Atharvaveda 12.3

Stand, a man (púmāṅs), upon men; go to the hide; call thither her who is dear to thee; of what age (? yā́vant) ye two first came together in the beginning, let that be your same age in Yama's realm.

So much [be] your sight, so many your powers (vīryà), so great your brilliancy (téjas), so many-fold your energies (vā́jina); Agni fastens on (sac) the body when [it is his] fuel (?); then, O paired ones (mithuná), shall ye come into being from what is cooked (pakvá).

Together in this world, together on the [road] the gods travel, together also unite ye (du.) in the realms of Yama; purified by purifiers, call ye to yourselves whatever seed (rétas) came into being from you.

Enter together, ye sons, into the waters, coming together, ye rich in life, unto this living one (m.); of them (f.) share ye the one which (m.) they call immortal, the rice-dish which your (du.) generatrix cooks.

What one your (du.) father cooks, and what one [your] mother, in order to release from evil (riprá) and from pollution of speech—that hundred-streamed, heaven-going rice-dish hath permeated (vi-āp) with greatness both firmaments (nábhas).

Both firmaments, and worlds of both kinds, what heaven-going ones are conquered of the sacrificers—which one of them is chiefly (? ágre) full of light, full of honey, in that combine ye (du.) with your sons in old age.

Take ye (du.) hold upon each forward direction; to this world they that have faith attach themselves (sac); what of you that is cooked is served up in the fire, combine ye, O husband-and-wife, in order to its guarding.

Attaining unto the southern quarter, turn ye (du.) about unto this vessel; in it shall Yama, in concord with the Fathers, assure abundant protection unto your cooked [offering].

This western of the quarters verily is a thing to be preferred, in which Soma is over-ruler and favorer; to it resort (çri) ye (du.); attach yourselves to the well-doers; then, O paired ones, shall ye come into being from what is cooked.

A superior realm, having superiority by progeny, may the northern of the quarters make our (pl.) apex (? ágra); a five-fold (pā́n̄ta) meter hath the man become; may we come into being together with all, having all their limbs.

This fixed [quarter] is virā́j; homage be to it; let it be propitious to [my] sons and to me; do thou, O goddess Aditi, having all choice things, like an active herdsman defend our cooked [offering].

Do thou embrace us, as a father his sons; let propitious winds blow here for us on the earth; what rice-dish the two deities cook here, let that know our penance and also truth.

Whenever the black bird, coming hither, hath sat upon the orifice, surprising (tsar) what is resolved (vi-sañj), or when the barbarian woman (dāsī́) with wet hands smears over—cleanse, ye waters, the mortar [and] pestle.

Let this pressing-stone, broad-based, vigor-bestowing, purified by purifiers, smite away the demon; mount thou the hide; yield great protection; let not the husband-and-wife fall into evil proceeding from sons (pāútra).

The forest tree hath come to us together with the gods, forcing off the demon, the piçācás; he shall rise up (ut-çri), shall speak forth his voice; with him may we conquer all worlds.

Seven sacrifices (médha) the cattle enclosed—which ⌊the relative pronoun⌋ of them was full of light, and which was pining; to them thirty deities attach themselves; do thou (m.) conduct us (pl.) unto the heavenly (svargá) world.

Unto the heavenly world shalt thou conduct us (pl.); may we be united with wife, with sons; I grasp [her (?)] hand; let her (?) come here after me; let not destruction pass us, nor the niggard.

The seizure (grā́hi), evil (pāpmán)—may we go beyond them (pl.); dissipate thou the darkness; mayest thou speak forth what is agreeable; made of forest tree, uplifted, do not injure; do not crush to pieces ⌊vi-çṛ⌋ the god-loving rice-grain.

About to become all-expanded, ghee-backed, go thou, of like origin (sáyoni), unto that world; hand thou (upa-yam) the rain-increased sieve; let that winnow away the husk, the chaff.

