Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa ("of a hundred paths") 11.4.3

Pragâpati was becoming heated (by fervid devotion), whilst creating living beings. From him, worn out and heated, Srî (Fortune and Beauty) came forth. She stood there resplendent, shining, and trembling. The gods, beholding her thus resplendent, shining, and trembling, set their minds upon her.

They said to Pragâpati, 'Let us kill her and take (all) this from her.' He said, 'Surely, that Srî is a woman, and people do not kill a woman, but rather take (anything) from her (leaving her) alive.'

Agni then took her food, Soma her royal power, Varuna her universal sovereignty, Mitra her noble rank, Indra her power, Brihaspati her holy lustre, Savitri her dominion, Pûshan her wealth, Sarasvatî her prosperity, and Tvashtri her beautiful forms.

She said to Pragâpati, 'Surely, they have taken (all) this from me!' He said, 'Do thou ask it back from them by sacrifice!'

She perceived this offering with ten sacrificial dishes--a cake on eight potsherds for Agni, a pap for Soma, a cake on ten potsherds for Varuna, a pap for Mitra, a cake on eleven potsherds for Indra, a pap for Brihaspati, a cake on twelve or eight potsherds for Savitri, a pap for Pûshan, a pap for Sarasvatî, and a cake on ten potsherds for Tvashtri.

She invited them by means of this invitatory formula,--'May Agni, Soma, Varuna, Mitra, Indra, Brihaspati, and the thousandfold-bestowing Savitri,--May Pûshan, for our Sacrifices, unite us with cattle, Sarasvatî with favour, Tvashtri with beautiful forms!' They accordingly made their appearance again.

By this offering-formula she then approached them in inverted order (beginning) from the last:--'May Tvashtri grant me forms, and the bountiful Sarasvatî, and Pûshan good fortune, and may Savitri bestow gifts on me, and Indra power, and Mitra noble rank, and Varuna, and Soma and Agni!' They were ready to restore them to her.

She perceived these additional oblations:--'May Agni, the food-eater, the food-lord, bestow food upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Agni, taking the oblation, departed and restored her food to her.

'May Soma, the king, the lord of kings, bestow royal power upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Soma, taking the oblation, departed and restored her royal power to her.

'May Varuna, the universal sovereign, the lord of universal sovereigns, bestow universal sovereignty upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Varuna, taking the oblation, departed and restored her universal sovereignty to her.

'May Mitra, the Kshatra (nobility), the lord of the Kshatra, bestow noble rank upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Mitra, taking the oblation, departed and restored her noble rank to her.

'May Indra, the power, the lord of power, bestow power upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Indra, taking the oblation, departed and restored her power to her.

'May Brihaspati, the Brahman (priesthood), the lord of the Brahman, bestow holy lustre upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Brihaspati, taking the oblation, departed and restored her holy lustre to her.

'May Savitri, the kingdom, the lord of the kingdom, bestow the kingdom upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Savitri, taking the oblation, departed and restored her kingdom to her.

'May Pûshan, wealth, the lord of wealth, bestow wealth upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Pûshan, taking the oblation, departed and restored her wealth to her.

'May Sarasvatî, prosperity, the lord of prosperity, bestow prosperity upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Sarasvatî, taking the oblation, departed and restored her prosperity to her.

'May Tvashtri, the fashioner of forms, the lord of forms, bestow cattle with form upon me at this sacrifice, svâhâ!' Tvashtri, taking the oblation, departed and restored her cattle with (beautiful) form to her.

These, then, are ten deities, ten sacrificial dishes,. ten offerings, ten presents to priests,--the Virâg consists of decad after decad (of syllables), and the Virâg (shining one) is Srî (beauty, prosperity): he thus establishes (the Sacrificer) in the Virâg, in prosperity and food.

For this (sacrifice) there are fifteen kindling-verses: he offers to the deities in a low voice. There are five fore-offerings, three after-offerings, and one Samishtayagus. The (formulas of the) two butter-portions contain the word 'affluence':--(Rig-veda S. I, 1, 3), 'Through Agni may he obtain wealth and affluence day by day, famous and abounding in heroes;'--(Rig-veda S. I, 91, 12), 'An increaser of the house, a remover of trouble, a procurer of wealth, an augmenter of affluence, a kind friend he thou unto us, O Soma!' The two formulas of the Svishtakrit contain the word 'thousand':--(Rig-veda S. III, 13, 7), 'Grant thou unto us wealth, a thousandfold, with offspring and affluence, and glorious manhood, O Agni, most excellent and never failing!'--(Rig-veda S. III, 13, 6), 'Favour thou our prayer, as the best invoker of the gods for our hymns: blaze up auspiciously for us, wind-fanned, O Agni, the dispenser of a thousand bounties!'

Now, indeed, it was Gotama Râhûgana who discovered this (sacrifice). It went away to Ganaka of Videha, and he searched for it in the Brâhmanas versed in the Aṅgas (limbs of the Veda), and found it in Yâgñavalkya. He said, 'A thousand we give thee, O Yâgñavalkya, in whom we have found that Mitravindâ.' He finds (vind) Mitra, and his is the kingdom, he conquers recurring death and gains all life, whosoever, knowing this, performs this sacrifice; or whosoever thus knows it.