THEE for food. Thee for vigour. Ye are breezes.

To noblest work God Savitar impel you. Inviolable! swell his share for Indra.

No thief, no evil-minded man shall master you rich in off-spring, free from pain and sickness.

Be constant, numerous to this lord of cattle. Guard thou the cattle of the Sacrificer.

2Strainer of Vasu art thou. Thou art heaven. Earth art thou. Thou art Mâtarisvan’s caldron. Thou art the All-container. Stand thou firmly, secure by Law Supreme, and do not totter. Nor be thy Lord of Sacrifice unsteady.

3Thou art the strainer, hundred-streamed, of Vasu. Thou art the strainer, thousand-streamed, of Vasu. May Savitar the God with Vasu’s strainer, thousand-streamed, rightly cleansing, purify thee.

4Which didst thou milk? This is the cow Visvâyu. This Visvakarman. This is Visvadhâyas. Thee, Indra’s share, with Soma do I curdle. Be thou protector of the oblation, Vishnu.

5I will observe the vow, Lord of Vows, Agni! May I have strength therefor. Success attend me. Now into truth from untruth do I enter.

6Who is it that unites thee? He unites thee. For what doth he yoke thee? For that he yokes thee. You two for work, you two for its completion.

7Scorched are the fiends, scorched the malignant beings. Burnt out are fiends, burnt out malignant beings. Throughout the spacious middle air I travel.

8Thou art the yoke. Injure thou him who injures. Harm him who harm us. Harm the man we injure. Thou art the Gods’ best carrier, bound most firmly, filled fullest, welcomest, Gods’ best invoker.

9Thou art unbent, receiver of oblations. Stand firmly in thy place and do not totter. Nor be thy Lord of sacrifice unsteady. Let Vishnu mount thee. To the wind lie open. The demons are expelled. Let the five grasp it.

10By impulse of God Savitar I take thee with arms of Asvins, with the hands of Pûshan, Thee dear to Agni, dear to Agni-Soma.

11Thee for abundance, not for evil spirit. May mine eye look upon the light of heaven. May those with doors stand on the earth securely. Throughout the spacious middle air I travel. Upon the navel of the earth I place thee, on Aditi’s lap. Protect the oblation, Agni!

12Ye two are strainers that belong to Vishnu. By Savitar’s impulse, with this flawless strainer I purify you with the rays of Sûrya. Bright Waters, flowing forward, foremost drinkers, lead forward now this sacrifice, lead forward the Sacrifice’s Lord, the God-devoted Lord of the Sacrifice, the liberal giver.

13Indra elected you in fight with Vritra: in fight with Vritra you elected Indra. By over-sprinkling are ye consecrated. I sprinkle thee agreeable to Agni. I sprinkle thee welcome to Agni-Soma. Pure for the work divine be ye, and holy, pure for the sacrifice to Gods. Whatever of yours the impure have by their touch polluted, hereby I cleanse for you from all defilement.

14Giver art thou of happiness. Rejected are