VII.35

✦ ─── ⟐ ─── ✦

Peace, O Viśvedevas! Peace unto us! Let not the wicked ones do us harm. Let not our enemies prevail against us. Keep us safe in this day and in all the days to come.

Grant unto us a safe passage through life. Let the roads before us be clear. Let the obstacles be removed from our path. Let us walk in peace and security, knowing that thou dost guide our footsteps.

The wild beasts of the forest—keep them from our door. The demons and the evil spirits—banish them far from us. The sickness and the plague—turn them aside. The famine and the drought—let them not touch our land. We pray unto you, O mighty ones!

Let our children grow up healthy and strong. Let them be wise and virtuous. Let them honor their parents and respect their teachers. Let them become worthy members of our community. These are our hopes, O gods, and we lay them at your feet.

Let our cattle increase and multiply. Let our crops yield abundantly. Let our granaries be full. Let our families be prosperous. Not for wealth alone do we ask, but for the security that cometh from having what we need.

Guard us from the dangers of the night. Let no thief steal our possessions. Let no enemy approach our home. Let our sleep be peaceful and undisturbed. Let us wake refreshed and ready for the labors of the day.

And when we gather together in friendship and in love, let that gathering be blessed. Let our words be kind; let our actions be just. Let us treat one another with respect and with compassion. Let peace reign in our hearts and in our homes.

O Viśvedevas, we place our trust in you. We know that you are mighty and wise. We know that you care for all your creatures. We know that you will not abandon us, even in times of great trial.

So we pray unto you this day: Grant us peace. Grant us safety. Grant us prosperity. Grant us the wisdom to live righteously. And when our time comes to depart from this world, let us go with honor and with the blessing of the gods.

Let this prayer rise up unto the heavens! Let it reach the ears of all the Viśvedevas! Let them hear the voices of their faithful servants! And let them answer our prayer with the fullness of their divine blessing!

So it is that we pray. So it is that we sacrifice. So it is that we sing. And so it shall be forevermore—until the end of all things, the gods and their people united in the sacred bond that hath endured since the beginning of time.