4 As with a bolt, Lord of Prayer, fiercely flaming, pierce thou the heroes of Vrkadvaras the unjust.

Even as in time of old with might thou slewest, so slay even now our enemy, O Mighty One.

5 Cast down from heaven on high thy bolt of thunder wherewith in joy thou smitest dead the foeman.

For gain of children make us thine, O Mighty One, of many children's children and of cattle.

6 Whomso ye love, his power ye aid and strengthen; ye Twain are the rich worshipper's advancers.

Graciously favour us, Mighty and Gracious; give us firm standing in this time of danger.

7 Let it not vex me, tire me, make me slothful, and never let us say, Give not your gifts;

For him who cares for me, gives gifts, supports me, who comes with kine to me who pour forth gifts.

8 O God, protect us: with the host of angels thou boldly conquerest our foemen,

While the Mighty One does to death the daring chieftain of the Sandikas exulting in his prowess.

9 Him who waylays, yea, him who would destroy us, aim at him, pierce him with thy sharpened weapon.

Lord of Prayer, with arms thou slayest foemen; O King, give up the spoiler to destruction.

10 Perform, O Hero, with our valiant heroes the deeds heroic which thou hast to finish.

Long have they been inflated with presumption: slay them, and bring us hither their possessions.

11 Craving joy I address with hymn and homage the host of Maruts, servants of God,

That we may gain wealth with full store of heroes, each day more famous, and with troops of children.

HYMN XXXI. All the Powers of God.

1 Help, All-Seeing and Friend, O ye Twain, allied with the Good, the Healer, and the Boundless, help our car,

That, as the wild birds of the forest from their home, our horses may fly forth, glad, eager for renown.

2 Yea, now ye of one accord speed on our car what time among the folk it seeks an act of might;

When, hasting through the region with the stamp of hoofs, our swift steeds trample on the ridges of the earth.

3 Or may our Mighty One here, the Friend of all mankind, coming from heaven, most wise, girt by the Marut host,

Accompany, with aid untroubled by a foe, our car to mighty gain, to win the meed of strength.

4 Or may the Fashioner, who rules the world with power, one-minded with the angels, speed forth our car;

The Giver of Fortune, Earth and Heaven, the Nourisher, the Bountiful, and the Healers, ruling Lords.

5 Or, seen alternate, those two blessed signs, Morning and Night, who stir all living things to act:

While with my newest song I praise you both, O Earth, that from what moves not ye may spread forth threefold food.

6 Your blessing as a boon for suppliants we desire: the Dragon of the Deep, and the One-footed Unborn,

Trita, the skilful Artisans, the Light-giver shall joy in us, and the Floods' swift Child in our worship and our prayer.

7 These earnest prayers I pray to you, ye Holy: to pay you honour, living men have formed them,

Men fain to win the prize and glory. May they win, as a car-horse might the goal, your notice.

HYMN XXXII. God the Mighty.

1 Graciously further, O ye Heaven and Earth, this speech striving to win reward, of me your worshipper.

First rank I give to you, Immortal, high extolled! I, fain to win me wealth, to you the mighty Pair.

2 Let not man's guile annoy us, secret or by day: give not us up a prey to these calamities.

Sever not thou our friendship: think thereon for us. This, with a heart that longs for bliss, we seek from thee.

3 Bring hither with benignant mind the willing Cow teeming with plenteous milk, full, inexhaustible.

O thou invoked by many, day by day I urge thee with my word, a charger rapid in his tread.

HYMN XXXIII. God the Healer.

1 Lord of the storm-winds, let thy bliss approach us: exclude us not from looking on the sunlight.

Gracious to our fleet courser be the Hero: may we transplant us, O Healer, in our children.

2 With the most saving medicines which thou givest, O Healer, may I attain a hundred winters.

Far from us banish enmity and hatred, and to all quarters maladies and trouble.

3 Chief of all born art thou in glory, armed with the thunder, mightiest of the mighty.

Transport us over trouble to well-being; repel thou from us all assaults of mischief.

4 Let us not anger thee with worship, Strong One, ill praise, or mingled invocation.

Do thou with strengthening balms incite our heroes: I hear thee famed as best of all physicians.

5 May I with praise-songs win that Healer's favour who is adored with gifts and invocations.

Ne'er may the tawny One, fair-cheeked, and gracious, swift-hearing, yield us to this evil purpose.

6 The Strong, begirt by Maruts, hath refreshed me, with most invigorating food, imploring.

As he who finds a shade in fervent sunlight may I, uninjured, win the bliss of the Healer.

7 Where is that gracious hand of thine, the hand that giveth health and bringeth comfort,

Remover of the woe that heaven hath sent us? O Strong One, look thou on me with compassion.

8 To him the strong, great, tawny, fair-complexioned, I utter forth a mighty hymn of praises.

We serve the brilliant One with adorations, we glorify the splendid name of the Healer.

9 With firm limbs, multiform, the strong, the tawny adorns himself with bright gold decorations:

The strength of Godhead ne'er departs from him who is Sovereign of this world, the mighty.

10 Worthy, thou carriest thy bow and arrows, worthy, thy many-hued and honoured necklace.

Worthy, thou cuttest here each fiend to pieces: a mightier than thou there is not.

11 Praise him the chariot-borne, the young, the famous, fierce, slaying like a dread beast of the forest.

O praised One, be gracious to the singer, let thy hosts spare us and smite down another.

12 I bend to thee as thou approachest, even as a boy before the sire who greets him.

I praise thee, Bounteous Giver, Lord of heroes: give medicines to us as thou art lauded.

