“Ap” is the Vedic Sanskrit word for “water.” The Apah Suktam is a hymn from the ancient Rigveda that honors the water deity. The Apah mantra is recited to seek blessings from the water deity. This hymn, the Apah Suktam, aims to rejuvenate the mind, purify the soul, and cleanse one’s sins. Let’s learn the lyrics of this hymn along with their meaning.
Aapo Hi Sstthaa Mayo-Bhuvasthaa Na Uurje Dadhaatana |
Mahe Rannaatha Cakssase ||
Aapo Hi Sstthaa Mayo-Bhuvasthaa Na Uurje Dadhaatana
• Aapo: Waters
• Hi: Indeed
• Sstthaa: You are
• Mayo-Bhuvasthaa: Source of joy
• Na: Not
• Uurje: For nourishment/energy
• Dadhaatana: Impart
Meaning: Do not impart (harm) to the nourishment/energy. The waters, indeed, you are the source of joy.
Mahe Rannaatha Cakssase
• Mahe: Great
• Rannaatha: For the purpose of drinking
• Cakssase: For vision
Meaning: Great for the purpose of drinking, for the vision.
“O waters, you are indeed the ones who bring happiness. Bestow upon us strength and vigor so that we may look upon the great light (the divine vision) with reverence.”
This verse is a prayer to the waters, which in Vedic tradition are considered life-giving and purifying. The supplicant asks the waters to provide strength and vitality, enabling them to perceive the divine presence.
Yo Vah Shivatamo Rasas-Tasya Bhaajayate-Ha Nah |
Ushatiiriva Maatarah ||
Yo Vah Shivatamo Rasas-Tasya Bhaajayate-Ha Nah
• Yo: He who
• Vah: You all
• Shivatamo: Most auspicious
• Rasas: Essence
• Tasya: His, of him
• Bhaajayate: Grants
• Ha: Indeed (an emphatic particle)
• Nah: To us
Meaning: “He who grants you all the most auspicious essence indeed to us.”
Ushatiiriva Maatarah
• Ushatiih: Longing
• Iva: Like
• Maatarah: Mothers
Meaning: “Like mothers longing (for their children).”
“He who grants you all the most auspicious essence indeed to us, like mothers longing (for their children).”
In this verse, the one who divides or shares the offerings is likened to a nurturing mother cow, emphasizing the nurturing and sustaining nature of the act. The context often involves the sharing of sacred offerings in a sacrificial ritual, highlighting the importance of sustenance and care in the community.
Tasmaa Aram Gamaama Vo Yasya Kssayaaya Jinvatha |
Aapo Janayathaa Ca Nah ||
Tasmaa Aram Gamaama Vo Yasya Kssayaaya Jinvatha
• Tasmaa: Therefore
• Aram Gamaama: May we reach the state of contentment
• Vo: (An emphasis or call, often used in prayers, can be translated as “you” or “O”)
• Yasya Kssayaaya: For the destruction (of whose sin or suffering)
• Jinvatha: O conqueror (referring to a divine entity, one who conquers)
Meaning: “Therefore, let us diligently proceed for the destruction of that which you conquer.”
Aapo Janayathaa Ca Nah
• Aapo: Waters
• Janayathaa: May generate or produce
• Ca: And
• Nah: For us or to us
Meaning: “O Waters, generate (life or prosperity) for us.”
“Therefore, let us go to the water source, which is intended for our well-being and growth. May the waters bring us life and prosperity.”
The verse is a prayer or invocation for reaching a state of peace and contentment, asking for the destruction of sin or suffering, and invoking the divine (addressed as “Jinvatha,” the conqueror) to bless with prosperity and happiness, symbolized by the waters.
Sham No Deviir-Abhissttaya Aapo Bhavantu Piitaye |
Sham Yorabhi Sravantu Nah ||
Sham No Deviir-Abhissttaya Aapo Bhavantu Piitaye
• Sham: Peace or well-being
• No: To us
• Deviir: Goddesses
• Abhissttaya: most desirable
• Aapo: Waters
• Bhavantu: May they be
• Piitaye: For drinking
Meaning: “May the most desirable goddesses of the waters be for our drinking.”
Sham Yorabhi Sravantu Nah
• Sham: Peace or well-being
• Yorabhi: Streams or flowing waters
• Sravantu: May they flow
• Nah: To us
Meaning: “May the streams flow to us with peace.”
“May the most desirable goddesses of the waters be for our drinking. May the streams flow to us with peace.”
The verse reflects the ancient Vedic understanding of the critical role of water in sustaining life and the respect and reverence it commands. It highlights a harmonious relationship with nature, seeking not only physical sustenance but also spiritual well-being through the auspiciousness of natural elements.
Iishaanaa Vaaryaannaam Kssayantiish-Carssanniinaam |
Apo Yaacaami Bhessajam ||
Iishaanaa Vaaryaannaam Kssayantiish-Carssanniinaam
• Iishaanaa: Lord, ruler, or deity
• Vaaryaannaam: Of waters or of the flowing elements
• Kssayantiish: Destructive, those who bring decay or destruction
• Carssanniinaam: Of creatures, living beings
Meaning: “I, with arrows from those who have harmed me.”
Apo Yaacaami Bhessajam
• Apo: Waters, generally refers to water or liquid
• Yaacaami: I request or I ask
• Bhessajam: Medicine, remedy, or healing
Meaning: “I seek water as medicine.”
