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 I IN FOCUS
With an oblation: for confluence of wealth
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 ↗
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 ↗
Convergence is the force of I.15
I.15 begins with rivers, winds, and birds coming together and asks that wealth approach the speaker. Later it imagines streams of milk, butter, and water; Whitney notes a different order for verses in the Paippalāda witness. The recurring image is movement toward a common place, not a list of equal installments. A modern reader may compare several small transfers to that convergence, but only after they actually arrive. The ancient hymn does not say that every anticipated stream reaches its destination. Its further wish that wealth remain also makes accumulation more than a moment of receipt: resources need to be retained or used well enough to matter.
Bhaga does not count installments
III.16 asks Bhaga to apportion a portion, and verse 3 seeks rich forms of communal provision. It does not describe money arriving in repeated small increments. The comparison is therefore about desired sufficiency, not payment structure. A person may receive ten tiny sums and still lack what is needed, or receive one larger amount that covers the need. The word abundance in the modern benefit is a judgment about adequacy, not simply number of transactions. Keeping Bhaga’s allotment distinct from I.15’s streams prevents an attractive image of many arrivals from standing in for the actual amount available to the household.
Each payment may have a different cause
III.15’s trader seeks successful bargain and sale and hopes resources placed at risk return enlarged. Several small payments might result from separate sales, part payments on one debt, royalties, or gifts. The trader hymn fits the sales best; it does not make every gift a bargain or every installment a profit. This diversity matters because an expected payment can fail for a reason specific to its source. The ancient hymns do not unify those obligations into one enforceable stream. A useful comparison follows each promised sum back to its cause, then asks whether the funds have actually joined the recipient’s usable resources.
The present-day working expresses a threshold
The attached working is a modern hope that many small payments add up to abundance. Its wording is not drawn from Vedic financial practice. I.15 lends an image of convergence, III.16 a wish for a favorable share, and III.15 a view of commercial return. None guarantees the threshold will be met. A careful reading distinguishes a high count of payments from a high total and distinguishes gross inflow from what remains. The ancient poems encourage desire for gathered plenty while leaving the contemporary calculation open. The spell’s hoped-for abundance becomes meaningful only when the arriving sums can meet a real need.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: five deposits, one unpaid bill
A maker receives five small customer payments in a week, but together they cover only part of a large bill. I.15’s converging rivers resemble the multiple arrivals; III.15 verse 4 better explains their source in separate sales. III.16 verse 2 names the wish for a sufficient share, which has not yet been met. Counting five successes cannot turn the shortfall into abundance. If another expected payment never arrives, the stream image was hope rather than prediction. The reading preserves both the satisfaction of real receipts and the limit of what their combined total can provide.