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 I IN FOCUS
With an oblation: for confluence of wealth
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 ↗
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 IV IN FOCUS
For luck in gambling: by aid of an Apsaras
The up-shooting, all-conquering, successfully-playing Apsaras, that wins (kṛ) the winnings in the pool (? gláha)—that Apsaras I call on here.
The distributing (vi-ci), on-strewing (ā-kir), successfully-playing Apsaras, that seizes (grah) the winnings in the pool—that Apsaras I call on here.
She who dances about with the dice (? áya), taking to herself the winning from the pool—let her, trying to gain (?) for us the winnings, obtain the stake (? prahā́) by magic (māyā́); let her come to us rich in milk; let them not conquer from us this riches.
She who delights (pra-mud) in the dice (akṣá), bringing (bhṛ) pain and anger—the rejoicing, the dehghting one: that Apsaras I call on here.
Read the remaining 3 verses of IV.38
They who (f.) go about (sam-car) after the rays of the sun, or who go about after [its] beams (márīci); of whom the mighty (? vājínīvant) bull from afar moves around (pari-i) at once all the worlds, defending—let him come unto us, enjoying this libation, together with the atmosphere, he the mighty one.
Together with the atmosphere, O mighty one; defend thou here the karkī́ calf, O vigorous one (vājín); here are abundant drops (stoká) for thee; come hitherward; this is thy karkī́; here be thy mind.
Together with the atmosphere, O mighty one; defend thou here the karkī́ calf, O vigorous one; this is fodder; this is the pen; here we bind (ni-bandh) the calf; according to name we master you: hail!
Whitney–Lanman translation as printed (1905) · Read IV.38 at Wikisource ↗
ATHARVAVEDA · BOOK VI ALSO CITED
For relief from guilt or debt
Read comparison hymn VI.117 (3 verses)
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 ↗
A dawn share is not necessarily a surprise
III.16 invokes Bhaga early and asks for an apportioned portion. Verse 3 names cattle, horses, and people, and later verses keep the hope of good fortune tied to dawn. The poem is full of expectation, not a report of an unplanned payment. A present-day sum may feel startling because the recipient had forgotten a claim or did not know a decision was pending. Bhaga's hymn cannot tell us that history. It can provide an image of a favorable share, while the adjective ordinary belongs to the modern story's contrast between a routine day and unexpected news. The ancient morning is a ritual time, not a guarantee of a same-day windfall.
Confluence is not chance
I.15 draws rivers, winds, and birds into a common movement and asks that wealth come and remain. Its fountains of water, milk, and butter can picture several small sources gathering into a welcome sum. That is different from a single random prize. Whitney notes that a Paippalāda witness orders the verses differently, but the central convergence image remains clear. Calling every arriving payment a windfall would make the underlying streams invisible. A refund, accumulated fees, or an old debt may look sudden on a screen while having a long prior history. The hymn makes gathering vivid but does not claim that resources appear without causes.
Trade and gambling expose other histories
III.15's trader seeks riches through roads, bargaining, and return dealing. A payment from a completed sale is gain through exchange even if it arrives unexpectedly. IV.38's first four verses ask an Apsaras for winnings at dice, a different and uncertain route. The same hymn then shifts toward cattle in verses 5 through 7, according to Whitney's notes. Random prizes and trade profits should not be blended into one prosperity source. If a modern windfall is from a fair draw, its outcome is random and the old gambling hymn cannot change the odds. If it follows work, the trade hymn gives a more accurate comparison.
The contemporary wish has no guarantee
The attached working asks for a welcome windfall during an ordinary day. Its exact timing and monetary form are original modern intentions. The Vedic passages supply images for share, convergence, exchange, and gaming desire, but none authorizes a promise that cash will arrive or that a wager will pay. An honest article can show why the word windfall describes the recipient's experience rather than the source of funds. Something may be surprising while still being owed, earned, donated, or randomly awarded. By asking which story fits, a reader learns more about both the modern event and the old poems than by treating them as generic abundance slogans.
WORKED READING
Worked reading: three surprising credits
On a quiet Tuesday, a person receives a delayed fee, a refund, and a randomly awarded prize. All three can feel like windfalls. III.15 explains the fee's prior exchange; VI.117 offers a comparison for value owed back, though a refund is not identical to borrowed grain; IV.38 illuminates the prize winner's hope without changing a fair draw. I.15 can describe the three sums converging in one household, while III.16 can describe the feeling of a favorable share. The worked comparison shows why surprise is an emotion common to distinct financial relations, not one ancient category.