13 Of your pure medicines, O potent Maruts, those that are wholesomest and health-bestowing,

Those which our father Manu hath selected, I crave from the Healer for our gain and welfare.

14 May the missile of the Healer turn aside and spare us, the great wrath of the impetuous One avoid us.

Turn, Bounteous Lord, thy strong bow from our princes, and be thou gracious to our seed and offspring.

15 O tawny Bull, thus showing forth thy nature, as neither to be wroth, O Lord, nor slay us.

Here, Healer, listen to our invocation. Loud may we speak, with heroes, in assembly.

HYMN XXXIV. The Maruts.

1 The Maruts of resistless might who love the rain, resplendent, terrible like wild beasts in their strength,

Glowing like flames of fire, impetuous in career, blowing the wandering raincloud, have disclosed the kine.

2 They gleam with armlets as the heavens are decked with stars, like cloud-born lightnings shine the torrents of their rain.

Since the strong Healer, O Maruts with brilliant chests, sprang into life for you in Prsni's radiant lap.

3 They drip like horses in the racings of swift steeds; with the stream's rapid cars they hasten on their way.

Maruts with helms of gold, ye who make all things shake, come with your spotted deer, one-minded, to our food.

4 They have bestowed on all that live, to feed, they who for evermore cause their swift drops to flow,

Whose steeds are spotted deer, whose riches never fail, like horses in full speed, bound to the pole in work.

5 With brightly-flaming kine whose udders swell with milk, with glittering lances on your unobstructed paths,

O Maruts, of one mind, like swans who seek their nests, come to the rapturous enjoyment of the meath.

6 To these our prayers, O Maruts, come unanimous, come ye to our gifts like the praise of men.

Make it swell like a mare, in udder like a cow, and for the singer grace the song with plenteous strength.

7 May God give us a steed through the Maruts mighty in the car; prevailing prayer that brings remembrance day by day;

Food to your praisers, to your bard in deeds of might give winning wisdom, power uninjured, unsurpassed.

8 When the bright-chested Maruts, lavish of their gifts, bind at the time of bliss their horses to the cars,

Then, as the milch-cow feeds her calf within the stalls, they pour forth food for all who bring their gifts.

9 Save us, O Maruts, from the injurer, the mortal foe who makes us looked upon as wolves.

With chariot all aflame compass him round about: cast away the foeman's deadly bolt.

10 Well-known, ye Maruts, is that wondrous course of yours, when they milked Prsni's udder, close akin to her.

Or when to shame the bard who lauded, ye infallible brought Trita to decay.

11 We call you such, great Maruts, following wonted ways, to the offering paid to the All-Pervading, the Speeder-on.

With ladles lifted up, with prayer, we seek of them pre-eminent, golden-hued, the wealth which all extol.

12 They, the Dasagvas, first of all brought devotion: they at the break of mornings shall inspirit us. Dawn with her purple beams uncovereth the nights, with great light glowing like a billowy sea of milk.

13 The servants of the Healer have rejoiced them in the gathered bands at seats of worship as in purple ornaments. They with impetuous vigour sending down the rain have taken to themselves a bright and lovely hue.

14 Soliciting their high protection for our help, with this our adoration we sing praise to them, whom, for assistance, like the five terrestrial priests, Trita hath brought to aid us hither on his car.

15 So may your favouring help be turned to us-ward, your kindness like a lowing cow approach us, wherewith ye bear your servant over trouble, and free your worshipper from scoff and scorning.

HYMN XXXV. The Child of Waters.

1 Eager for spoil my flow of speech I utter: may the Floods' Child accept my songs with favour.

Will not the rapid Son of Waters make them lovely, for he it is who shall enjoy them?

2 To him let us address the song well-fashioned, forth from the heart. Shall he not understand it?

By the greatness of God, the friendly Son of Waters hath produced all things existing.

3 Some floods unite themselves and others join them: the sounding rivers fill one common storehouse.

On every side the bright Floods have encompassed the bright resplendent Offspring of the Waters.

4 The never-sullen waters, youthful Maidens, carefully decking, wait on him the youthful.

He with bright rays shines forth in splendid beauty, unfed with wood, in waters, oil-enveloped.

5 Within the waters hath he pressed, as hollows, and drinks their milk who now are first made mothers.

6 Here was the horse's birth; his was the sunlight. Save thou our princes from the oppressor's onslaught.

Him, indestructible, dwelling at a distance in forts unwrought, lies and ill spirits reach not.

7 He, in whose mansion is the teeming Milch-cow, swells the nectar and eats noble viands,

The Son of Waters, gathering strength in waters, shines for his worshipper to give him treasures.

8 He who in waters with his own pure radiance shines widely, law-abiding, everlasting,

The other worlds are verily his branches, and plants are born of him with all their offspring.

9 The Waters' Son hath risen, and clothed in lightning ascended up unto the curled cloud's bosom;

And bearing with them his supremest glory the Youthful Ones, gold-coloured, move around him.

10 Golden in form is he, like gold to look on, his colour is like gold, the Son of Waters.

When he is seated fresh from golden birthplace those who present their gold give food to feed him.

11 This the fair name and this the lovely aspect of him the Waters' Son increase in secret.

Whom here the youthful Maids together kindle, his food is sacred oil of golden colour.

12 Him, nearest Friend of many, will we worship with devotion, and reverence and offering.

I make his back to shine, with chips provide him; I offer food and with my songs exalt him.