iii. 4. 11.
a. Long life thou givest, O Agni,
O god, to the giver,
Sage, lord of the house, the youthful.
b. Bearing the oblations, Agni, immortal, our father,
Wide extending, widely refulgent, fair to see for us,
With good household fire, do thou shine forth food,
Mete out to uswards renown.
c. O do thou, O Soma, will life for us,
That we may not die,
Thou that lovest praise, lord of the forest.
d. Brahman of the gods, leader of poets,
Sage of seers, bull of wild beasts,
Eagle of vultures, axe of the forests,
Soma [1] goeth over the seive singing.
e. With our hymns to-day we choose
The god of all, the lord of the true,
Savitr of true instigation.
f. Coming with true light,
Placing the mortal and the immortal,
With golden car Savitr
The god advanceth gazing on the worlds.
g. That Aditi may accord
To our cattle, our men, our kine,
To our offspring, Rudra’s grace.
h. Harm us not in our children, our descendants, nor in our life,
Harm us not in our cattle, in our horses [2]
Smite not in anger our heroes, O Rudra,
With oblations let us serve thee with honour.
i. Like watchful birds swimming in water,
Like the noises of the loud thundercloud,
Like joyous waves breaking forth from the mountains,
The praises have lauded Brhaspati.
k. With comrades shouting like swans,
Casting aside his stone-made fetters,
Brhaspati thundered towards the cows,
And praised and sang in celebration perceiving them.
l. Hither, O Indra, enduring wealth [3],
Victorious, bearing all,
Highest for help, do thou bring.
m. O thou much invoked, thou dost endure the foes;
Best be thy strength, thy gift here;
Bring riches with thy right (hand), O Indra,
Thou art the lord of rich rivers.
n. Thou were born, in full size at once,
For the drinking of (Soma) when pressed,
O Indra, O wise one, for pre-eminence.
o. Thou art mighty, O Indra, with holy power,
To be adored at every pressing;
Thou art an overthrower of men in every conflict,
And highest song [4], O lord of all the people.
p. The fame of Mitra, supporter of the people,
Of the god is eternal,
True, and most varied in fame.
q. Mitra stirreth men, the wise one,
Mitra supporteth earth and sky;
Mitra regardeth men with unwinking (eye);
To the true one, let us offer an oblation rich in ghee.
r. Rich in food be that mortal, O Mitra,
Who, O Aditya, seeks to follow thy law;
Aided by thee he is not slain nor oppressed;
Affliction cometh to him neither from near nor from afar.
s. Whatever [5] law of thine, as men,
O god Varuna,
Day by day we transgress.
t. Whatever wrong we mortals here do
Against the host divine,
Whatever breach of thy laws we make through lack of thought,
For that sin, O god, harm us not.
u. As gamesters cheat in dicing,
What we know in truth or what we know not,
All that do thou, O god, loosen as it were,
And may we be dear to thee, O Varuna.
