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
Morning invocation to various gods, especially Bhaga
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.
Read the remaining 3 verses of III.16
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 ↗
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 I ALSO CITED
With an oblation: for confluence of wealth
Read comparison hymn I.15 (4 verses)
Together, together let the rivers flow, together the winds, together the birds (patatrín); this my sacrifice let them enjoy of old; I offer with a confluent (saṁsrāvyà) oblation.
Come straight hither to my call, hither ye confluents also; increase this man, ye songs; let every beast (paçú) there is come hither; let what wealth (rayí) there is stay (sthā) with him.
What fountains of the streams flow together, ever unexhausted, with all those confluences we make riches (dhána) flow together for me.
What [fountains] of butter (sarpís) flow together, and of milk, and of water, with all those confluences we make riches flow together for me.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read I.15 at Wikisource ↗
Bhaga's portion names fortune
III.16 moves from a morning call to many gods toward Bhaga, whom people ask to apportion a share. Verse 3 names cattle, horses, and people as concrete forms of increase. A discovery can feel like receiving a share of fortune that others did not notice, but the hymn does not describe finding hidden property or monetizing an idea. It seeks favorable provision from a divine disposer. Calling a modern discovery Bhaga's gift may be a personal metaphor; it is not a historical explanation of ownership or market value. This boundary matters particularly when the thing found may already belong to someone else.
III.15 supplies the missing conversion
The trader's hymn begins with Indra going before a journey and ends in hopes for successful bargain and return. Verse 5 asks that riches risked in exchange become more, not less. To turn a find into income, a person may have to present it, create something with it, or sell it under agreed terms. That commercial step resembles III.15 more than III.16. The poem, however, does not make every object saleable or every idea profitable. It voices a trader's hope within a world of travel, exchange, and uncertainty. A lucky discovery is merely a starting point until another person agrees to give value for it.
Confluence is not proof of a claim
I.15 imagines rivers, winds, and birds coming together, then asks wealth to come to a beneficiary and stay. Its fountains of milk, butter, and water make abundance vivid, yet they do not tell us which resources are rightfully the speaker's. That is a useful limit for discovery stories. Finding a forgotten personal asset differs from uncovering an item owned by a neighbor; the same thrill of surprise does not erase the difference. III.16 frames good fortune, III.15 the possible exchange, and I.15 the hoped-for arrival of value. None verifies title to a found thing or guarantees a buyer.
A modern transformation, not a Vedic mechanism
The attached working wants a fortunate discovery to become income. That exact benefit was invented for the modern spell collection. The historical texts can make the wish intelligible by distinguishing receiving an opportunity, developing it into an exchange, and finally gathering the proceeds. They cannot promise that a discovery will be marketable or that any payment will follow. An honest article can also keep legal and ethical ownership questions in the present day without presenting them as ancient answers. The Atharvaveda provides several images of gain; it does not collapse discovery, possession, sale, and income into one assured event.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: a found tool and a found idea
A maker discovers an old tool in their own storage and uses it to produce goods. III.16 can describe the lucky feeling of rediscovery; III.15 becomes relevant only when finished work is bargained over and sold. I.15 can describe the proceeds joining household resources. If a person instead finds a design belonging to another creator, discovery alone gives no right to sell it. The ancient hymns cannot settle modern ownership. The comparison shows why a windfall of possibility and income from an agreed exchange are related but separate outcomes.