69 Happily let the shares turn up the ploughland, happily go the ploughers with the oxen!

Suna and Stra, pleased with our oblation, cause ye our plants to bear abundant fruitage.

70 Approved by Visvedevas and by Maruts, balmed be the furrow with sweet-flavoured fatness.

Succulent, teeming with thy milky treasure, turn hitherward to us with milk, O Furrow.

71 The keen-shared plough that bringeth bliss, good for the Soma-drinker's need,

Shear out for me a cow, a sheep, a rapid drawer of the car, a blooming woman, plump and strong!

72 Milk out their wish, O Wishing-Cow, to Mitra and to Varuna, To Indra, to the Asvins, to Pushan, to people and to plants. 73 Be loosed, inviolable, Godward-farers! We have attained the limit of this darkness: we have won the light. 74 The year together with the darksome fortnights; Dawn with the ruddy-coloured cows about her; the Aşvins with their wonderful achievements; the Sun together with his dappled Courser; Vaiṣvânara with Iḍâ and with butter. Svâhâ!

75 Herbs that sprang up in time of old, three ages earlier than the Gods,

Of these, whose hue is brown, will I declare the hundred powers and seven.

69 On the site of the Altar, near the enclosing stones, he ploughs four furrows, south, west, north, and east, with four texts, one for each furrow. The first text is from A. V. III. 17. 5, the first half being taken from R. V. IV. 57. 8. Suna and Sira: two deities or deified objects which bless or are closely connected with agriculture. See A. V. IIĮ. 17, 5, note.

70 Taken from A. V. III. 17. 9.

71 Taken from A. V. HI. 17. 3. with a variation. See S. B. E. XLI. 328. 72 O Wishing-Cow: O Furrow, productive as the Cow of Plenty.

73 He looses and addresses the oxen. Inviolable: aghnya, not to be slain or injured. The word is usually applied to cows. Godward farers: as assistants at sacrifice. Limit of this darkness: R. V. I. 92. 6. Darkness here meaning distress arising from hunger and thirst, according to Mahidhara. 74 He places a bunch of Kus grass in the middle of the Altar site and offers an oblation with five takings of sacrificial butter, reciting the formula of thirteen utterances (Svâ-hâ, divided, counting as two) each of which represents a layer of the Fire-altar. See S. B. E. XLI. 334.

75 Having poured fifteen jars of water on the Altar site he sows the seed of various plants and herbs reciting five triplets. Verses 75-96 are taken from R. V. X. 97 which is a physician's charm addressed to the medicinal herbs, some of which he is about to apply to a patient. Pakaru: perhaps dyspepsia; or some disease of the mouth, abscess or gumboil,

76 Ye, Mothers, have a hundred homes, yea, and a thousand are

your growths.

Do ye who have a thousand powers free this my patient from disease.

77 Be glad and joyful in the Plants, both blossoming and bearing fruit,

Plants that will lead us to success like mares who conquer in the race.

78 Plants, by this name I speak to you, Mothers, to you the Goddesses:

Steed, cow, and garment may I win, win back thy very self,
O man.

79 The Holy Fig tree is your home, your mansion is the Parna

tree:

Winners of cattle shall ye be if ye regain for me this man. 80 He who hath store of Herbs at hand like Kings amid a crowd of men,

Physician is that sage's name, fiend-slayer, chaser of disease. 81 Herbs rich in Soma, rich in steeds, in nourishment, in strengthening power,

All these have I provided here, that this man may be whole again.

82 The healing virtues of the Plants stream forth like cattle from the stall,-

Plants that shall win me store of wealth, and save thy vital breath, O man.

83 Reliever is your mother's name, and hence Restorers are ye called.

Rivers are ye with wings that fly keep far whatever brings disease.

84 Over all fences have they passed, as steals a thief into the fold. The Plants have driven from the frame whatever malady was there.

85 When, bringing back the vanished strength, I hold these herbs within my hand,

The spirit of disease departs ere he can seize upon the life. 86 He through whose frame, O Plants, ye creep member by member, joint by joint,—

From him ye drive away disease like some strong arbiter of strife.

87 Fly, Spirit of Disease, begone, with the blue jay and kingfisher.

Fly, with the wind's impetuous speed, vanish together with

the storm.

88 Help every one the other, lend assistance each of you to each,

All of you be accordant, give furtherance to this speech of miue.

89 Let fruitful Plants, and fruitless, those that blossom, and the blossomless,

Urged onward by Bribaspati, release us from our pain and grief;

90 Realese me from the curse's plague and woe that comes from Varuņa;

Free me from Yama's fetter, from sin and offence against the
Gods.

91 What time, descending from the sky, the Plants flew earthward, thus they spake :

No evil shall befall the man whom while he liveth we pervade.

