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 ↗
Bhaga gives a hoped-for portion
III.16 is a morning invocation, and its second verse asks Bhaga to apportion a portion to petitioners including weak and strong. Verse 3 names cattle, horses, and people, prosperity that goes beyond a single coin in hand. A new source of income may begin with one favorable opportunity, but the hymn does not say that one portion will repeat on schedule. Its dawn setting implies renewed hope, not a guaranteed daily wage. The present-day phrase steady source adds a requirement that the ancient petition does not specify: repeated provision across time. That extra demand must be tested in the actual modern arrangement.
Trade is an uncertain mechanism
III.15 asks for safe roads, successful bargain and sale, and a profitable return on resources put forward. If a person starts selling a service, the hymn is a closer analogy than a bare request for fortune because income depends on actual exchanges. But each sale may have different terms, and future demand is not secured by the first completed deal. Verse 5’s hope for more rather than less reveals uncertainty rather than removing it. The trader’s vulnerability keeps steady from becoming a magic adjective. A source can look promising after one payment and still fail to sustain the work or costs required to continue it.
Grain points to provision over time
III.24 asks for an abundance of grain, pictures milk-rich plants, and invokes many hands gathering. It is agricultural, not a description of passive modern income. Yet it offers a distinct perspective on steadiness: provision must be produced and gathered repeatedly or stored for use. The text’s large numbers express abundance, not a fixed yield for a new venture. Compared with the open-ended share of III.16 and the exposed trade of III.15, the grain hymn emphasizes material continuity. A modern source deserves the word reliable when its actual payments recur enough to support needs, not merely when its opening is exciting.
The working cannot guarantee reliability
The attached working is an invented request for a new and steady source of income. No Atharvaveda verse provides a contract term, customer forecast, or assurance of permanence. The historical comparison instead suggests three checks in interpretation: Was a new portion received, did an exchange produce payment, and did provision continue beyond the first event? These are present-day analytical questions inspired by different ancient images. An offer can open without paying; a first payment can arrive without repeating. Keeping those outcomes separate respects the hymns and avoids promising a lasting stream on the basis of a promising start.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: first client versus recurring client
A tutor receives one paid lesson from a new family and hopes it will become weekly work. III.16 verse 2 resembles the welcome first portion. III.15 verses 4 and 5 fit the agreed lesson and its payment, but the trader hymn cannot promise another booking. III.24’s gathered grain is a better comparison for recurring provision, which has not yet been demonstrated. If the family books regular lessons and pays them, the modern source becomes steadier through observed repetition. Until then, the spell voices a future hope rather than describing an established income stream.