For him that is sacrificed, hail!

vii. 4. 17.

a. Let the healing wind blow upon our cows,

Let them feed on strengthening herbs;

Let them drink waters full of life and fatness;

O God the Healer, be gracious to the food that hath feet.

b. Those which are of one, of various hues, or of like hue,

Those whose names the Radiant One knoweth by sacrifice;

Those which the Angirases made here by devotion,

To those, O Giver of rain, grant abundant protection.

c. Those who offered to the righteous their bodies;

Those whose every form the gift of God knoweth;

O Mighty One, place them in our pastures,

Swelling with milk and rich in offspring.

d. The Creator, bestowing these on me,

In harmony with all the righteous and the forefathers,

Hath brought them, auspicious, to our pastures.

May we possess their offspring.

e. Here is support, hail!

f. Here is keeping apart, hail!

g. Here is joy, hail!

h. Here is delight, hail!

i. The great.

k. The protecting.

vii. 4. 18.

a. What was the first conception?

What was the great age?

What was the tawny one?

What was the smooth one?

b. The sky was the first conception.

The horse was the great age.

The night was the tawny one.

The sheep was the smooth one.

c. Who moveth alone?

Who too is born again?

What is a remedy for the cold?

What is the great enveloper?

d. The sun moveth alone.

The moon is born again.

Fire is the remedy for the cold.

Earth is the great enveloper.

e. I ask thee of the furthest end of the earth.

I ask thee of the navel of the world.

I ask thee of the strength of the strong horse.

I ask thee of speech's highest realm.

f. They call the altar-ground the furthest end of the earth.

They call the sacrifice the navel of the world.

They call the gift of God the strength of the strong horse.

(They call) the holy utterance the highest realm of speech.

vii. 4. 19.

q. Dadhikravan have I sung,

The swift strong horse.

May he make our mouths fragrant;

May he lengthen our days.

r. Ye waters are healing;

Further us to strength,

To see great joy.

s. The most auspicious flavour that is yours

Accord to us here

Like eager mothers.

t. To him may we come with satisfaction,

To whose dwelling ye quicken us,

O waters, and bless us with offspring.

vii. 4. 20.

a. Bhuh! Bhuvah! Svar!

b. Let the first rank of angels anoint thee with the Gayatri metre. Let the second rank anoint thee with the Tristubh metre. Let the third rank anoint thee with the Jagati metre.

c. As the wind hath gone to the waters,

The dear body of the Mighty One's creation,

By that path, O praiser,

Bring back to us the horse.

d. O thou that hast barley, that hast grain, (bring) renown for me;

e. For barley, for milk, this food eat, O ye angels; this food eat, O Creator.

f. They yoke the tawny ruddy one,

Which goeth round them that stand;

The lights shine in the sky.

g. They yoke his dear steeds

On either side of the chariot,

Dark, strong, bearing heroes.

h. Making a banner for that which hath none,

Form for the formless, O ye men,

Thou wert born with the dawns.

vii. 4. 21.

For expiration, hail!

For cross-breathing, hail!

For inspiration, hail!

For sinews, hail!

For ligatures, hail!

For surrounding ligatures, hail!

For joints, hail!

For joinings, hail!

For bodies, hail!

For the sacrifice, hail!

For the sacrificial gifts, hail!

For heaven, hail! For the world, hail! For all, hail!

vii. 4. 22.

For the bound, hail!

For the unbound, hail!

For the fastened, hail!

For the unfastened, hail!

For the yoked, hail!

For the unyoked, hail!

For the well-yoked, hail!

For the unyoked, hail!

For the one set free, hail!

For the one let go, hail!

For that which moveth crookedly, hail!

For that which moveth around, hail!

For that which moveth together, hail!

For that which moveth along, hail!

For that which goeth, hail!

For that which riseth, hail!

For that which standeth, hail!

For all, hail!

Prapathaka V

The Cows' Year Course

vii. 5. 1.

