Sukta 6
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (seer attribution varies by anukramaṇī; commonly Atharvan/Angirasic milieu for water-healing formulae)
Devata: Āpaḥ (Waters), with implicit Sūrya as life-witness and sign of recovery
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (probable; short healing formula in common domestic meter)
Mantras
Mantra 1
अपां भेषजम्। शं नो देवीरभिष्टय आपो भवन्तु पीतये । शं योरभि स्रवन्तु नः
A medicine are the Waters. Be for us, O Goddesses, Waters—ye helpful ones—welfare, for drinking; and let them flow upon us for weal and health.
Mantra 2
अप्सु मे सोमो अब्रवीदन्तर्विश्वानि भेषजा।अग्निं च विश्वशं भुवम्
In the waters Soma spake to me: ‘Within are all the medicines; and Agni too, existent as the healer of all.’
Mantra 3
आपः पृणीत भेषजं वरूथं तन्वे३ मम । ज्योक् च सूर्यं दृशे
Ye Waters, fill ye in for me the medicament, the sheltering guard for my own body; and grant that I may long behold the Sun.
Mantra 4
शं न आपो धन्वन्या३ शमु सन्त्वनूप्याः । शं नः खनित्रिमा आपः शमु याः कुम्भ आभृताः शिवा नः सन्तु वार्षिकीः
Weal be to us, O Waters of the dry land; and weal, moreover, be the waters of the marsh. Weal be to us, O waters won by digging; and weal, moreover, be those which are brought in the jar: benign for us be the waters of the rains.
Frequently Asked Questions
It treats water not as inert matter but as a divine, living remedy: when invoked as Āpaḥ (goddess-waters), it can cleanse, nourish, and carry away illness, becoming fit for healing use.
“Seeing the Sun” is a compact Vedic sign of being alive, restored, and able to rejoin daily life. Asking to see it long is a prayer for full recovery and longevity.
Yes. One verse explicitly blesses waters from dry regions, marshes, dug wells, jar-brought water, and rainwater, indicating that the mantra’s aim is to render any necessary water benign and health-giving.