“I seek water as medicine for those whose arrows have wounded me.”
The overall meaning of the verse is a prayer to the divine lord of waters, requesting that the waters, which have the power to cause destruction to living beings, instead be a source of healing and medicine. This verse highlights the dual nature of water as both a destructive and healing force, and seeks the latter for the benefit of living beings.
Apsu Me Somo Abraviid-Antar-Vishvaani Bhessajaa |
Agni Ca Vishva-Shambhuvam ||
Apsu Me Somo Abraviid-Antar-Vishvaani Bhessajaa
• Apsu: In the waters
• Me: Me or my
• Somo: the Moon (also refers to Soma, a Vedic deity associated with the moon and ritual drink)
• Abraviid: has spoken
• Antar-Vishvaani: within all beings
• Bhessajaa: remedies or medicines
Meaning: “Soma said to me, ‘In the waters are all remedies.'”
Agni Ca Vishva-Shambhuvam
• Agni: Fire
• Ca: and
• Vishva-Shambhuvam: the creator of the universe
Meaning: “Agni (the fire god) and all that is beneficial (or auspicious).”
“In the waters, Soma spoke to me: within them are all remedies. And Agni, the all-beneficent, is there too.”
This verse illustrates the divine presence of Soma (the moon or sacred essence) within the waters and all beings, offering remedies and linked to Agni (fire). It emphasizes that these elements are manifestations of Vishva-Shambhu, the creator of the universe, highlighting the unity and divine orchestration in the cosmos.
Aapah Prnniita Bhessajam Varuutham Tanve Mama |
Jyokca Suuryam Drshe ||
Aapah Prnniita Bhessajam Varuutham Tanve Mama
• Aapah: Waters
• Prnniita: Bring
• Bhessajam: Remedy
•Varuutham: Protection
• Tanve: For the body (to me)
• Mama: Mine
Meaning: “O Waters, bring the remedy and protection for my body.”
Jyokca Suuryam Drshe
• Jyok: Directly
• Suuryam: Sun
• Drshe: To see
Meaning: “So that I may see the Sun clearly.”
“O Waters, bring forth the remedy and protection for my body, so that I may see the Sun clearly.”
In this verse, the speaker is invoking the waters, considered sacred and purifying in Vedic literature, to bestow healing and protection upon his body. The ultimate goal of this healing is to be able to see the Sun clearly, which symbolizes light, vision, and knowledge.
Idam-Aapah Pra Vahata Yat-Kim Ca Duritam Mayi |
Yad-Vaaham-Abhidu-Droha Yadvaa Shepa Uta-[A]anrtam ||
Idam-Aapah Pra Vahata Yat-Kim Ca Duritam Mayi
• Idam: This
• Aapah: Waters (referring to the purifying waters)
• Pra Vahata: Carry away
• Yat-Kim Ca: Whatever
• Duritam: Sin, misdeeds, or impurities
• Mayi: In me
Meaning: “May these waters carry away whatever sin or impurities are in me.”
Yad-Vaaham-Abhidu-Droha Yadvaa Shepa Uta-[A]anrtam
• Yad – Whatever
• Va – Or
• Aham – I
• Abhidhu-Droha – Hostility or harm (towards others)
• Yadvaa – Or
• Shepa – Abuse or curse
• Uta – And
• Anrtam – Falsehood or untruth
Meaning: “Whatever hostility or harm I have caused, or curses and falsehoods (I have spoken),”
“O Waters, carry away all my sins, whatever wrong I have done, whether I have been unkind or cruel or uttered false words.”
In this verse, the speaker prays to the waters to cleanse them of all sins and wrongdoings. They seek forgiveness for any acts of unkindness, cruelty, or false speech, trusting in the purifying power of water to wash away their transgressions.
Aapo Adya-Anv[nnu]-Acaarissam Rasena Sam-Agasmahi |
Payasvaan-Agna Aa Gahi Tam Maa Sam Srja Varcasaa ||
Aapo Adya-Anv[nnu]-Acaarissam Rasena Sam-Agasmahi
• Aapo: Waters
• Adya: Today/Now
• Anvanna (likely meant to be “Anv-annam”): Following food/nourishment
• Acaarissam: I will perform (from the root “aacar” meaning to practice/perform)
• Rasena: With essence/juice/flavor
• Sam: Together/with
• Agasmahi: We have come
Meaning: “Today, I will perform with the waters, following food/nourishment, with essence/flavor, together we have come.”
Payasvaan-Agna Aa Gahi Tam Maa Sam Srja Varcasaa
• Payasvaan: Possessing milk or nourishment
• Agna: O Fire (addressing the fire deity, Agni)
• Aa Gahi: Come towards
• Tam: That
• Maa: Me
• Sam Srja: Bestow, grant, or release
• Varcasaa: With radiance or brilliance
Meaning: “O Agni, who possesses nourishment, come towards me. Bestow upon me that radiance.”
“We have reached the place where you, resplendent one, are nourished. O radiant one, come to us with your nourishment. Fill us with your brilliance and strength.”
This verse is a hymn that invokes the waters and Agni (the fire deity). It speaks about the essential and nourishing nature of water and calls upon Agni to come and bestow radiance and splendor. It highlights the importance of both water and fire in rituals and their role in sustaining life and imparting vitality.
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