The three worlds are commensurate with the brā́hmaṇa: yon heaven, namely, earth, atmosphere; having seized the [soma-] stalks, take ye (du.) hold after; let them swell up (ā-pyā); let them come again to the sieve.

Manifoldly separate [are] the forms of cattle; thou becomest one-formed together with success; that red skin—that thrust thou [away]; the pressing-stone shall cleanse like a fuller (? malagá) the garments.

Thee that art earth I make enter into earth; this like body of thee [is] separated; whatever of thee is burnt (? dyuttá), [or] scratched by driving (árpaṇa); with that do not leak; I cover that over by a spell (bráhman).

Mayest thou welcome as a mother a son; I unite (sam-dhā) thee that art earth with the earth; a kettle, a vessel, do not stagger upon the sacrificial hearth, overhung by the implements of offering [and] by sacrificial butter.

Let Agni, cooking, defend thee on the east; let Indra, with the Maruts, defend on the south; may Varuṇa fix thee in the maintenance (dharúṇa) of the western [quarter]; on the north may Soma give thee together.

Purified with purifiers, they purify themselves from the cloud; they go both to heaven and to earth [as their] worlds; them, lively, rich in life, firm-standing, poured into the vessel (pā́tra), let the fire kindle about.

They come from the sky, they fasten on (sac) the earth; from the earth they fasten upon the atmosphere; being cleansed, they just cleanse themselves; let them conduct us to the heavenly world.

Both as it were prevailing (prabhú) and also commensurate, also bright and clean, immortal—as such do ye, O waters, directed, helping, cook the rich-dish for the two spouses, ye of good refuge.

The numbered drops (stoká) fasten on the earth, being commensurate with breaths-and-expirations, with herbs; being scattered on, unnumbered, of good color, the clean ones have obtained all cleanness.

They struggle up (ud-yudh), they dance on, being heated; they hurl foam and abundant drops (bindú); like a woman that is in her season, seeing her husband, unite yourselves, O waters, with these rice-grains.

Make thou them stand up, as they sit on the bottom; let them touch themselves all over with the waters; I have measured with vessels (pā́tra) the water that is here; measured are the rice-grains that are these directions.

Reach thou forth the sickle (párçu), hasten, take [it] quickly; let them, not harming, cut (dā) the herbs at the joint; they of whom Soma compassed the kingship—let the plants be without wrath toward us.

Strew ye a new barhís for the rice-dish; be it dear to the heart, agreeable to the eye; on it let the gods [and] the divine ones (f.) settle (viç) together; sitting down (ni-sad), let them partake of this with the seasons.

O forest tree, sit on the strewn barhís, being commensurate with the Agni-praises (agniṣṭomá), with the deities; like a form well made by an artisan (tváṣṭṛ) with a knife, so (enā́) let the eager ones be seen round about in the vessel (pā́tra).

In sixty autumns may he (?) seek unto the treasure-keepers; may he attain unto the sky with the cooked [offering]; may both fathers [and] sons live upon him; make thou this one to go unto the heaven-going end of the fire.

A maintainer, maintain thyself in the maintenance of the earth; thee that art unmoved let the deities make to move (cyu); thee shall the two spouses, living, having living sons, cause to remove (ud-vas) out of the fire-holder.

Thou hast come together unto all the worlds, having conquered; however many [be] the desires, thou hast made them wholly satisfied; plunge ye (du.) in—both the stirring-stick [and] the spoon; take thou him up upon one vessel.

Strew thou on, spread forward, smear over with ghee this vessel; as a lowing cow (usrā́) [toward] a young [calf] desiring the teat, do ye, O gods, utter the sound hing toward this one.

Thou hast strewn on, hast made that world; let the broad unequalled heavenly world (svargá) spread itself out; to it shall resort (çri) the mighty eagle; the gods shall reach him forth to the deities.

What in any case thy wife cooks beyond thee, or thy husband, O wife, in secret from thee, that do ye unite; that be yours together; agreeing (? sampāday-) together upon one world.

