Aitareyabrahmana 2.25

2.25

The gods could not agree on the first drink of King Soma. Each desired: 'May I drink first! May I drink first!' Not agreeing, they said: 'Come, let us run a race; whichever of us shall win, he will drink first of the soma.' 'So be it.' They ran a race. Of them running the race and released, Vāyu reached the front first, then Indra, then Mitra-and-Varuṇa, then the two Aśvins. Indra knew: 'Vāyu is winning.' He flew after him: 'Let us be together, and let us win together.' He said: 'No, I alone will win.' '[Give] me a third, and let us win together.' 'No,' he said, 'I alone will win.' '[Give] me a fourth, and let us win together.' 'So be it.' He admitted him to a fourth; thus Indra became a sharer in a fourth, Vāyu in three parts. Indra-and-Vāyu won together, Mitra-and-Varuṇa together, the two Aśvins together. These are their drinks according to how they won: the first of Indra-and-Vāyu, then of Mitra-and-Varuṇa, then of the two Aśvins. That is the cup with Indra as fourth that is drawn, which is the cup for Indra and Vāyu. Seeing this, the seer recited: 'Possessed of bay teams, having Indra as charioteer…' Therefore even nowadays the Bharatas go forth for the winning of warriors' [booty]; charioteers claim a fourth [part] in accordance with this pattern, because Indra then won having become as it were the charioteer.