Sukta 49
Sukta 7.49
Vasiṣṭha
Āpaḥ (Waters)
Triṣṭubh
This brief Triṣṭubh hymn of Vasiṣṭha praises the divine Waters (Āpaḥ) as ancient, self-purifying powers moving through the world, and asks them for immediate protection and well-being. It links the Waters with Indra’s energizing force and with Varuṇa’s moral oversight of truth and falsehood, presenting waters as both physical purifiers and guardians of ṛta. The hymn culminates by locating Varuṇa, Soma, all the gods, and Vaiśvānara Agni within the Waters, making them the sustaining matrix of cosmic and ritual life.
Mantras
Mantra 1
समुद्रज्येष्ठाः सलिलस्य मध्यात्पुनाना यन्त्यनिविशमानाः । इन्द्रो या वज्री वृषभो रराद ता आपो देवीरिह मामवन्तु ॥
Eldest in the ocean, from the midst of the waters, purifying, they move on without settling into any fixed place. Those Waters whom Indra, the wielder of the thunderbolt, the Bull, has made to resound—may those divine Waters protect me here.
Mantra 2
या आपो दिव्या उत वा स्रवन्ति खनित्रिमा उत वा याः स्वयंजाः । समुद्रार्था याः शुचयः पावकास्ता आपो देवीरिह मामवन्तु ॥
Whether the waters flow from heaven, or are drawn from wells, or are self-born; whether they move toward the ocean—those bright, purifying waters, may those divine Waters protect me here.
Mantra 3
यासां राजा वरुणो याति मध्ये सत्यानृते अवपश्यञ्जनानाम् । मधुश्चुतः शुचयो याः पावकास्ता आपो देवीरिह मामवन्तु ॥
The waters in whose midst King Varuṇa moves, observing among men the true and the untrue—those pure waters, dripping sweetness, purifying and bright—may those divine Waters protect me here.
Mantra 4
यासु राजा वरुणो यासु सोमो विश्वे देवा यासूर्जं मदन्ति । वैश्वानरो यास्वग्निः प्रविष्टस्ता आपो देवीरिह मामवन्तु ॥
May those divine Waters—within whom King Varuṇa (the vast law of right order) is sovereign, within whom Soma (the delight of conscious immortality) flows, in whom all the gods rejoice in the increase of inner plenitude—may those Waters, into whom the universal Fire (Vaiśvānara Agni) has entered, protect me here.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a short hymn to the divine Waters (Āpaḥ), praising their power to purify and asking them to protect the worshipper. It also links the waters with Varuṇa’s moral order and with Soma and Agni.
Because Varuṇa is the guardian of ṛta (right order). The hymn says he moves within the waters, watching truth and falsehood, so water becomes a symbol of both physical cleansing and ethical clarity.
It is commonly suited to simple purification acts like sipping or sprinkling water before prayer or ritual. Reciting the hymn with clean water and the refrain asking protection is the basic, traditional application.