Santimantras 21 to the supervising deities of speech, and to the sages who discovered and transmitted the Vedic mantras. Brahma, the creator and the Prajapatis, the subsidiary lords of further creation have been propitiated for our happiness. The narrator is promising the concerned persons that he will speak words which are true, beneficial to all beings and which are full of light and knowledge. It ends with a prayer for protection against death. 9. st wea feed! wxtehsem- ama | east awa aig snare Re Ta | wee a farertory ei a aETAT | arutiea aftegar ae: areitstat Ser fifea: | at than ait wna: PT: anf: Ul yaschandasamrsabho viévarapah | chando- bhyo’ dhyamrtathsathbabhaval sa mendro22 Santimantras medhaya sprnotul amrtasya devadharano bhiyasam | éarirarh me vicarsanam | jihva me madhumattamal karnabhyarh bhari- ~ 4 1 1 a vigruvam! brahmanah koéo’si medhaya- pihitah! érutarh me gopayall om éantih =, - Santih santihll “May that Indra (or Paramesvara) who is the greatest in the Vedic hymns, who is of all forms, who has sprung into being from immortal hymns, may he cheer me with intelligence. O God, May I be the possessor of immortality. “May my body be very vigorous. May my tongue be exceedingly sweet. May I hear abundantly with my ears. Thou art the sheath of Brahman, veiled by intelligence. Protect for me, what I have heard.” This is a prayer to be repeated by anyone who is desirous of good health and retentive power of mind. It appears in. the Taittiriya Upanigad (1.4). It is chanted as a éantimantra also. Pranava or Onkara has been praised hereSantimantras 23 as representing Paramegvara or God Himself. It is the best symbol for meditation on God. Since the body, the senses and the mind are the means for atmajfiana or knowledge of the atman, a prayer is addressed to God for strengthening them. The last part of the prayer is for protecting the spiritual wisdom gained by listening to it from the Vedas. 10. aif ae maf fafa ot q ata afetscenferret we; aera aavtten:; aaa ree eT eon Het afeentr, Tay TERRY aTAag FRI FFT att aa: eat: anf orh varime manasi pratisthita mano me vaci pratisthitamaviravirma edhi; vedasya ma ne aT Anisthah; srutarh me ma prahasiranena- dhitenahoratran sandadhamyrtazh vadi- Cotes _t syami satyarh vadisyami; tanmamavatu