THE TEXT · ATHARVAVEDA
Hymns discussed in this article
These verses give the wording and sequence examined in the article below.
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 V IN FOCUS
Against niggardliness and its effects
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.
Read the remaining 6 verses of V.7
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 ↗
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 ↗
Morning is not a modern deadline
III.16 repeatedly calls gods early and later imagines dawns bringing good things. Verse 2 asks Bhaga to apportion a portion to petitioners of different status. This temporal setting makes hope feel immediate, but morning in the hymn is a ritual and poetic frame, not a promise that funds will arrive before a present-day bill falls due. Verse 3’s cattle, horses, and people also show the kind of abundance envisioned. A current offer of cash is a modern translation of the desire for resources. The hymn offers a language of anticipation while leaving both amount and timing unsettled.
Giving and bargaining differ
V.7 addresses niggardliness, asks that winning proceed, and seeks favorable speech before someone approached. III.15, by contrast, wants successful bargain and sale. A generous offer might be a gift, a loan, a job, or a contract. Those categories carry different obligations. Reading the hymns side by side prevents all incoming money from being treated as unconditioned generosity. The reluctant giver of V.7 is not the trader of III.15, and neither resembles a lender in every respect. The ancient distinction helps a contemporary reader ask what is expected in return before celebrating an offer as the answer to an urgent need.
Urgency can hide cost
Someone who needs money soon may prefer the first proposal that appears. Yet III.15’s trader is concerned with risk and with a fruitful return, not simply with motion along the road. A loan may solve a present shortage but create later repayment; a low-paid contract may consume time needed for better work. III.16’s share is asked for as a benefit, but its wording does not certify a specific proposal as beneficial. The texts do not provide financial advice. They do make it possible to distinguish the emotional relief of receiving an offer from the material outcome of accepting it.
A present-day spell cannot promise rescue
The attached working is a modern wish for a generous offer at a difficult time. It should not be read as an ancient guarantee of emergency aid or as evidence that any incoming proposal is safe. The historical comparison gives the wish shape: Bhaga is petitioned for a favorable portion, V.7 voices the difficulty of obtaining another’s willingness, and III.15 reminds us that some offers are exchanges. The timing and terms remain outside the hymns. A generous proposal would be one whose actual conditions help the recipient, a judgment that the ancient poems cannot make for a present case.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: cash now, obligation later
A person with an urgent expense receives one offer of a gift and another of a short loan. III.16’s morning appeal resembles the hope for help now, but it cannot guarantee that either arrives on time. V.7’s concern with a willing giver fits the unconditional gift better. III.15’s bargaining logic better fits the loan’s terms, even though the hymn describes trade rather than lending. The two offers may bring the same immediate cash but different future burdens. Calling both equally generous would miss what must be given back. The comparison keeps relief, obligation, and timing separate.