Aitareyabrahmana 3.7

3.7

trayo vai vaṣaṭkārā: vajro dhāmachad riktah
sa yam evoccair bali vaṣaṭkaroti sa vajras
taṃ-tam praharati dviṣate bhrātṛvyāya vadhaṃ,
yo 'sya stṛtyas tasmai startavai.
tasmāt sa bhrātṛvyavatā vaṣaṭkṛtyo
'tha yaḥ samaḥ saṃtato 'nirhāṇarcaḥ sa dhāmachat
taṃ-tam prajāś ca paśavaś cānūpatiṣṭhānte.
tasmāt sa prajākāmena paśukāmena vaṣaṭkṛtyo
'tha yenaiva ṣaḷ avarādhnoti sa rikto
riṇakty ātmānaṃ riṇakti yajamānam,
pāpīyān vaṣaṭkartā bhavati pāpīyān yasmai vaṣaṭkaroti.
tasmāt tasyāśāṃ neyāt
kiṃ sa yajamānasya pāpabhadram ādriyeteti ha smāha yo 'sya hotā syād ity.
atraivainaṃ yathā kāmayeta tathā kuryād
yaṃ kāmayeta: yathaivānījāno 'bhūt tathaivejānaḥ syād iti,
yathaivāsya ṛcam brūyāt tathaivāsya vaṣaṭkuryāt.
sadṛśam evainaṃ tat karoti
yaṃ kāmayeta: pāpīyān syād ity,
uccaistarām asya ṛcam uktvā śanaistarāṃ vaṣaṭkuryāt.
pāpīyāṃsam evainaṃ tat karoti
yaṃ kāmayeta:
śreyān syād iti, śanaistarām asya ṛcam uktvoccaistarāṃ vaṣaṭkuryāc.
chriya evainaṃ tac chriyām ādadhāti
saṃtatam ṛcā vaṣaṭkṛtyaṃ, saṃtatyai
saṃdhīyate prajayā paśubhir ya evaṃ veda

iii. 7 (xi. 7). There are three _vaṣaṭ_ calls, the thunderbolt, the hider of his abode, the empty. The _vaṣaṭ_ call which he makes aloud and forcibly is the thunderbolt; it he hurls as a missile at the rival who hates him to lay him low whom he should lay low. Therefore is it the _vaṣaṭ_ to be said by one with rivals. That which is even, continuous, and without loss of (part of) the verse, is the hider of his abode; on it depend offspring and cattle; therefore it is the _vaṣaṭ_ to be said by one desiring offspring and cattle. That one wherein the _ṣaṭ_ fails is the empty; he empties himself, he empties the sacrificer; the sayer of _vaṣaṭ_ becomes worse, he becomes worse for whom he says _vaṣaṭ_. Therefore he should not desire it. 'Should he consider the good and evil of the sacrificer', he used to say, 'whose Hotṛ he is?' He should do to him herein as he may desire. If he desire of a man 'As he has been before sacrificing, so let him be after sacrificing', he should say the _vaṣaṭ_ call for him as he recites the Ṛc for him; verily thus he makes him the same. If he desire of a man 'Let him be worse', having recited the Ṛc for him in a more raised tone he should say the _vaṣaṭ_ call in a more depressed tone; verily thus he makes him worse. If he desire of a man 'May he be better', having recited the Ṛc for him in a more depressed tone, he should say the _vaṣaṭ_ call in a more raised tone; from prosperity he places him in prosperity. The _vaṣaṭ_ is said continuously with the Ṛc, for continuity; he is united with offspring and cattle who knows thus.