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 V ALSO CITED
Against niggardliness and its effects
Read comparison hymn V.7 (10 verses)
Bring to us, stand not about, O niggard; do not prevent (? rakṣ) our sacrificial gift as led [away]; homage be to baffling (vīrtsā́), to ill-success; homage be to the niggard.
What wheedling (? parirāpín) man thou puttest forward, O niggard, to him of thine we pay homage: do not thou disturb my winning (vaní).
Let our god-made winning progress (pra-kḷp) by day and by night; we go forth after the niggard; homage be to the niggard.
Sarasvatī, Anumati, Bhaga, we going call on; pleasant (juṣṭá) honeyed speech have I spoken in the god-invocations of the gods.
Whomever I solicit (yāc) with speech, with Sarasvatī, mind-yoked, him may faith find today, given by the brown soma.
Do not thou baffle our winning nor speech. Let Indra and Agni both bring good things to us. De ye all, willing today to give to us, welcome the niggard.
Go thou far away, O ill-success; we conduct away thy missile; I know thee, O niggard, as one putting (? mīv) down, thrusting down.
Likewise, greatly making thyself naked, thou fastenest on (sac) a person in dreams, O niggard, baffling the plan and design of a man (púruṣa).
She that, being great, of great height (-unmāna), permeated all regions—to her, the golden-haired, to perdition have I paid homage.
Gold-colored, fortunate, gold-cushioned, great—to her, the golden-mantled, to the niggard have I paid homage.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read V.7 at Wikisource ↗
The share requested at dawn
III.16 begins by invoking many gods early in the day before focusing on Bhaga. Verse 2 pictures the powerful and the weak alike asking for a portion, and verse 3 asks for increase in cattle, horses, and people. In this context fortune is neither a salary nor a medal for a finished task. It is a favorable place within an apportioned world. Even when the poem speaks of riches, its examples include living resources and communal strength. A present-day reward might feel like an allotted share, but the text does not define a review process, judge, or donor obliged to choose one recipient.
The trader's hope has a stake
III.15 names the trader and the roads. Its fourth verse asks that bargain, sale, and return dealing succeed, while verse 5 hopes that riches used in bargaining become more, not less. Here gain follows risk and exchange. If a reward is effectively payment for a service, this commercial logic is a closer analogy than an unexplained share. Yet the trader's expected profit remains different from a promised prize: in the hymn the speaker has put wealth into circulation and wishes for a fruitful return. Keeping that distinction avoids presenting any income as a sudden divine grant or any prize as ancient commerce.
A donor can still refuse
V.7 complicates the idea of reward from a particular person. It addresses a niggard who might block a gift, then turns to pleasant speech and solicitation. The hymn's repeated homage to the figure of stinginess is more delicate than a flat order to give. It recognizes an obstructed social exchange. A discretionary reward depends on another person's judgment; a contracted fee rests on prior terms. The modern desire for a target person to offer a reward can fit the first case, but no verse licenses certainty about that person's response. The text can help name the hoped-for generosity without proving it will occur.
Where the modern intention begins
The working attached to this article seeks a valuable reward offered by a named person. That precise benefit is invented; it is not a translation of III.16, III.15, or V.7. The poems can illuminate how rewards can feel like apportionment, return on risk, or successful solicitation. They cannot tell a reader whether a modern prize is merited, promised, or legally owed. That question depends on the surrounding relationship, not the word reward alone. Once the type of reward is clear, the ancient comparison can remain honest: it points to an image of value, while the spell expresses a contemporary hope about a particular event.
WORKED READING
Worked comparison: bonus, prize, gift
Consider three possible payments to a craftsperson. A buyer paying an agreed price is nearest to III.15's bargain. A committee choosing the best piece from many entries may be felt as a fortunate portion, closer in mood to III.16, although the judging process is modern. A private admirer sending an unpromised gift evokes V.7's concern with generosity and solicitation. Each involves money arriving, but only the first is an exchange already set in motion. The comparison keeps the modern reward intention from masquerading as one ancient financial category.