The cows performed that session, being hornless, with the desire, "May horns be born to us." For ten months they performed it, and then horns were born, and they ceased (the rite), (saying), "We have obtained (our desire)." Then those whose horns were not born ceased (the rite) after making up the year, (saying), "We have obtained (our desire)." Both those which obtained horns and those which did not ceased, (saying), "We have obtained (our desire)." The year is the cows' session, and those who knowing thus perform the year (sacrifice) are prosperous. Therefore a hornless cow has pleasure during the two months of the rainy season, for that is won for it by the session. Therefore whatever is done in the house of one who performs for a year (a session), that is done completely, successfully, and adequately. Those who perform the year (session) are swimming on the ocean. He who does not see the further bank of the ocean cannot get out from it. The ocean is the year. Its further banks are the two Atiratras. Those who knowing thus perform the year (session) reach the end without injury. The former Atiratra is this (earth), the latter is yonder (sky); the former is mind, the latter speech; the former expiration, the latter inspiration; the former the commencement, the latter the end. The Atiratra is a Jyotistoma, of the Light that belongs to all people; verily they put light before them, to reveal the world of heaven. There is a fore-offering, accompanied by the Caturvimsa Stoma. The year has twenty-four half-months; verily as they go on they find support in the year. There are three hundred and sixty Stotriyas; so many are the nights of the year; verily they attain both forms of the year. They perform (the rites of) the next days for rest, for safety. There are six-day periods. The year has six seasons; verily they find support in the seasons, the year. The Go and the Ayus (Stomas) are the Stomas in the middle; verily they place a pair in the middle of the year for procreation. On either side there is the Jyotistoma. It is the releasing; verily the metres are released; verily also they go to the world of heaven with the six-day (rite) which has a Jyotistoma on either side. The scholars say, "They sit; by what path do they go?" One should reply, "By the path that leads to the righteous. The path that leads to the righteous is the metres, the Gayatri, Tristubh, and Jagati. The Gayatri is the Jyotistoma, the Tristubh the Gostoma, the Jagati the Ayustoma. In that there are these Stomas, so do they go by the path that leads to the righteous." There is used the same chant. The chant is the world of the righteous; verily they leave not the world of the righteous. There are used various verses. The verses are the world of man; verily they keep mounting one world after another from the world of men. There is the supervising priest's chant as the Abhivarta to win the world of heaven. There is the Abhijit (day) for the gaining of the world of heaven. There is the Visvajit (day) for the gaining of all. Month by month they perform the Prsthas, month by month the Atigrahyas are drawn; verily in each month they place strength, for the support of the months. They perform the Prsthas in the latter part of the month. Therefore it is on the top that the plants bear fruit.

vii. 5. 2.

The cows performed that session, being hornless and desiring to obtain horns. For ten months they performed it, and then horns appeared. They said, "We have gained (them), let us cease (the rite), for we have attained the desire for the sake of which we began (the rite)." But others said, either half of them or as many as might be the case, "Let us perform (the rite) for these months, the eleventh and the twelfth, and when we have made up the year, let us cease." In their case their horns grew in the twelfth month. Whether by faith, or by lack of faith, that is, those which have no horns, both indeed were prosperous, those which gained horns and those which won strength. He who ceases after ten months is prosperous, and he who ceases after twelve also, if he knows thus. They go by their feet, and he who goes by his foot attains (what he seeks). The course is successful, and therefore is it productive of cows.

vii. 5. 3.

They perform the Prahas in the first month, they perform them in the middle month, they perform them in the last month. They say, "In the case of a cow which they milk thrice a day, she yields sparingly at the latter two milkings; how then can she be milked who is twelve times milked?" Having made up the year, they should perform the Prsthas once in the last month; verily those who offer win the sacrifice and cattle. It is an ocean without a near or a further shore that they enter upon who perform the year (rite). If they employ the Brhat and the Rathantara chants, it would be as if they were to provide a boat in the middle of the ocean. Going continuously with the Brhat and the Rathantara they obtain support. The union is milked for all desires; thus those who offer obtain all desires.