How many of her fasten on (sac) the earth, what sons came forth into being from us (pl.)—all those do ye (du.) call to you in the vessel;. knowing the navel, the young ones (çíçu) shall come together.

What streams (dhā́rā) of good (vásu) [there are], fattened with honey, mixed with ghee, navels of immortality—all those doth the heaven-goer (? svargá) take possession of; in sixty autumns may he seek unto the treasure-keepers.

He shall seek unto it, [as] treasure-keepers unto a treasure; let those who are others be not lords (ánīçvara) about; given by us, deposited, heaven-going, with three divisions it has ascended to three heavens (svargá).

Let Agni burn the demon that is godless; let the flesh-eating piçācá not have a draught here; we thrust him, we bar him away from us; let the Ādityas, the An̄girases, fasten on him.

To the Ādityas, the An̄girases, I announce this honey mingled with ghee; with cleansed hands, not smiting down [anything of] the Brahman's, go ye (du.), O well-doers, unto this heavenly world (svargá).

I have obtained this highest division of it, from which world the most exalted one obtained [it] completely; pour thou on the butter (sarpís); anoint with ghee; this is the portion of our An̄giras here.

Unto truth, unto penance, and unto the deities, we deliver this deposit (nidhí), [this] treasure (çevadhí); let it not be lost (ava-gā) in our play, nor in the meeting; do not ye release it to another in preference to (purā́) me.

I cook; I give; verily upon my action [and] deed (? karúṇa) the wife; a virgin (? kāúmāra) world hath been born, a son; take ye (du.) hold after vigor (váyas) that hath what is superior.

No offense is here, nor support (? ādhārá), nor that one goes agreeing (sam-am) with friends; this vessel of ours is set down not empty; the cooked [dish] shall enter again him that cooked it.

May we do what is dear to them that are dear; whosoever hate [us], let them go to darkness; milch-cow, draft-ox, each coming vigor (váyas)—let them thrust away the death that comes from men.

The fires ire in concord, one with another—he that fastens on the herbs, and he that [fastens on] the rivers; as many gods as send heat (ā-tap) in the sky—gold hath become the light of him that cooks.

This one of skins (tvác) hath come into being on man; not naked are all the animals (paçú) that are other; ye (du.) cause to wrap (paridhā) yourselves (ātmán) with authority (kṣatrá), a home-woven garment, the mouth of the rice-dish.

What [untruth] thou shalt speak at the dice, what at the meeting, or what untruth thou shalt speak from desire of gain—clothing yourselves (du.) in the same web (tántu), ye shall settle in it all pollution.

Win thou rain; go unto the gods; thou shalt make smoke fly up out of the skin; about to become all-expanded, ghee-backed, go thou, of like origin, unto that world.

The heaven-goer hath variously changed his body, as he finds (? vidé) in himself one of another color; he hath conquered off the black one, purifying a shining one (rúçat); the one that is red, that I offer (hu) to thee in the fire.

To the eastern quarter, to Agni as overlord, to the black [serpent] as defender, to Āditya having arrows, we commit thee here; guard ye him for us until our coming; may he lead on our appointed [life-time] here unto old age; let old age commit us unto death; then may we be united with the cooked [offering].

To the southern quarter, to Indra as overlord, to the cross-lined [serpent] as defender, to Yama having arrows, we commit thee here; guard ye etc. etc.

To the western quarter, to Varuṇa as overlord, to the pṛ́dāku as defender, to food having arrows, we commit thee here; guard ye etc. etc.

To the northern quarter, to Soma as overlord, to the constrictor as defender, to the thunderbolt having arrows, we commit thee here; guard ye etc. etc.

To the fixed quarter, to Vishṇu as overlord, to the spotted-necked [serpent] as defender, to the herbs having arrows, we commit thee here; guard ye etc. etc.

To the upward quarter, to Brihaspati as overlord, to the white [serpent] as defender, to rain having arrows, we commit thee here; guard ye etc. etc.