Containing 14 sacred Sanskrit shlokas with multi-author commentaries and translations.
परं॑ मृत्यो॒ अनु॒ परे॑हि॒ पन्थां॒ यस्ते॒ स्व इत॑रो देव॒याना॑त् चक्षु॑ष्मते शृण्व॒ते ते॑ ब्रवीमि॒ मा नः॑ प्र॒जां री॑रिषो॒ मोत वी॒रान्
"Go hence, O Death, pursue thy special pathway apart from that which Gods are wont to travel. To thee I say it who hast eyes and hearest: Touch not our offspring, injure not our heroes."
मृ॒त्योः प॒दं यो॒पय॑न्तो॒ यदैत॒ द्राघी॑य॒ आयुः॑ प्रत॒रं दधा॑नाः आ॒प्याय॑मानाः प्र॒जया॒ धने॑न शु॒द्धाः पू॒ता भ॑वत यज्ञियासः
"As ye have come effacing Mrtyu's footstep, to further times prolonging your existence, May ye be rich in children and possessions. cleansed, purified, and meet for sacrificing."
इ॒मे जी॒वा वि मृ॒तैराव॑वृत्र॒न्नभू॑द्भ॒द्रा दे॒वहू॑तिर्नो अ॒द्य प्राञ्चो॑ अगाम नृ॒तये॒ हसा॑य॒ द्राघी॑य॒ आयुः॑ प्रत॒रं दधा॑नाः
"Divided from the dead are these, the living: now be our calling on the Gods successful. We have gone forth for dancing and for laughter, tofurther times prolonging our existence."
इ॒मं जी॒वेभ्यः॑ परि॒धिं द॑धामि॒ मैषां॒ नु गा॒दप॑रो॒ अर्थ॑मे॒तम् श॒तं जी॑वन्तु श॒रदः॑ पुरू॒चीर॒न्तर्मृ॒त्युं द॑धतां॒ पर्व॑तेन
"Here I erect this rampart for the living; let none of these, none other, reach this limit. May they survive a hundred lengthened autumns, and may they bury Death beneath this mountain."
यथाहा॑न्यनुपू॒र्वं भव॑न्ति॒ यथ॑ ऋ॒तव॑ ऋ॒तुभि॒र्यन्ति॑ सा॒धु यथा॒ न पूर्व॒मप॑रो॒ जहा॑त्ये॒वा धा॑त॒रायूं॑षि कल्पयैषाम्
"As the days follow days in close succession, as with the seasons duly come the seasons, As each successor fails not his foregoer, so form the lives of these, O great Ordainer."
आ रो॑ह॒तायु॑र्ज॒रसं॑ वृणा॒ना अ॑नुपू॒र्वं यत॑माना॒ यति॒ ष्ठ इ॒ह त्वष्टा॑ सु॒जनि॑मा स॒जोषा॑ दी॒र्घमायुः॑ करति जी॒वसे॑ वः
"Live your full lives ap! find old age delightful, all of you striving one behind the other. May Tvashṭar, maker of fair things, be gracious and lengthen out the days of your existence."
इ॒मा नारी॑रविध॒वाः सु॒पत्नी॒राञ्ज॑नेन स॒र्पिषा॒ सं वि॑शन्तु अ॒न॒श्रवो॑ऽनमी॒वाः सु॒रत्ना॒ आ रो॑हन्तु॒ जन॑यो॒ योनि॒मग्रे॑
"Let these unwidowed dames with noble husbands adorn themselves with fragrant balm and unguent. Decked with fair jewels, tearless, free from sorrow, first let the dames go up to where he lieth."
उदी॑र्ष्व नार्य॒भि जी॑वलो॒कं ग॒तासु॑मे॒तमुप॑ शेष॒ एहि॑ ह॒स्त॒ग्रा॒भस्य॑ दिधि॒षोस्तवे॒दं पत्यु॑र्जनि॒त्वम॒भि सं ब॑भूथ
"Rise, come unto the world of life, O woman: come, he is lifeless by whose side thou liest. Wifehood with this thy husband was thy portion, who took thy hand and wooed thee as a lover."
धनु॒र्हस्ता॑दा॒ददा॑नो मृ॒तस्या॒स्मे क्ष॒त्राय॒ वर्च॑से॒ बला॑य अत्रै॒व त्वमि॒ह व॒यं सु॒वीरा॒ विश्वाः॒ स्पृधो॑ अ॒भिमा॑तीर्जयेम
"From his dead hand I take the bow be carried, that it may be our power and might and glory. There art thou, there; and here with noble heroes may we o'ercome all hosts that fight against us."
उप॑ सर्प मा॒तरं॒ भूमि॑मे॒तामु॑रु॒व्यच॑सं पृथि॒वीं सु॒शेवा॑म् ऊर्ण॑म्रदा युव॒तिर्दक्षि॑णावत ए॒षा त्वा॑ पातु॒ निर्ऋ॑तेरु॒पस्था॑त्
"Betake thee to the Iap of Earth the Mother, of Earth far-spreading, very kind and gracious. Young Dame, wool-soft unto the guerdongiver, may she preserve thee from Destruction's bosom."
उच्छ्व॑ञ्चस्व पृथिवि॒ मा नि बा॑धथाः सूपाय॒नास्मै॑ भव सूपवञ्च॒ना मा॒ता पु॒त्रं यथा॑ सि॒चाभ्ये॑नं भूम ऊर्णुहि
"Heave thyself, Earth, nor press thee downward heavily: afford him easy access, gently tending him. Cover him, as a mother wraps her skirt about her child, O Earth."
उ॒च्छ्वञ्च॑माना पृथि॒वी सु ति॑ष्ठतु स॒हस्रं॒ मित॒ उप॒ हि श्रय॑न्ताम् ते गृ॒हासो॑ घृत॒श्चुतो॑ भवन्तु वि॒श्वाहा॑स्मै शर॒णाः स॒न्त्वत्र॑
"Now let the heaving earth be free from motion: yea,– let a thousand clods remain above him. Be they to him a home distilling fatness, here let them ever be his place of refuge."
उत्ते॑ स्तभ्नामि पृथि॒वीं त्वत्परी॒मं लो॒गं नि॒दध॒न्मो अ॒हं रि॑षम् ए॒तां स्थूणां॑ पि॒तरो॑ धारयन्तु॒ तेऽत्रा॑ य॒मः साद॑ना ते मिनोतु
"I stay the earth from thee, while over thee I place this piece of earth. May I be free from injury. Here let the Fathers keep this pillar firm for thee, and there let Yama make thee an abiding-place."
प्र॒ती॒चीने॒ मामह॒नीष्वाः॑ प॒र्णमि॒वा द॑धुः प्र॒तीचीं॑ जग्रभा॒ वाच॒मश्वं॑ रश॒नया॑ यथा
"Even as an arrow's feathers, they have set me on a fitting day. The fit word have I caught and held as 'twere a courser with the rein."