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 IV IN FOCUS
For luck in gambling: by aid of an Apsaras
The up-shooting, all-conquering, successfully-playing Apsaras, that wins (kṛ) the winnings in the pool (? gláha)—that Apsaras I call on here.
The distributing (vi-ci), on-strewing (ā-kir), successfully-playing Apsaras, that seizes (grah) the winnings in the pool—that Apsaras I call on here.
She who dances about with the dice (? áya), taking to herself the winning from the pool—let her, trying to gain (?) for us the winnings, obtain the stake (? prahā́) by magic (māyā́); let her come to us rich in milk; let them not conquer from us this riches.
She who delights (pra-mud) in the dice (akṣá), bringing (bhṛ) pain and anger—the rejoicing, the dehghting one: that Apsaras I call on here.
Read the remaining 3 verses of IV.38
They who (f.) go about (sam-car) after the rays of the sun, or who go about after [its] beams (márīci); of whom the mighty (? vājínīvant) bull from afar moves around (pari-i) at once all the worlds, defending—let him come unto us, enjoying this libation, together with the atmosphere, he the mighty one.
Together with the atmosphere, O mighty one; defend thou here the karkī́ calf, O vigorous one (vājín); here are abundant drops (stoká) for thee; come hitherward; this is thy karkī́; here be thy mind.
Together with the atmosphere, O mighty one; defend thou here the karkī́ calf, O vigorous one; this is fodder; this is the pen; here we bind (ni-bandh) the calf; according to name we master you: hail!
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read IV.38 at Wikisource ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK VII IN FOCUS
For success with dice
As the thunderbolt always strikes the tree irresistibly, so may I today smite ⌊badh, vadh⌋ the gamblers irresistibly with the dice.
Of the quick, of the slow, of the people that cannot avoid it (?), let the fortune come together from all sides, my winnings in hand.
I praise Agni, who owns good things, with acts of homage; here, attached, may he divide (vi-ci) our winnings; I am borne forward as it were by booty-winning chariots; forward to the right may I further the praise of the Maruts.
May we, with thee as ally, conquer the troop (? vṛt) do thou help upward our side in every conflict; for us, O Indra, make thou wide space, easy-going; do thou break up the virilities of our foes, O bounteous one.
Read the remaining 5 verses of VII.50 (52)
I have won of thee what is scored together (?); I have won also the check (?); as a wolf might shake a sheep, so I shake thy winnings.
Also, a superior player, he wins the advance (?); he divides in time the winnings like a gambler; he who, a god-lover, obstructs not riches—him verily he unites with wealth at pleasure (?).
By kine may we pass over ill-conditioned misery, or by barley over hunger, O much-invoked one, all of us; may we first among kings, unharmed, win riches by [our] stratagems.
My winnings in my right hand, victory in my left is placed; kine-winner may I be, horse-winner, riches-winning, gold-winner.
O ye dice, give [me] fruitful play, like a milking cow; fasten me together with a stream (?) of winnings, as a bow with sinew.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read VII.50 (52) 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 ↗
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 ↗
IV.38 calls on a gambling figure
The first four verses of IV.38 repeatedly call an Apsaras associated with winning at dice. Verse 1 pictures her taking winnings from a pool, while verse 3 describes her moving among dice and trying to secure the stake. Whitney marks several gaming terms as uncertain because the exact play is not fully recoverable. That uncertainty is important: the poem is not a hidden guide to present-day prize formats. Verse 4 even associates dice with pain and anger despite the speaker's wish to win. The text records a gambler's anxious petition, not a demonstration that supernatural aid changed the result or that the wager was financially sound.
The second half belongs to another concern
Whitney notes that verses 5 through 7 of IV.38 shift toward a calf and cattle prosperity. The later ritual manual uses the first four verses for gambling and the later verses in cattle-related settings. Treating the entire hymn as one seamless cash-prize charm would hide this internal seam. It matters for a modern award question because cattle prosperity and dice winnings are not the same kind of gain. One concerns household provision and animal wealth; the other concerns a contested pool. The poem's divided structure warns against extracting a universal formula for every kind of money prize from one numbered hymn.
VII.50 is another dice text, not a contest rubric
VII.50 begins with an aggressive wish to defeat other gamblers and ends with winnings in the hands and fruitful play from the dice. Whitney describes the hymn as assembled from heterogeneous verses, with technical gambling language that is partly obscure. It gives a more overtly competitive image than IV.38's Apsaras, but it still concerns play with stakes rather than a modern committee assessing entries. III.15's trader offers a third contrast: profit is sought through bargain and sale, not a prize pool. These differences help identify the mechanism behind a cash award before applying an ancient comparison.
The modern prize has no guaranteed result
The attached working seeks a cash prize. That exact benefit is an original present-day intention. If the prize is awarded by random draw, a fair outcome is governed by chance; the historical prayers provide no reason to think a spell changes the odds. If judges award it for merit, IV.38 and VII.50 are only limited comparisons for hoping to win against others. Neither text proves that an entry will be chosen or that a stake should be risked. The useful historical insight lies in how the collection voices desire and uncertainty, not in a financial guarantee or a claim that all prizes are one ancient genre.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: two prizes with the same amount
Suppose one event awards a sum by drawing a numbered ticket and another awards the same sum for a submitted essay. IV.38 and VII.50 resemble the first only in their setting of uncertain competitive winning, though dice and a modern draw are not identical. VII.12's assembly would be a closer comparison for the essay's public judging and persuasive reception. The money amount is the same, but the path to it differs. A spell seeking prize money does not decide which mechanism is at work, and no Vedic hymn supplies evidence that either event will end in the entrant's favor.