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 VI IN FOCUS
For relief from guilt or debt
What I eat (?) that is borrowed, that is not given back; with what tribute of Yama I go about—now, O Agni, I become guiltless (anṛṇá) as to that; thou knowest how to unfasten all fetters.
Being just here we give it back; living, we pay it in (ni-hṛ) for the living; what grain I have devoured having borrowed [it], now, O Agni, I become guiltless as to that.
Guiltless in this [world], guiltless in the higher, guiltless in the third world may we be; the worlds traversed by the gods and traversed by the Fathers—all the roads may we abide in guiltless.
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read VI.117 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 ↗
The sale precedes the commission
III.15 is voiced by a trader who asks Indra to lead along roads and remove danger. Verse 4 seeks successful bargain and sale, while verse 5 hopes that the resources exposed in trade return with increase. A commission is often contingent on a sale, a collection, or another defined event. The ancient hymn has no commission schedule, yet its commercial sequence prevents the reader from treating a promised percentage as earned the moment a conversation begins. The relevant modern event must be identified first. If the deal was never concluded, the speaker may be hoping for future income; if the qualifying event occurred, the concern shifts toward payment already due.
The obligation follows
VI.117 is voiced by a borrower, not by a worker waiting for wages. Verse 2 remembers grain borrowed and eaten, then announces repayment while living. Used carefully, the image can illuminate why an acknowledged commission feels unfinished until it is paid. It cannot establish that the employer or principal owes anything under a disputed agreement. The hymn’s release from debt in verse 3 has moral and religious dimensions well beyond the closing of a commission account. Inverting the speaker’s position is necessary: the modern claimant asks another party to discharge a duty, whereas the Vedic speaker seeks to discharge the duty personally.
A percentage is not a payment date
Commission arrangements can specify rates, qualifying sales, cancellations, and times of payout. These details are modern and variable. III.15 highlights the underlying exchange but says nothing about how proceeds are divided among participants. VI.117 highlights repayment but says nothing about when a commission becomes due. The two hymns therefore cannot be used to merge earned, calculated, approved, and paid into one event. A reader may know that a sale closed yet still need to know whether payment depends on the buyer’s collection or another milestone. Keeping those stages separate is the practical insight carried by the historical comparison.
The working asks for a settled share
The attached working is a modern composition for receiving an unpaid commission. It does not derive from ancient trader practice and offers no guarantee that an ambiguous contract will be interpreted favorably. The word unpaid should be used only where there is a plausible earned amount, rather than as a label for every hoped-for deal. III.15 makes the risk of trade and the importance of return visible; VI.117 makes an outstanding obligation and its settlement visible. Together they clarify why receiving a commission is neither a pure gift nor the same thing as making the initial sale.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: a sale closes, payout is deferred
A salesperson brings a buyer, the sale closes, and the commission statement records a sum, but payment awaits the firm’s next cycle. III.15 verses 4 and 5 describe the commercial event and the hoped-for profitable return; they do not allocate the proceeds. VI.117 verse 2 gives a sharper analogy for actually paying an acknowledged amount, though its debtor is a different speaker. If the contract pays only after the buyer has paid, the closing alone may not complete the trigger. The reading tracks sale, earned share, stated amount, and transfer as distinct points.