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
For success in trade
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.
Read the remaining 4 verses of III.15
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
To Agni and other gods: for various blessings
Read comparison hymn III.20 (10 verses)
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.
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 VII ALSO CITED
For success in the assembly
Read comparison hymn VII.12 (13) (4 verses)
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 ↗
III.15 joins risk and negotiated return
The trader asks Indra to go before him on a route with hazards, then hopes bargain and sale go well. Verse 5 asks that resources used in dealing increase rather than diminish. A licensing deal differs from a sale of a physical good: the creator may retain the work while granting a defined use. Yet it still requires terms that each side accepts and a return that makes the exchange worthwhile. The hymn offers no model license, ownership rule, or payment schedule. Its relevance is limited to the economic structure of a negotiated venture. That limitation should be stated plainly so the ancient trader is not transformed into a modern rights holder.
The audience may like a work without licensing it
VII.12 seeks favor from assembly and gathering and hopes for pleasant, discerning speech among those present. A publisher or company can hear a proposal and praise the work without agreeing to use it. That is a useful analogy for the stage before any license exists. Whitney notes the hymn's fourth verse may be unrelated to the assembly theme, which cautions against claiming the text offers a seamless way to make decision makers consent. A good reception is one event; specifying permitted use, duration, and compensation is another. The latter belongs to present-day practice, not the ancient public-speaking hymn.
III.20's gift language can mislead
III.20 asks Agni and several deities to bring riches and hopes people met will want to give. A license fee, however, is not simply a gift. It is consideration for permission under a bargain. Treating it as spontaneous generosity can hide what the user promises in return: access to a creation for a defined purpose. The old fire hymn remains useful for understanding why the creator hopes the deal pays well, but it cannot certify a fee or cause a buyer to appear. Set beside III.15, it makes a critical distinction between wishing for abundant resources and agreeing to a particular exchange.
The modern rights relationship
The attached working seeks a licensing deal that pays well. Its object, rights, restrictions, and value are modern inventions. None of the cited passages verifies ownership of a creation, determines a fair fee, or guarantees that a company will agree. A careful article can explain the deal's distinctive feature: the creator is paid for permitted use rather than simply handing over the entire work. III.15 can illuminate bargain, VII.12 hearing, and III.20 hoped-for wealth. Their comparison provides historical subject knowledge only while the ancient poems remain poems of trade, assembly, and blessing, not documents authorizing today's contracts.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: admiration without permission
A publisher praises an illustrator's image and asks to include it in a campaign. VII.12 can illuminate the favorable hearing, but admiration alone grants no use. When the parties discuss where the image may appear, for how long, and for what fee, III.15 becomes the closer analogy for bargaining. If they agree and pay, III.20's wealth petition can express the welcome outcome in a broad sense. The ancient hymns do not establish the illustrator's legal rights or the fee. The example separates appreciation, permission, and completed payment, the three stages compressed into a modern licensing-deal spell.