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 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 ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK III ALSO CITED
For abundance of grain
Read comparison hymn III.24 (7 verses)
Rich in milk [are] the herbs, rich in milk my utterance (vácas); accordingly, of them that are rich in milk I bring by thousands.
I know him that is rich in milk; he hath made the grain much; the god that is "collector" by name, him do we call, whichever is in the house of one who sacrifices not.
These five directions that there are, the five races (kṛṣṭí) descended from Manu (mānavī́)—may they bring fatness (sphātí) together here, as streams [bring] drift when it has rained.
As a fountain of a hundred streams, of a thousand streams, unexhausted, so this grain of ours, in a thousand streams, unexhausted.
O hundred-handed one, bring together; O thousand-handed one, pile together; of what is made and of what is to be made do thou convey together the fatness here.
Three measures of the Gandharvas, four of the house-mistress; of them whichever is richest in fatness, with that one we touch thee.
Bringer (upohá) and gatherer (samūhá) [are] thy (two) distributors, O Prajāpati; let them convey hither fatness, much unexhausted plenty.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read III.24 at Wikisource ↗
A share can be hoped for early
III.16 calls a group of gods in the morning and focuses on Bhaga, the apportioner of a portion. Its second verse pictures weak and strong people asking him, and its third imagines increase in cattle, horses, and people. The poem's repeated morning language may make it attractive for a time-sensitive modern hope. But dawn is the prayer's setting, not a deadline for money to arrive. The ancient share is not an instant transfer; it is a favorable place in a world of livestock, social strength, and divine favor. A modern opportunity that requires quick action is an analogy added by the contemporary benefit.
III.15 takes a longer route to gain
The trader hymn opens with Indra leading a journey past hazards. Only after roads and movement does it ask for successful bargain, sale, and return dealing. Verse 5 hopes that wealth risked in the transaction becomes more rather than less. This progression is valuable for reading a sudden paid opportunity: finding it is not the same as receiving cash. The person must understand what is being exchanged, whether the other party accepts, and when payment is due. The ancient trader's physical route is different from a modern call or message, but the poem refuses to make discovery identical with profit.
Quickness can obscure the cost
III.24's grain hymn provides another contrast. Its images of milk-rich plants, many streams, and a hundred-handed gatherer imagine provision accumulating, not a single immediate payout. A modern opportunity that pays quickly may be useful, but haste alone does not make it a sound exchange. III.15's request for more rather than less after bargaining is a better lens for the net result, while III.16's portion names the feeling of good fortune when a chance arises. These images are distinct: share, accumulation, and trade. Flattening them into a guarantee of fast money would erase the ancient texts' own differences.
The invented promise must stay a hope
The attached working seeks an opportunity that brings immediate cash. This benefit was created for the modern collection. The cited hymns cannot predict an offer, guarantee payment, or establish that taking it is wise. Their useful contribution is analytical: the opportunity may be allotted, discovered, worked, bargained, and finally paid, and those are separate events. A reader should not be told that III.16's morning prayer or III.15's trade route authorizes a financial shortcut. The source texts preserve hope amid uncertainty. The exact modern demand for speed belongs to the spell's present-day scenario, not to the Atharvaveda.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: offer versus cash
An acquaintance mentions a one-day paid job in the morning. III.16 can illuminate the feeling that a fortunate share has opened, but no money has arrived. III.15 becomes relevant when the worker and payer agree on the task, price, and return; its road and bargain are analogies for movement into an actual transaction. III.24's slow accumulation offers a contrast if the job is part of a longer income pattern. If payment is promised next month, the spell's immediate-cash goal has not occurred, however promising the opportunity sounded. The hymns help identify which stage was reached without predicting the next.