Sukta 2
Rishi: Atharvanic tradition (Āpas-hymn complex; r̥ṣi attribution varies by anukramaṇī for AV 19)
Devata: Āpas (Waters)
Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (mixed/irregular in AV 19; close to anuṣṭubh cadence)
AV 19.2 គឺជាអធិប្បាយសម្រាប់ការព្យាបាលនិងការធ្វើឲ្យស្អាត ដែលបរិសុទ្ធទឹកក្នុងទម្រង់ធម្មជាតិទាំងអស់, ទឹកពីទឹកកក ទឹកពីប្រភព ទឹកនៅនឹងថ្កើង ទឹកពីភ្លៀង និងទឹកហូរ, ជាអ្នកនាំយកសុខភាពល្អ និងថ្នាំព្យាបាលសកល។ ដោយសរសើរជម្រៅ ភាពស្អាត និងចរន្តលឿនរបស់ទឹក អធិប្បាយនេះប្រែការលាងសម្អាតឲ្យជាសកម្មភាពព្យាបាលដែលដកចេញនូវការបង្កគ្រោះថ្នាក់ ភាពខ្សោយ និងជំងឺ ហើយស្តារឲ្យមានកម្លាំងឡើងវិញ។ អានុភាពរបស់អធិប្បាយស្ថិតនៅក្នុងការចាត់ទុកទឹកជាវេជ្យបណ្ឌិតខ្ពស់បំផុត ដែលត្រូវបានអញ្ជើញដោយពាក្យ និងធ្វើឲ្យសកម្មតាមរយៈការលាងសម្អាតតាមពិធី។
Kind of charm
Mantras
Mantra 1
आपः। शं त॒ आपो॑ हैमव॒तीः शमु॑ ते सन्तू॒त्स्याः । शं ते॑ सनि॒ष्यदा॒ आपः॒ शमु॑ ते सन्तु व॒र्ष्याः
ទឹកទាំងឡាយ, សូមឲ្យមានសុខសាន្តចំពោះអ្នក, សុខសាន្តពីទឹកដែលកើតពីព្រិល, សុខសាន្តពីទឹកដែលពុះចេញមក។ សុខសាន្តពីទឹកដែលឈរនៅ, សុខសាន្តពីទឹកដែលកើតពីភ្លៀង។
Mantra 2
शं त॒ आपो॑ धन्व॒न्याः॒३ शं ते॑ सन्त्वनू॒प्याः । शं ते॑ खनि॒त्रिमा॒ आपः॒ शं याः कु॒म्भेभि॒राभृ॑ताः
សុខសាន្តពីទឹកនៃទីរហាស, សុខសាន្តពីទឹកនៃតំបន់ដីសើម។ សុខសាន្តពីទឹកដែលជីកឡើង, សុខសាន្តពីទឹកដែលយកមកដោយក្អមទាំងឡាយ។
Mantra 3
अ॒न॒भ्रयः॒ खन॑माना॒ विप्रा॑ गम्भी॒रे अ॒पसः॑ । भि॒षग्भ्यो॑ भि॒षक्त॑रा॒ आपो॒ अच्छा॑ वदामसि
មិនមានពពក នៅពេលដែលពួកគេត្រូវបានជីក ទឹកដ៏ឈ្លាសវៃនៅក្នុងជម្រៅ - ទឹកដែលមានអំណាចព្យាបាលលើសពីគ្រូពេទ្យា - ចំពោះទឹកទាំងនេះ យើងនិយាយដោយការអំពាវនាវដែលមានសេចក្តីល្អ។
Mantra 4
अ॒पामह॑ दि॒व्याऽनाम॒पां स्रो॑त॒स्याऽनाम्। अ॒पामह॑ प्र॒णेज॒नेऽश्वा॑ भवथ वा॒जिनः॑
នៃទឹកទាំងឡាយ នៃទឹកសួគ៌ នៃខ្សែស្រឡាយទឹក៖ នៃទឹកទាំងឡាយ នៅពេលលាងសម្អាត ចូរអ្នកទាំងឡាយក្លាយជាសេះ ដ៏ខ្លាំងក្លានិងលឿនរហ័ស។
Mantra 5
ता अ॒पः शि॒वा अ॒पोऽय॑क्ष्मं॒कर॑णीर॒पः । यथै॒व तृ॑प्यते॒ मय॒स्तास्त॒ आ द॑त्त भेष॒जीः
ទឹកទាំងនោះគឺជាទឹកដ៏ស្រួល ទឹកដែលនាំឲ្យរួចផុតពីជំងឺស្បែក៖ ដូចដែលការត្រេកអារម្មណ៍ត្រូវបានធ្វើឲ្យពេញចិត្ត ទឹកទាំងនោះក៏ប្រគល់ឲ្យអ្នកនូវថ្នាំព្យាបាលរបស់វាដែរ។
Inside Sukta 2
How it unfolds
- How it opens
Direct address to the Waters with repeated benediction—‘śaṃ te āpaḥ’—and a catalog of water-sources (snow/mountain, springs, standing waters, rains).
