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KANDA II
PRAPATHAKA IV
The Special Sacrifices (Continued ....)
1. Offering For One Contending With Foes
ii. 4. 1.
The gods, men, and the Pitrs were on one side, the Asuras, Raksases, and Piçacas on the other. Of the gods the little blood they drew the Raksases smothered by the nights and dawn dawned on them smothered and dead. The gods understood, 'Him who of us dies, it is the Raksases who kill.' They invited the Raksases; they said, 'Let us choose a boon; what [1] we win from the Asuras, let that be shared between us.' Then indeed did the gods conquer the Asuras, and having conquered the Asuras, they drove away the Raksases. The Raksases (saying), 'Ye have done falsely', surrounded the gods on all sides.
The gods found a protector in Agni; they offered to Agni, the forward, a cake on eight potsherds, to Agni, the overcomer, to Agni with the face. In that they offered to Agni, the forward, the Raksases in front [2] they repelled thereby; in that (they offered) to Agni, the overcomer, the Raksases that were around they repelled thereby; in that (they offered) to Agni with the face, the Raksases behind were repelled thereby. That the gods prospered, the Raksases were defeated.
He who has foes should in conflict sacrifice with this offering; he should offer to Agni, the forward, a cake on eight potsherds, to Agni, the overcomer [3], to Agni with the face. In that he offers to Agni, the forward, he repels thereby the foe who is superior to him; in that (he offers) to Agni, the overcomer, he repels thereby (the foe) who is equal to him; in that (he offers) to Agni with the face, he repels thereby the foe which is inferior to him. He repels the foe who is superior, he surpasses him who is like, the inferior does not equal him who knowing thus sacrifices with this offering.
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