May all dangers be swept away, Ruci prayed fervently, so that no harm would come to the people—from Rakshasas, spirits, fierce demons, and every threatening force. He invoked the protection of the Agniṣvāttas, the Barhiṣads, the Ājyapās, and the Somapās—the noble groups of ancestors. Ruci entreated the Agniṣvātta ancestors to guard the eastern direction, the Ājyapās to watch over the west, and the Somapās to protect the north, shielding all from Rakshasas, spirits, ghosts, and the faults brought by demons. He praised the ancestors, describing them as universal, the enjoyers of all, worthy of worship, righteous, blessed, and possessing auspicious faces. He called them the most auspicious, the givers and sources of all good, the blessed ones and the refuge of the purest fortune. Their excellence was supreme; they were bestowers of boons, givers of satisfaction and nourishment. Great in soul, honored and strong, they possessed unparalleled might. Among these ancestors, one bestows happiness, another grants wealth, another gives righteousness, and yet another confers existence itself. Indeed, these thirty-one groups of ancestors pervade the entire universe. As Ruci offered his praises, a great radiance arose from the combined energy of the ancestors. The brilliance was so immense that it enveloped the whole world. Awed by this dazzling light, Ruci bowed and spoke with deep reverence, “I always bow to those meditators endowed with divine vision.” He paid homage to the leaders among Indra and the other gods, to Daksha and Marichi, to the Manus, to the Sun and the Moon, to the stars and planets, and to the mighty forces of wind, fire, and sky. He offered his respects to Prajapati, to Kashyapa, to Soma, and to Varuna; to the seven groups and the seven worlds; to the groups of ancestors who support Soma and those who possess yogic forms; to those ancestors who have the form of fire and all others as well. He honored those in the form of radiance, those who embody Soma, the Sun, and Fire, and to all such yogic ancestors, he offered his concentrated devotion. Thus, as Ruci praised them, the radiant ancestors received his offerings of fragrant flowers and ointments. Bowing with devotion and hands joined, Ruci paid homage again. Pleased by his devotion, the ancestors spoke to Ruci, the best of sages. Ruci expressed his heartfelt wish: “I desire a wife who is blessed, divine, and fruitful with offspring.” The ancestors replied, “From her, a son will be born to you, O best of sages! He will be the wise ruler of the Manvantara, bearing your name. He, too, will have many mighty and valiant sons. And you, becoming a progenitor, will create the four kinds of beings.” The ancestors further declared, “Any man who pleases us with devotion by this hymn will attain longevity, health, wealth, and also sons, grandsons, and more. Whoever, with devotion, recites this hymn that brings us joy during ancestral rites, by hearing and delighting in its recitation when the ancestors are present—even if the rite is performed without a learned priest, or if it is deficient, or if it is carried out with improper offerings or by those unfit, or even by men without faith who act with hypocrisy—wherever this hymn is recited during the ancestral rite, it brings happiness.” “And for twelve years, especially in winter, this hymn grants satisfaction to the ancestors.” Thus, Ruci’s heartfelt praises and offerings not only brought blessings upon himself, but also revealed the power of devotion and the grace of the ancestors for all who honor them with sincerity.