Page:History of India Vol 1.djvu/46

18 "O Pushan, possessed of all wealth, possessed of golden weapons, and chief among beings! bestow on us thy riches.

"Lead us so that enemies who intercept may not harm us; lead us by an easy and pleasant path. O Pushan! devise means (for our safety) on this journey.

"Lead us to pleasant tracts covered with green grass; let there be no extreme heat by the way. O Pushan! devise means (for our safety) on this journey.

"Be powerful in thy protection; fill us with riches; bestow on us wealth; make us strong and give us food! O Pushan! devise means (for our safety) on this journey.

"We do not blame Pushan; but we extol him in our hymns. We solicit wealth from the handsome Pushan."

There is also another interesting hymn on the practice of taking out cattle to pasture-fields and bringing them back. A few verses are worth translating:—

"We call the cowherd, let him take out these cows; let him pasture them in the fields; let him know and pick out the animals; let him bring them back to the house; let him pasture them on all sides.

"The cowherd seeks for the cows and brings them back to the house; he pastures them on all sides. May he come home safe.

"O cowherd! pasture the cows in all directions and bring them back. Pasture them in various parts of the earth and then bring them back."

References to trade and commerce must necessarily