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 VII IN FOCUS
For success in the assembly
Let both assembly (sabhā́) and gathering (sámiti), the two daughters of Prajāpati, accordant, favor me; with whom I shall come together, may he desire to aid (? upa-çikṣ) me; may I speak what is pleasant among those who have come together, O Fathers.
We know thy name, O assembly; verily sport (naríṣṭā) by name art thou; whoever are thine assembly-sitters, let them be of like speech with me.
Of these that sit together I take to myself the splendor, the discernment (vijñā́na); of this whole gathering (saṁsád) make me, O Indra, possessor of the fortune (bhagín).
Your mind that is gone away, that is bound either here or here—that of you we cause to turn hither; in me let your mind rest.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read VII.12 (13) at Wikisource ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK IV ALSO CITED
For luck in gambling: by aid of an Apsaras
Read comparison hymn IV.38 (7 verses)
The up-shooting, all-conquering, successfully-playing Apsaras, that wins (kṛ) the winnings in the pool (? gláha)—that Apsaras I call on here.
The distributing (vi-ci), on-strewing (ā-kir), successfully-playing Apsaras, that seizes (grah) the winnings in the pool—that Apsaras I call on here.
She who dances about with the dice (? áya), taking to herself the winning from the pool—let her, trying to gain (?) for us the winnings, obtain the stake (? prahā́) by magic (māyā́); let her come to us rich in milk; let them not conquer from us this riches.
She who delights (pra-mud) in the dice (akṣá), bringing (bhṛ) pain and anger—the rejoicing, the dehghting one: that Apsaras I call on here.
They who (f.) go about (sam-car) after the rays of the sun, or who go about after [its] beams (márīci); of whom the mighty (? vājínīvant) bull from afar moves around (pari-i) at once all the worlds, defending—let him come unto us, enjoying this libation, together with the atmosphere, he the mighty one.
Together with the atmosphere, O mighty one; defend thou here the karkī́ calf, O vigorous one (vājín); here are abundant drops (stoká) for thee; come hitherward; this is thy karkī́; here be thy mind.
Together with the atmosphere, O mighty one; defend thou here the karkī́ calf, O vigorous one; this is fodder; this is the pen; here we bind (ni-bandh) the calf; according to name we master you: hail!
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read IV.38 at Wikisource ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK VII ALSO CITED
For success with dice
Read comparison hymn VII.50 (52) (9 verses)
As the thunderbolt always strikes the tree irresistibly, so may I today smite ⌊badh, vadh⌋ the gamblers irresistibly with the dice.
Of the quick, of the slow, of the people that cannot avoid it (?), let the fortune come together from all sides, my winnings in hand.
I praise Agni, who owns good things, with acts of homage; here, attached, may he divide (vi-ci) our winnings; I am borne forward as it were by booty-winning chariots; forward to the right may I further the praise of the Maruts.
May we, with thee as ally, conquer the troop (? vṛt) do thou help upward our side in every conflict; for us, O Indra, make thou wide space, easy-going; do thou break up the virilities of our foes, O bounteous one.
I have won of thee what is scored together (?); I have won also the check (?); as a wolf might shake a sheep, so I shake thy winnings.
Also, a superior player, he wins the advance (?); he divides in time the winnings like a gambler; he who, a god-lover, obstructs not riches—him verily he unites with wealth at pleasure (?).
By kine may we pass over ill-conditioned misery, or by barley over hunger, O much-invoked one, all of us; may we first among kings, unharmed, win riches by [our] stratagems.
My winnings in my right hand, victory in my left is placed; kine-winner may I be, horse-winner, riches-winning, gold-winner.
O ye dice, give [me] fruitful play, like a milking cow; fasten me together with a stream (?) of winnings, as a bow with sinew.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read VII.50 (52) 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 ↗
The dice hymn's actual opponent
IV.38 calls on an Apsaras associated with successful play and a pool of stakes. The repeated appeal in verses 1 through 4 imagines taking winnings from play with dice. Verse 4 adds that dice bring pain and anger, a sober detail amid the wish to win. Whitney notes that the gaming terms are not all clear and that the last three verses turn toward cattle rather than the same game. The hymn is useful when a contest winner is chosen by a random mechanism, but a judged writing or design entry works differently. Winning a stake at dice is not evidence that judges will prefer an entry.
VII.12 turns toward listeners
The assembly hymn asks a gathered public to favor the speaker. Verse 1 wants helpful encounters and pleasant speech; verse 3 asks for discernment and good standing among those assembled. A contest with jurors or a review panel has a closer analogy here, because people listen, compare, and decide. Still, the hymn's ancient gathering is not an arts competition, and favorable hearing need not produce a prize. Whitney notes that its fourth verse may sit apart from the assembly theme, so the text should not be inflated into one coherent method for controlling a panel. Its relevance is the social setting of evaluation.
A submission and an award are distinct
A modern entrant can produce strong work, submit it correctly, and still lose to another entry. VII.12 can illuminate the hope that evaluators understand the work; IV.38 can illuminate the emotional wish to win. Neither source supplies a criterion of excellence or a guaranteed result. III.15's trade hymn provides a further contrast: a sale is a negotiated exchange, not an award. Contest prize money might follow an entry, but the entrant does not sell the work merely by submitting it. This economic distinction matters because an award, a fee, and a random payout can all place money in the same account while arising from different relations.
The modern contest intention
The attached working asks that a contest reward the user's entry. That specific outcome was invented for the modern spell collection. If the contest uses random selection, chance determines the result; no historical prayer gives evidence of altered odds. If judges choose, their decision depends on present-day rules and assessment that the ancient hymns do not define. The old texts can show ancient desires for victory and favorable hearing without certifying a modern win. A useful article respects the nature of the contest rather than borrowing dice imagery simply because the word winning appears in both places. The analysis gives the reader a better map of the hope, not a financial guarantee.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: juried versus drawn
A photographer enters a juried exhibition and a separate promotional draw. The exhibition panel reviews images; VII.12's wish for receptive, discerning listeners provides the nearer ancient comparison. The draw selects a ticket at random; IV.38 and VII.50 resemble the emotional hope for lucky winning but not the actual mechanism. If the photographer is selected for display without a cash award, favorable reception has occurred but the spell's payment goal has not. If the ticket wins, the payment came through chance, not judgment of skill. The comparison prevents one broad word, contest, from hiding these different paths.