THE TEXT · ATHARVAVEDA
Hymns discussed in this article
Begin with the verses shown here. Open the other cited hymns to compare their images and aims.
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK III IN FOCUS
To Agni and other gods: for various blessings
This is thy seasonable womb (yóni), whence born thou didst shine; knowing it, O Agni, ascend thou; then increase our wealth.
O Agni, speak unto us here; be turned toward us with good-will; bestow upon us, O lord of the people (víç); giver of riches art thou to us.
Let Aryaman bestow upon us, let Bhaga, let Brihaspati, let the goddesses; let the divine Sūnṛtā also assign wealth to me.
King Soma [and] Agni we call to aid with [our] songs (gír); [also] Āditya, Vishṇu, Sūrya, and the priest (brahmán) Brihaspati.
Read the remaining 6 verses of III.20
Do thou, O Agni, with the fires (agní), increase our worship (bráhman) and sacrifice; do thou, O god, stir us up to give, unto giving wealth.
Indra-and-Vāyu, both of them here, we call here with good call, that to us even every man may be well-willing in intercourse, and may become desirous of giving to us.
Do thou stir up Aryaman, Brihaspati, Indra, unto giving; [also] Vāta (wind), Vishṇu, Sarasvatī, and the vigorous (vājín) Savitar.
In the impulse (prasavá) of vigor (? vā́ja) now have we come into being, and all these beings within. Both let him, foreknowing, cause him to give who is unwilling to give, and do thou confirm to us wealth having all heroes.
Let the five directions yield (duh) to me, let the wide ones yield according to their strength; may I obtain all my designs, with mind and heart.
A kine-winning voice may I speak; with splendor do thou arise upon me; let Vāyu (wind) enclose (ā-rudh) on all sides; let Tvashṭar assign to me abundance.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read III.20 at Wikisource ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK III ALSO CITED
For success in trade
Read comparison hymn III.15 (8 verses)
I stir up (cud) the trader Indra; let him come to us, be our forerunner; thrusting [away] the niggard, the waylaying wild animal, let him, having the power (īç), be giver of riches to me.
The many roads, travelled by the gods, that go about (sam-car) between heaven-and-earth—let them enjoy me with milk, with ghee, that dealing (krī) I may get (ā-hṛ) riches.
With fuel, O Agni, with ghee, I, desiring, offer the oblation, in order to energy (táras), to strength;—revering with worship (bráhman), so far as I am able—this divine prayer (dhī́), in order to hundred-fold winning.
This offense (? çaráṇi) of ours mayest thou, O Agni, bear with (mṛṣ), what distant road we have gone. Successful (çuná) for us be bargain and sale; let return-dealing make me fruitful; do ye two enjoy this oblation in concord; successful for us be our going about and rising.
With what riches I practise (car) bargaining, seeking riches with riches, ye gods—let that become more for me, not less; O Agni, put down (ni-sidh) with the oblation the gain-slaying gods.
With what riches I practise bargaining, seeking riches with riches, ye gods—therein let Indra assign me pleasure (? rúci), let Prajāpati, Savitar, Soma, Agni.
Unto thee with homage do we, O priest Vāiçvānara ('for all men'), give praise; do thou watch over our progeny, our selves, our kine, our breaths.
Every day may we bring constantly for thee as for a standing horse, O Jātavedas; rejoicing together with abundance of wealth, with food, may we thy neighbors, O Agni, take no harm.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read III.15 at Wikisource ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK III ALSO CITED
Morning invocation to various gods, especially Bhaga
Read comparison hymn III.16 (7 verses)
Early (prātár) do we call Agni, early Indra, early Mitra-and-Varuṇa, early the (two) Açvins, early Bhaga, Pūshan, Brahmaṇaspati, early Soma and Rudra do we call.
The early-conquering formidable Bhaga do we call, the son of Aditi who is disposer (vidhartár), to whom every one that thinks himself weak [or] strong, ⌊to whom even the king⌋ says: "apportion [me] a portion."
O Bhaga, conductor, Bhaga, thou of true bestowal, Bhaga, help upward this prayer (dhī́), giving to us; O Bhaga, cause us to multiply with kine, with horses, O Bhaga, with men,—rich in men may we be.
Both now may we be fortunate (bhágavant), and in the advance (? prapitvá) and in the middle of the days; and, O bounteous one, at the up-going of the sun, may we be in the favor of the gods.
Let the god Bhaga himself be fortunate; through him may we be fortunate; on thee here, Bhaga, do I call entire; do thou, O Bhaga, be our forerunner here.
The dawns submit themselves (? sam-nam) to the sacrifice (adhvará), as Dadhikrāvan to the bright place; hitherward let them convey for me Bhaga, acquirer of good things, as vigorous (vājín) horses a chariot.
Let excellent dawns, rich in horses, rich in kine, rich in heroes, always shine for us, yielding (duh) ghee, on all sides drunk of: do ye protect us ever with well-beings.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read III.16 at Wikisource ↗
Wealth is requested, not itemized
In III.20, Agni is asked to increase wealth, and several deities are invoked to bestow riches. Verse 6 imagines people encountered who are well disposed and ready to give. Such language can explain why a surprisingly high offer feels like blessing. But the poem does not set a recurring salary or compare one position with another. Whitney's notes show a composite textual history, including Rigvedic parallels and final verses of different origin. No responsible reading can extract an employment pay scale from it. The old hymn offers a vocabulary of abundance, while the modern position defines the actual terms on which money would be received.
A new role is a fresh bargain
III.15 begins with the trader's uncertain road and proceeds to successful bargain, sale, and return dealing. Verse 5 asks that riches used in bargaining become more rather than less. A new position also requires giving something: labor, time, availability, and perhaps relocation. The comparison is limited because a salaried employee is not a caravan merchant. Still, the hymn's concern with return against stake makes a higher offer intelligible as more than a large number. A role might pay above expectation yet demand an unsustainable commitment. The ancient poem cannot value those conditions, but it can keep the question of fruitful exchange in view.
Bhaga's share is a third frame
III.16 is a dawn invocation that focuses on Bhaga as an apportioner of a share. Verse 2 pictures weak and strong alike, even a king in Whitney's rendering, asking for a portion; verse 3 imagines increase in cattle, horses, and people. It contains no employer, but it can illuminate the feeling that a person has received a favorable allocation of opportunity. That feeling is different from the contractual basis of a job. If a reader collapses III.16 into III.15, an allotted share becomes a bargain; if it collapses III.20 into either, divine giving becomes wages. The poems are most useful when their modes of gain remain separate.
The unexpected premium is modern
The attached working asks for a new position that pays more than the user expected. It is an invented contemporary aim. The ancient texts cannot measure the user's expectation, guarantee an offer, or show that the employer's proposal will be good overall. They can help a reader parse why an offer feels fortunate: it may seem generous, better than a prior bargain, and like an unexpectedly favorable share. Each is a different interpretation of the same modern event. The actual role, duties, and pay exist outside the Vedic record. Historical analysis should illuminate that event without presenting a modern salary surprise as an Atharvavedic promise.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: two offers and a surprise
A candidate expects a modest increase and receives two proposals. One pays much more but requires frequent travel; the other pays somewhat more with manageable duties. III.20's wealth request may make the first number attractive, while III.15's bargain invites comparison of pay with what must be given. III.16's allotted share can express the feeling that either opportunity is fortunate. None of those hymns selects the better role. The spell specifically hopes for pay beyond expectation, but its ancient comparisons make clear why a surprising figure is only one part of an employment decision.