Aitareyabrahmana 3.26

3.26

te devā abruvan gāyatrīṃ.
tvaṃ na imaṃ somaṃ rājānam āhareti.
sā tathety abravīt, tāṃ vai mā sarveṇa svastyayanenānumantrayadhvam iti.
tatheti. sodapatat, tāṃ devāḥ sarveṇa svastyayanenānvamantrayanta:
preti ceti cety. etad vai sarvaṃ svastyayanaṃ yat preti ceti ceti.
tad yo 'sya priyaḥ syāt tam etenānumantrayeta:
preti ceti ceti, svasty eva gachati, svasti punar āgachati
sā patitvā somapālān bhīṣayitvā padbhyāṃ ca mukhena ca somaṃ rājānaṃ
samagṛbhṇād, yāni cetare chandasī akṣarāṇy ajahitāṃ tāni copasamagṛbhṇāt
tasyā anuvisṛjya Kṛśānuḥ somapālaḥ savyasya pado nakham achidat,
tac chalyako 'bhavat, tasmāt sa nakham iva.
yad vaśam asravat sā vaśābhavat,
tasmāt sā havir ivātha yaḥ śalyo yad anīkam āsit sa sarpo nirdaṃśy abhavat,
sahasaḥ svājo.
yāni parṇāni te manthāvalā, yāni snāvāni te gaṇḍūpadā,
yat tejanaṃ so 'ndhāhiḥ.
so sā tatheṣur abhavat

iii. 26 (xiii. 2). The gods said to the Gāyatrī ‘Do thou fetch the Soma, the king, for us.’ ‘Be it so,’ she replied, ‘do ye accompany me with the recitation of the whole (formula for a) safe passage.’ ‘Be it so’ (they said). She flew up; her the gods accompanied with the recitation of the whole (formula for a) safe passage, containing the words ‘forward’ and ‘hither’. (The words) ‘forward’ and ‘hither’ are the whole (formula for a) safe passage; therefore him who is dear to him he should accompany with this (recitation) containing ‘forward’ and ‘hither’; verily safely he goes, safely he returns. She, having flown and having terrified the guardians of the Soma, grasped with foot and mouth Soma the king, and also grasped the syllables which the other two metres had dropped. Having shot at her, Kṛçānu, a Soma guardian, cut off the nail of her left foot; that became a porcupine; therefore is it like a nail. The fat that flowed became the barren cow; therefore is it the oblation as it were. The socket and the point became a serpent, not biting; from its swiftness (came) the viper; the feathers became flying foxes, the sinews earthworms, the shaft the blind snake. Thus became the arrow.