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
Accompanying the building of a house
Just here I fix (ni-mi) [my] dwelling (çā́lā) firm; may it stand in security, sprinkling ghee; unto thee here, O dwelling, may we resort (sam-car) with all our heroes, with good heroes, with unharmed heroes.
Just here stand thou firm, O dwelling, rich in horses, in kine, in pleasantness, in refreshment, in ghee, in milk; erect thyself (ut-çri) in order to great good-fortune.
A garner (? dharunī́) art thou, O dwelling, of great roof, of cleansed grain; to thee may the calf come, may the boy, may the kine, streaming in at evening.
This dwelling let Savitar, Vayu, Indra, Brihaspati fix, foreknowing; let the Maruts sprinkle it with water, with ghee; let king Bhaga deepen (ni-tan) our ploughing.
Read the remaining 5 verses of III.12
O mistress of the building (? mā́na), as sheltering, pleasant, hast thou, a goddess, been fixed by the gods in the beginning; clothing thyself in grass, mayest thou be well-willing; then mayest thou give us wealth together with heroes.
With due order, O beam (vaṅçá), ascend the post; formidable, bearing rule, force away (apa-vṛj) the foes; let not the attendants (upasattár) of thy houses be harmed, O dwelling; may we live a hundred autumns with all our heroes.
To it the tender boy, to it the calf, with moving creatures (jágat), to it the jar of parisrút, with mugs of curd, have come.
Bring forward, O woman, this full jar, a stream of ghee combined (sam-bhṛ) with ambrosia (amṛ́ta); anoint these drinkers (?) with ambrosia; let what is offered-and-bestowed defend it (f.: the dwelling?).
These waters I bring forward, free from yákṣma, yákṣma-effacing; I set forth (? pra-sad) unto (úpa) the houses, along with immortal (amṛ́ta) fire.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read III.12 at Wikisource ↗
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 ↗
The house hymn begins with stability
III.12 opens by fixing a dwelling firmly and asking that its people reach it unharmed. Verse 2 wants it rich in cattle, horses, milk, ghee, and refreshment; verse 3 calls the calf, boy, and cows into the building at evening. The poem values security and provision within a lived space. A lease concerns use of such a space by another person, but the hymn does not name landlord or tenant. Whitney's notes on the Paippalāda parallels show several verses in different locations, underscoring that this is a historical house blessing rather than a standardized real-estate formula. Its human and domestic focus can temper a purely financial reading.
The offer belongs to a negotiation
III.15's trader seeks a safe route, then favorable bargain, sale, and return dealing. A lease is not a sale, but it is an agreement with terms: payment, duration, use, and responsibilities. The verse 5 hope that wealth put into dealing become more rather than less gives a limited analogy for the desire that the arrangement be fruitful. It does not decide a fair rental rate or make any offer profitable. A high monthly figure may be offset by obligations the owner accepts. The ancient poem speaks of risky trade, so the comparison should remain at the level of uncertain exchange, not legal equivalence.
III.20 adds the hope for wealth
III.20 addresses Agni for increased riches and imagines givers well disposed to the speaker. This makes abundance vivid, but a lessee's payment is usually due under an agreement, not a free gift. The poem's ritual setting and reused Rigvedic verses should remain visible. Combining III.20 with III.12 as if a blessed house necessarily drew rent would be a false historical claim. The modern lease requires a willing counterpart and agreed terms, which the trade hymn helps illuminate. The ancient sources differ in what they ask: a secure dwelling, a successful bargain, and divine wealth. A profitable property arrangement is a new synthesis by the modern reader.
The benefit is an original current scenario
The attached working seeks a profitable lease offer. It was composed for today's property market. The Atharvaveda does not guarantee an applicant, price, or return and cannot certify that a lease is fair to either party. A careful article can ask whether the offer actually becomes an agreement and whether its obligations leave a useful surplus. It can also remember that the dwelling is a home for someone, not merely a column of income. The sources contribute distinct insights about inhabitation and uncertain dealing. They do not give a financial guarantee or permission to infer ancient landlord practices from a house blessing.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: the highest rent is not always best
Two people propose leases for the same house. One offers more money but asks the owner to cover costly changes; the other offers less but accepts ordinary upkeep terms. III.12 helps keep the home's security and use visible. III.15's bargain makes the obligations on both sides central, and III.20 names the desire for wealth without settling which offer is better. If neither proposal is accepted, no income has begun. The modern spell asks for a profitable offer, but the ancient passages show why an attractive number and a durable, workable agreement are separate questions.