Aitareyabrahmana 8.9

8.9

Then he steps down onto the branch of the udumbara tree. The udumbara is food and strength; thus he steps down onto food and strength. Sitting above and setting his two feet on the ground, he utters the formula of stepping down: ‘I stand firm on heaven and earth; I stand firm on breath and out-breath; I stand firm on day and night; I stand firm on food and drink; I stand firm in brahman, in the kṣatra, in these three worlds.’ In the end, he stands firm with his whole self. He indeed stands firm in all this, attains ever higher fortune, and attains lordliness and supremacy over creatures—the kṣatriya who, consecrated by this second consecration, steps down thus. Having stepped down with this stepping-down, seated facing east with folded legs, having paid homage to the brahman three times: ‘Homage to the brahman! Homage to the brahman! Homage to the brahman!’, he releases his speech: ‘I grant a wish for victory, for winning, for conquest, for triumph!’ When he pays homage to the brahman three times: ‘Homage to the brahman! Homage to the brahman! Homage to the brahman!’, the kṣatra thereby becomes subject to the brahman. Therefore, where the kṣatra is subject to the brahman, that kingdom is prosperous, rich in heroes, and a hero is born in it. Then, when he releases his speech: ‘I grant a wish for victory, for winning, for conquest, for triumph!’, that which says ‘I give’ is indeed speech won. Releasing speech with: ‘Whatever has been won by speech, according to that may this work of mine be accomplished,’ he rises up and places a kindling-stick upon the āhavanīya fire: ‘A kindling-stick art thou; kindle up with sense-faculty, with virility, svāhā!’ He thereby in the end prospers himself with sense-faculty and virility. Having placed the kindling-stick, he steps three paces forward to the northeast: ‘Thou art the fitness of the quarters; prepare for me toward the gods; may my acquisition and preservation be prepared; may fearlessness be mine.’ Thus he attends to the unconquered quarter, so that what has been won will not be lost again. Thus it is said.