1 In the beginning rose the Lord of all that is, etc.

2 Taken up as a base art thou. I take thee, welcome to God the Creator. This is thy place: the sun is thy majesty, a sign of God. The majesty that has accrued to thee in the day, in a year, that majesty which has accrued in the wind, in the firmament, to that majesty of thine, for God the Creator and the angels, blessed be it!

3 He who by His grandeur hath become sole Ruler of all the moving world that breathes and slumbers; He who is Sovereign of these men and cattle: Him, the God, shall we adore with our oblation.

4 Taken up as a base art thou. I take thee, welcome to God the Creator. This is thy place: the moon is thy majesty, a sign of God. Thy majesty that has accrued to thee by night, in a year, thy majesty that has accrued in the earth, in the fire, in the stars and in the moon, to that majesty of thine, for God the Creator and the angels, blessed be it!

5 They who stand round him as he moves harness the bright, the ruddy steed; the lights are shining in the sky.

6 On both sides to the car they yoke the two bay coursers dear to him, bold, tawny bearers of the chief.

7 When, swift as wind, the horse has reached the form that is pleasing, the flood, again, O singer, by this path bring thou the courser hitherward.

8 Let the angels anoint thee with the Gayatri metre. Let the angels anoint thee with the Trishtubh metre. Let the angels anoint thee with the Jagati metre. Earth! Ether! Heaven! Let this food, parched grains and groats, the product of barley and the product of cows, be given: eat this food, O steed.

9 Who moveth single and alone? Who is brought forth to life again? What is the remedy of cold, or what the great receptacle?

10 The Sun moves single and alone. The Moon is born anew. Fire is the remedy of cold; Earth is the great receptacle.

11 What was the antecedent thought? What was the bird of mighty size? The slippery matron, who was she? Who was the reddish-coloured one?

12 Heaven was the antecedent thought. The courser was the mighty bird. The slippery matron was the earth. Night was the reddish-coloured one.

13 May God the Sustainer of the winds help thee with cooked viands! The black-necked with goats; the fig-tree with cups; the silk-cotton tree with increase; this stallion here, good for the chariot, let him come speedily with his four feet. Obeisance to God!

14 The car is fitted with the rein, the steed is fitted with the rein. Fitted in waters, water-born, the Great One follows the lead.

15 Steed, from thy body, of thyself, be offered. Thy greatness can be gained by none but thee.

16 No, here thou diest not, thou art not injured: only by fair paths thou goest to the mercy of God. May God in that world place thee where dwell the pious, whither they have journeyed.

17 Fire was the victim. With it the angels made sacrifice. They won this world in which fire is. This shall become thy world. This shalt thou win. Drink these waters. The wind was the victim. With it they made sacrifice. They won this world in which the wind is. This shall become thy world, as above. The sun was the victim, etc. They won the world in which the sun is. This shall become thy world, as above.

18 To vital breath, blessed be it! To out-breathing, blessed be it! To diffusive breath, blessed be it!

19 Thee we invoke, Lord of the hosts. Thee we invoke, Lord of the beloved. Thee, Lord of treasures, we invoke. My precious wealth!

32 Now have I glorified with strong praise the swift conquering steed, a sign of God's power. Sweet may God make our mouths; may He prolong the days we have to live.

33 Gayatri, Trishtubh, Jagati, and Pankti with Anushtubh joined, Brihati, Kakubh, Ushnih pacify thee with needle-points!

34 Two-footed, those that have four feet, those with three feet and those with five, metreless, with one metre, these pacify thee with needle-points!

35 May the Mahanamnis, the Revatis, all far-spread regions of the sky, voices, and lightnings from the cloud pacify thee with needle-points!

36 May married women of human birth skilfully separate thy hair; the regions of the sky pacify thee with needle-points!

37 They, made of silver, gold, and lead, are used as helpers in the work. As lines on the strong courser's skin may they console and give thee rest.

38 What then? As men whose fields are full of barley, etc., as in X. 32.

39 Who flays thee? Who dissects thee? Who prepares thy limbs for sacrifice? Who is the sage that slaughters thee?

40 In due time let the seasons, as slaughterers, divide thy joints, and with the splendour of the year let sacrifice be made with holy rites.

41 Let the half-months and let the months, while sacrificing, flay thy limbs; let day and night and the angels of the storm mend each fault in sacrificing thee.

42 Let the divine priests flay thy body and dissect thy frame, and let the sacrificing priest prepare thy members joint by joint.

43 May sky, earth, air, and wind supply each failing and defect of thine; may the sun with the stars of heaven duly prepare a world for thee.

44 Well be it with thine upper parts, well be it with the parts below; well be it with thy bones and with thy marrow and with all thy frame!

45 Who moveth singly? etc., as in verse 9.

46 The Sun moves singly, etc., as in verse 10.

47 What lustre is like the sun's light? What lake is equal to the sea? What is more spacious than the earth? What thing is that which naught can mete?

48 Sacred lore is lustre like the sun. Heaven is a flood to match the sea. God the Mighty is vaster than the earth. Beyond all measure is the Cow, the bounty of God.

49 Friend of the righteous, I ask for information if thou in spirit hast obtained the knowledge: doth God encompass this whole universe in knowledge and power, in the three realms wherein God is worshipped?

50 I also have knowledge of those three realms in which God encompasses this universe. The earth and heaven I circle in a moment, and this heaven's summit with a single organ, my mind.

51 What are the things which the human being has entered? What things hath he contained within him? This riddle we propound to thee, O scholar. Why dost thou give no answer to my question?

52 Within five things the human being has found entrance; these he hath within himself connected. This is the thought which I return in answer. Thou art not my superior in wisdom.

53 What was the antecedent thought? etc., as in verse 11.

54 Heaven was the antecedent thought, etc., as in verse 12.

55 Who, tell me, is the yellowish she? Who is the darkly-yellowish? Who moves with rapid spring and bound? Who glides and winds along the path?

56 The she-goat, sir, is yellowish; dark-yellowish is the porcupine. The hare moves swift with leap and bound; the snake creeps winding on the path.

57 How many different forms hath this, how many syllables, burnt-oblations, brands for kindling? Here, of the rites of sacrifice I ask thee. How many priests in due season worship?

58 Sixfold its form, its syllables a hundred, eighty burnt-offerings, just three brands for kindling. To thee I tell the rites of sacrificing. Seven priests worship in appointed season.

59 Who knoweth this world's central point? Who knoweth the heaven, the earth, and the wide air between them? Who knows the birthplace of the mighty sun? Who knows the moon, whence he was generated?

60 I know the centre of the world about us. I know heaven, earth, and the wide air between them. I know the birthplace of the mighty sun. I know the moon, whence he was generated.

61 I ask thee of the earth's extremest limit, where is the centre of the world, I ask thee. I ask thee of the fertilizing rain, I ask of highest heaven where Speech abideth.

62 This altar is the earth's extremest limit; this sacrifice of ours is the world's centre. This pressed juice is the fertilizing rain; this scholar is the highest heaven where Speech abideth.

63 God, the Strong, the Self-existent, the First, within the mighty flood laid down the timely germ from which the creation was born.

64 Let the priest make offering in the name of God the Creator from the Mahiman libation. Let it be accepted. Priest, offer sacrifice.

65 O Creator, thou only, etc., as in X. 20.