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 III ALSO CITED
For abundance of grain
Read comparison hymn III.24 (7 verses)
Rich in milk [are] the herbs, rich in milk my utterance (vácas); accordingly, of them that are rich in milk I bring by thousands.
I know him that is rich in milk; he hath made the grain much; the god that is "collector" by name, him do we call, whichever is in the house of one who sacrifices not.
These five directions that there are, the five races (kṛṣṭí) descended from Manu (mānavī́)—may they bring fatness (sphātí) together here, as streams [bring] drift when it has rained.
As a fountain of a hundred streams, of a thousand streams, unexhausted, so this grain of ours, in a thousand streams, unexhausted.
O hundred-handed one, bring together; O thousand-handed one, pile together; of what is made and of what is to be made do thou convey together the fatness here.
Three measures of the Gandharvas, four of the house-mistress; of them whichever is richest in fatness, with that one we touch thee.
Bringer (upohá) and gatherer (samūhá) [are] thy (two) distributors, O Prajāpati; let them convey hither fatness, much unexhausted plenty.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read III.24 at Wikisource ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK V ALSO CITED
Against niggardliness and its effects
Read comparison hymn V.7 (10 verses)
Bring to us, stand not about, O niggard; do not prevent (? rakṣ) our sacrificial gift as led [away]; homage be to baffling (vīrtsā́), to ill-success; homage be to the niggard.
What wheedling (? parirāpín) man thou puttest forward, O niggard, to him of thine we pay homage: do not thou disturb my winning (vaní).
Let our god-made winning progress (pra-kḷp) by day and by night; we go forth after the niggard; homage be to the niggard.
Sarasvatī, Anumati, Bhaga, we going call on; pleasant (juṣṭá) honeyed speech have I spoken in the god-invocations of the gods.
Whomever I solicit (yāc) with speech, with Sarasvatī, mind-yoked, him may faith find today, given by the brown soma.
Do not thou baffle our winning nor speech. Let Indra and Agni both bring good things to us. De ye all, willing today to give to us, welcome the niggard.
Go thou far away, O ill-success; we conduct away thy missile; I know thee, O niggard, as one putting (? mīv) down, thrusting down.
Likewise, greatly making thyself naked, thou fastenest on (sac) a person in dreams, O niggard, baffling the plan and design of a man (púruṣa).
She that, being great, of great height (-unmāna), permeated all regions—to her, the golden-haired, to perdition have I paid homage.
Gold-colored, fortunate, gold-cushioned, great—to her, the golden-mantled, to the niggard have I paid homage.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read V.7 at Wikisource ↗
VII.12 is about being heard
The first verse asks assembly and gathering to favor the speaker, hoping that words will be pleasant among those present. Verse 3 asks for discernment and fortunate standing within the group. A funding panel is a limited modern analogy because several people may review an argument. But Whitney notes that only the first two verses have a Paippalāda parallel and that the fourth may not belong with the assembly theme. The hymn is not a complete procedure for obtaining institutional consent. It says nothing about budgets, application criteria, or formal approval. Its relevance is the uncertainty of presenting oneself before others, not a guaranteed vote.
III.24 concerns the hoped-for yield
The grain hymn imagines growth and storage: nourishing plants, streams from directions, a fountain of grain, and a many-handed collector. These images can help articulate what an application says money will make possible. They do not establish that the project deserves funding or that its promised yield will occur. A panel might believe the purpose valuable yet decide another project better fits its mandate. The old agricultural poem has no institutional selection rule. It is most instructive as a contrast: abundance on a field is a result of cultivation, while approval is a decision about whether resources may be committed before a result exists.
The request is not the award
V.7's fifth verse imagines asking a person through speech and hoping confidence will reach the listener. The poem's repeated homage to niggardliness also acknowledges resistance. A modern application is more formal than this sacrificial solicitation, but both distinguish speaking from receiving. Approval adds another stage between favorable response and cash: an institution may approve a proposal conditionally, set a smaller amount, or delay release. VII.12 can illuminate the hearing, V.7 the request, and III.24 the envisioned production. None of them says that a form correctly completed must win. This separation gives the modern benefit its specificity.
The modern funding gate
The attached working seeks approval of a funding application. Its decision process and amount are original modern features. The Atharvaveda passages cannot authenticate eligibility or compel a reviewer. A historically honest article can explain why funding feels like a blessing without translating Dhātar or Bhaga into a grants administrator. The outcome depends on present criteria and decisions. The ancient texts offer insight into hopes about being heard, overcoming reluctance, and seeing provision grow after support. They do not authorize a financial guarantee. A reader should be able to tell whether the spell hopes for approval, actual disbursement, or ultimate project success; those are different claims.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: approval with conditions
A small nonprofit submits an application. VII.12 resembles the committee's evaluation of its explanation; III.24 resembles the food program it hopes to build. The committee approves a reduced amount, subject to additional documents. V.7 can still illuminate the act of asking, but approval has not yet become disbursed cash. If documents are never completed, the project may remain unfunded despite favorable judgment. The example shows why the spell's desired funding approval is one gate in a longer sequence, and why the ancient hymns cannot settle the later administrative steps.