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 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 I ALSO CITED
With an oblation: for confluence of wealth
Read comparison hymn I.15 (4 verses)
Together, together let the rivers flow, together the winds, together the birds (patatrín); this my sacrifice let them enjoy of old; I offer with a confluent (saṁsrāvyà) oblation.
Come straight hither to my call, hither ye confluents also; increase this man, ye songs; let every beast (paçú) there is come hither; let what wealth (rayí) there is stay (sthā) with him.
What fountains of the streams flow together, ever unexhausted, with all those confluences we make riches (dhána) flow together for me.
What [fountains] of butter (sarpís) flow together, and of milk, and of water, with all those confluences we make riches flow together for me.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read I.15 at Wikisource ↗
The route is part of the sale
III.15 begins before any transaction. Indra is asked to go ahead of the trader, clearing a niggard and a waylaying animal from the road. Verse 2 imagines many routes that might bring riches through dealing. A present-day listed item travels through photographs, search results, and messages rather than a physical caravan path, but that is an analogy, not the scene in the hymn. The text is distinctive because it does not assume a sale simply because the trader possesses goods. There must be a route to someone who may buy. A quick-sale hope therefore depends on contact before it can depend on payment.
Verse 4 reaches agreement
Only later does III.15 ask that bargain and sale succeed and return dealing bear fruit. Verse 5 expresses the worry that wealth risked in trade might become less, not more. The modern word quickly can hide that economic question. An immediate sale at a severe discount might move the item yet produce a poor return. Conversely, a slower sale might better match the seller's expectations. The ancient hymn does not define a listing price or acceptable time frame, but its sequence of route, bargain, and return lets a reader see why speed is only one dimension of success. Payment and terms still matter.
Public attention is not purchase
VII.12 personifies assembly and gathering and asks for speech that pleases listeners. A listing viewed by many people can resemble a modern public audience, although the hymn concerns deliberative speech in a different social world. Favor from viewers does not obligate any one of them to buy. I.15's converging wealth could describe the hoped-for proceeds once a sale is complete, yet it likewise cannot explain why a listed object is chosen. Each hymn contributes a different image—audience, exchange, arrival—without making one step cause the next. That distinction gives a quick-sale article more substance than simply saying that ancient people also wanted prosperity.
The contemporary listing stays contemporary
The attached working asks that a listed item sell quickly. Its listing platform, waiting period, and buyer's decision are modern inventions. III.15 can help interpret the commercial risk and VII.12 the hope of being noticed, but neither verifies that the item will move or that the proceeds will be worthwhile. An honest article keeps the seller's wish distinct from the ancient trader's petition. The old hymn's divine forerunner and oblation are historical details of its ritual world, not steps in a contemporary marketplace. What it offers is a clear narrative of trade: reaching a market, agreeing on value, and returning with a result.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: views, offer, sale
A lamp is listed and receives a hundred views on its first day. VII.12 can loosely illuminate the public attention, but no purchase has happened. A buyer then offers far below the asking price; III.15's bargain becomes the more useful comparison, because return may be fruitful or disappointing. When a price is agreed and payment clears, the sale is complete. If this takes several days, the ancient hymns do not declare the delay a failure. The modern spell's quickness condition is separate from the older poem's concerns about route and return.