drona spoke:
94.45
O scion of Bharata the blessing of the Spirit and Creator upon you. The blessing of the twiceborn and of all the good snakes of the earth upon you. The eternal blessing of Yayati and Nahusha, of
Dhundhu·mara and
Bhagi·ratha and all the philosopher kings upon you. May all that lives and all that runs scuttles and slithers bless you without end in the great battle to come. May
Svaha,
Svadha and
Shachi lay their blessing upon you. May
Lakshmi and
Arundhati lay their blessing upon your pure soul. The blessing of
Asita Devala, of Vishva·mitra and Angiras,
Vasishtha and Kashyapa upon this king. May
Dhatri and
Vidhatri and
Lokesha and the quarters of the air and they that guard them and sixheaded
Karttikeya bestow their blessing upon you. The eternal blessing of the holy sun upon you and of the planets and of the sky and of the spaces above us and of the earth below and of the four elephants that bear it up. O king may the great Serpent deep underground that ever shapes the fertile earth bestow his blessing upon you.
94.50
Long ago Vritra child of
Diti invaded Gandhara and cast down the great gods in legion. He left them battered and afraid, with their strength and splendour gone. So Indra led the sky’s denizens to
Brahma and they begged him to protect them from the archdemon.
the gods spoke:
O lord of our kind. Vritra has crushed us. Show us the way o god of gods and banish this fear from our hearts.