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
Morning invocation to various gods, especially Bhaga
Read comparison hymn III.16 (7 verses)
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.
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 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 begins before the bargain
In the first verse the speaker calls Indra a trader and asks him to precede the journey, pushing aside a niggard and a waylaying animal. Verse 2 widens the route into the many roads between heaven and earth and seeks riches through dealing. This is not merely a wish for social admiration; it is a commercial imagination in which movement exposes the trader to hazards before any sale can succeed. Even the divine protection is attached to an undertaking. A present-day artist waiting for a commission might recognize the uncertainty of approaching clients, but no ancient verse mentions portfolios, hourly rates, or payment for specialized talent.
Exchange uses existing value
Verses 4 through 6 bring the transaction into focus. Bargain and sale are asked to prosper, return dealing is meant to bear fruit, and the trader bargains with riches while seeking riches. The phrase means a stake is put into circulation. Verse 5's hope that the wealth become more and not less acknowledges the possibility of loss. The modern idea of talent as a marketable service is analogous but not identical: time, training, and output take the place of goods or caravan capital. The poem's distinctive logic is value moving through an exchange, not a magical conversion of private potential into a guaranteed offer.
Bhaga names a different kind of gain
III.16 places the speaker before Bhaga at dawn and asks for an apportioned share. Cattle, horses, and people make the desired prosperity concrete, yet the poem does not describe bargaining with a buyer. This contrast matters for an offer to pay: an offer is not simply a favorable portion; it proposes terms. VII.12, with its assembly and listeners, supplies a third angle on being heard in public, but favor there still does not create a contract. Each hymn pictures one part of the modern hope—opportunity, audience, exchange—without supplying the full modern scenario.
The contemporary intention
The linked working imagines that another person will offer money for the user's talents. That benefit was invented for this project. III.15 can enrich it as a story about making value visible in a risky marketplace; III.16 can enrich it as a request for a favorable place within a wider distribution of resources. Neither source says a ritual will make a customer appear. Nor do they establish what a fair rate for skilled labor should be. Reading closely keeps a practical distinction in view: admiration may be sincere, but paid work begins only when the parties agree what will be done and what will be given in return.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: praise versus a commission
Imagine a musician hears that a venue loves their performance. Under III.16, such recognition may feel like a fortunate share, but it remains praise. When the venue proposes a fee for a future performance, III.15 becomes the closer analogy: something of value will be exchanged, with terms and risk for each side. If the musician instead pitches to a cultural committee, VII.12 helps explain the importance of a receptive audience. The example shows why the modern spell's desired offer is a specific step beyond general luck. No ancient text converts compliments into payment automatically.