Sukta 21

Mantra 1

गावः। आ गावो॑ अग्मन्नु॒त भ॒द्रम॑क्र॒न्त्सीद॑न्तु गो॒ष्ठे र॒णय॑न्त्व॒स्मे। प्र॒जाव॑तीः पुरु॒रूपा॑ इ॒ह स्यु॒रिन्द्रा॑य पू॒र्वीरु॒षसो॒ दुहा॑नाः

The Cows. Hither have the cows come; moreover they have wrought good fortune. Let them sit within the cow-stall; let them take delight among us. Fruitful, of many forms, may they be here—many as the Dawns—milking for Indra.

Mantra 2

इन्द्रो॒ यज्व॑ने गृण॒ते च॒ शिक्ष॑त॒ उपेद् द॑दाति॒ न स्वं मु॑षायति । भूयो॑भूयो र॒यिमिद॑स्य व॒र्धय॑न्नभि॒न्ने खि॒ल्ये नि द॑धाति देव॒युम्

Indra to the sacrificer, and to the praising singer, gives guidance; he verily bestows, he steals not what is one’s own. Again and yet again increasing this man’s wealth, he sets the god-devoted one firm in unbroken pasture-land.

Mantra 3

न ता न॑शन्ति॒ न द॑भाति॒ तस्क॑रो॒ नासा॑मामि॒त्रो व्य॒थिरा द॑धर्षति । दे॒वांश्च याभि॒र्यज॑ते॒ ददा॑ति च॒ ज्योगित् ताभिः॑ सचते॒ गोप॑तिः स॒ह

They perish not; the thief harms them not; no enemy, making terror, dares assail them. With them wherewith he worships the Gods and gives, for long time indeed with them abides the Lord of Cows, together.

Mantra 4

न ता अर्वा॑ रे॒णुक॑काटोऽश्नुते॒ न सं॑स्कृत॒त्रमुप॑ यन्ति॒ ता अ॒भि। उ॒रु॒गा॒यमभ॑यं॒ तस्य॒ ता अनु॒ गावो॒ मर्त॑स्य॒ वि च॑रन्ति॒ यज्व॑नः

No horse—Reṇukakāṭa—overtakes them; no well-laid snare comes up against them. Under the Wide-going One’s fearlessness, after him, the cows of the mortal sacrificer range abroad unhindered.

Mantra 5

गावो॒ भगो॒ गाव॒ इन्द्रो॑ म इच्छा॒द् गावः॒ सोम॑स्य प्रथ॒मस्य॑ भ॒क्षः । इ॒मा या गावः॒ स ज॑नास॒ इन्द्र॑ इ॒च्छामि॑ हृ॒दा मन॑सा चि॒दिन्द्र॑म्

Cows are Bhaga; cows—Indra—may desire me; cows are the foremost portion of Soma. These cows which (are mine to win)—he is Indra among men: Indra I desire, with heart, with mind—yea, Indra.

Mantra 6

यू॒यं गा॑वो मेदयथ कृ॒शं चि॑दश्री॒रं चि॑त् कृणुथा सु॒प्रती॑कम्। भ॒द्रं गृ॒हं कृ॑णुथ भद्रवाचो बृ॒हद् वो॒ वय॑ उच्यते स॒भासु॑

Ye Cows, make ye the lean one fat; yea, even the luckless make ye of fair aspect. Make ye the house auspicious, of auspicious speech: great is your life-giving power, so is it proclaimed in the assemblies.

Mantra 7

प्र॒जाव॑तीः सू॒यव॑से रु॒शन्तीः॑ शु॒द्धा अ॒पः सु॑प्रपा॒णे पिब॑न्तीः । मा व॑ स्ते॒न ई॑शत॒ माघशं॑सः॒ परि॑ वो रु॒द्रस्य॑ हे॒तिर्वृ॑णक्तु

Fruitful, shining, to good pasture bound, pure—drinking the waters at the well-provided watering-place—let not the thief get mastery over you, nor the evil-reviler: round about you let Rudra’s weapon fence you in.