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 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 ↗
III.15 begins outside the market
The opening verses of III.15 ask Indra to lead and protect the trader. The poem imagines many roads through which riches might be acquired by dealing, then turns to fruitful bargain and sale in verse 4. This sequence is particularly useful for a shop article: a passerby reaching the door is not yet a buyer, and a buyer examining goods is not yet a completed sale. The ancient trader's travel and hazards belong to his own world, not a retail storefront. Still, the hymn does not flatten access into income. It asks for help because both the route and the transaction are uncertain.
A receptive audience can remain nonbuying
VII.12 personifies assembly and gathering and asks that those present favor the speaker. Verse 3 wishes for discernment and good standing within the group. A busy shop may have visitors who ask thoughtful questions and respond warmly, a loose analogy to favorable reception. Yet the assembly hymn does not contain a cash register or customer choice. It is important not to use its favor as proof of purchase. A display can succeed in drawing attention while prices, timing, or needs keep visitors from buying. III.15's later bargain is the stronger source comparison for the point at which interest becomes paid exchange.
V.7 shows why willingness matters
V.7 addresses niggardliness with repeated homage, then speaks of pleasant words and solicitation. A buyer is not a sacrificial donor, so the comparison should remain limited. The poem does, however, make reluctance visible as a social obstacle. A seller may speak well and still meet a person who has no intention to spend. Ready to buy in the modern benefit therefore means more than being physically present: the person has a need, regards the offer as suitable, and chooses the terms. Neither V.7 nor III.15 lets the seller claim that willingness can be forced. They record petitions made in uncertainty, not evidence that every encounter ends in payment.
The invented retail scenario
The attached working asks that the user's shop attract buyers prepared to purchase. The shop, sales channel, and customer readiness are modern features. The Atharvaveda passages can explain the difference between access, favor, and sale without guaranteeing foot traffic or revenue. A careful article also avoids equating generous attention with a financial outcome. If visitors admire goods but decline, the public reception may be real while the spell's goal remains unmet. The old trader's route and bargain provide a sharper interpretive structure than a generic abundance claim. They let readers see exactly where the hoped-for exchange would have to occur.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: a crowded shop, no sale
A shop has many visitors after a local event. VII.12 helps compare the crowd's favorable conversation; III.15's road can stand for the path that brought them there. If visitors browse without buying, the bargain stage has not happened. A customer who selects an item, agrees on a price, and pays reaches III.15's commercial scene. V.7 can illuminate the uncertainty of asking for someone's spending, but its sacrificial giver is not the same as a customer. The spell wants more of the final event, not simply a full doorway.