92 Of all the many Plants whose King is Soma, Plants of hundred forms,

Thou art the Plant most excellent, prompt to the wish, sweet to the heart.

93 O all ye various Herbs whose King is Soma, that o'erspread the earth,

Urged onward by Brihaspati, combine your virtue in this
Plant.

94 All Plants that hear this speech, and those that have departed far away,

Come all assembled and confer your healing power upon this Herb.

95 Unharmed be he who digs you up, unharmed the man for whom I dig:

And let no malady attack biped or quadruped of ours.

96 With Soma as their Sovran Lord the Plants hold colloquy and say:

O King, we save from death the man whose cure a Brâhman undertakes.

97 Most excellent of all art thou, O Plant: thy vassals are the trees.

Let him be subject to our power, the man who seeks to injure us.

98 Banisher of catarrh art thou, of tumours and of hemorrhoids;

Thou banishest Pâkâru and Consumption in a hundred forms.

99 Thee did Gandharvas dig from earth, thee Indra and Brihaspati.

King Soma, knowing thee, O Plant, from his Consumption was made free.

100 Conquer mine enemies, the men who challenge me do thou subdue.

Conquer thou all unhappiness; victorious art thou, O Plant. 101 Long-lived be he who digs thee, Plant, and he for whom I dig thee up.

So mayst thou also, grown long-lived, rise upward with a hundred shoots.

102 Most excellent of all art thou, O Plant; thy vassals are the trees.

Let him be subject to our power, the man who seeks to injure us.

103 May he not harm me who is earth's begetter, nor he whose laws are faithful, sky's pervader;

Nor he who first begot the lucid waters. To Ka the God let us present oblation.

104 Turn thyself hitherward, O Earth, to us with sacrifice and milk.

Thy covering skin Agni, urged forth, hath mounted.

105 All, Agni, that in thee is bright, pure, cleansed, and meet for sacrifice,

That do we bring unto the Gods.

106 I from this place have fed on strength and vigour, the womb of holy Law, stream of the mighty.

In cows let it possess me and in bodies. I quit decline and lack of food, and sickness."

107 Agni, life-power and fame are thine: thy fires blaze mightily, thou rich in wealth of beams!

Sage, passing bright, thou givest to the worshipper, with strength, the food that merits laud.

108 With brilliant, purifying sheen, with perfect sheen thou liftest up thyself in light.

Thou, visiting both thy Mothers, aidest them as Son: thou joinest close the earth and heaven.

103 With the wooden sword he takes from outside the fire altar four bricks, each made of a lump of clay, and lays them on the body of the altar site, reciting a text as he deposits each. The first is from the front. Earth's begetter: Prajapatî.

104 He lays down a brick from the south. Covering skin the surface of the earth.

105 He lays down a clay brick from behind.

106 He lays down a clay brick from the north.

107 He throws sand on the High Altar with six verses from R. V. X. 140.

109 O Jâtavedas, Son of Strength, rejoice thyself, gracious, in our fair hymns and songs.

In thee are treasured various forms of strengthening food, born nobly and of wondrous help.

110 Agni, spread forth, as Ruler, over living things: give wealth to us, Immortal God.

Thou shinest out from beauty fair to look upon: thou leadest us to conquering power.

111 To him, the wise, who orders sacrifice, who hath great riches under his control,

Thou givest blest award of good, and plenteous food, givest him wealth that conquers all.

112 The men have set before them for their welfare Agni, strong, visible to all, the Holy.

Thee, Godlike One, with ears to hear, most famous, men's generations magnify with praise-songs.

113 Soma, wax great. From every side may vigorous powers unite in thee.

Be in the gathering-place of strength.

114 In thee be juicy nutriments united, and power and mighty foe-subduing vigour.

Waxing to immortality, 0 Soma, win highest glory for thyself in heaven.

115 Wax, ✪ most gladdening Soma, great through all thy filaments, and be

A friend of most illustrious fame to prosper us,

116 May Vatsa draw thy mind away, even from thy loftiest dwelling-place,

Agni, with song that yearns for thee.

117 Agni, best Angiras, to thee all people who have pleasant homes

Apart have turned to gain their wish.

118 In dear homes, Agni, the desire of all that is and is to be, Shines forth the One Imperial Lord.

113 He touches the sand that has been spread on the body of the altar, reciting the texts taken from R. V. I. 91. 16, 18, 17.

116 The following verses are addressed to the Fires as they are led forward, preceded by a horse, a white one by preference, representing Agni as the Sun; or, if no horse is available, by a bullock (see Sacred Books of the East, XII. 297). The first verse is taken from R. V. VIII. 11. 7.

117 Taken from R. V. VIII. 43. 18.