- What it asks
May all forms of water bring welfare and act as remedy, purifying the person through contact—sprinkling, drinking, and especially washing/ablution.
- Where its power lies
Waters are ‘wise’ and ‘more healing than physicians,’ deep and clear; their currents function as an active therapeutic force that removes affliction and restores vāja (vigor).
- How it closes
The hymn seals efficacy by re-affirming the Waters’ identity across their sources and by activating them in the concrete act of washing, where their speed and strength are ritually transferred to the beneficiary.
Famous verses
śaṃ te āpaḥ
bhiṣagbhyō bhiṣaktarā āpaḥ
aśvā bhavatha vājinaḥ
Kind of hymn
Bhaisajya (Healing) / Apotropaic purification
What it is for
Consecrated water that brings welfare and healing, drives away pollution and disease, and renews strength and vitality through washing/sprinkling/drinking.
Who it is for
Householders and Atharvanic ritualists performing purification or healing rites; also applicable for patients convalescing or preparing for auspicious acts requiring ritual cleanliness.
Also used as
- Shantika
- Apotropaic purification
The deity
Personified Waters as living, wise, beneficent forces present in mountains, springs, wells, rains, and streams; they are invoked as purifiers and healers who carry away defilement and restore wholeness.
Powers of the deity
- Purify sin/ritual pollution (pāpmān, mala) through sprinkling and bathing
- Heal disease and bodily affliction; act as ‘more healing than physicians’
- Bestow śam (welfare, peace) and ārogya (health)
- Restore strength, speed, and vitality (vāja)
- Convey blessings through their currents (srotas) and depth (gambhīra)
Why the deity is called
To bless the practitioner/patient with welfare from every kind of water and to empower ritual washing so that it swiftly removes impurity, illness, and weakness while returning vigor and steadiness.
The seer
- Āpas-r̥ṣi (water-seer complex; Atharvanic attribution varies in AV 19 anukramaṇīs)Atharvan. Bhaiṣajya and śānti charms centered on purification, ablution, and the therapeutic empowerment of natural substances (especially water) to remove disease, impurity, and ill-luck.
Other hymns of this seer
- AV 19.1 (Āpas-related hymn complex, traditional association)
- AV 19.3 (Āpas-related continuation in the same kanda cluster, traditional association)
Preparing for the rite
- Collect clean water from an auspicious source (preferably flowing; alternatively spring/well/rainwater).
- If available, combine or symbolically acknowledge multiple water-types (mountain/snow, spring, standing, rain).
- Seat the patient/practitioner facing an auspicious direction near the water vessel; maintain silence/cleanliness before recitation.
The rite
- Recite the hymn over the water, addressing it directly as Āpaḥ and enumerating its forms as bearers of śam.
- Perform prokṣaṇa (sprinkling) on head/heart or the whole body; or conduct snāna/ablution while reciting.
- For washing rites, emphasize the ‘streaming current’ (srotas) idea—pour the water so it flows, carrying away impurity.
- Optionally give a small sip (ācamana-style) if the rite is intended for internal pacification as well as external purification.
What it needs
- Ritual water (āpaḥ)
- Flowing-current water or poured stream (srotas)
- Water vessel (kalaśa/ghaṭa)
- Optional: clean ladle/spoon for sprinkling
When
At dawn or before an auspicious undertaking; also whenever illness, contamination, or ominous signs require pacification.
The main substance
Consecrated water (āpaḥ), ideally flowing or poured to form a current (srotas).
How it is prepared
Use freshly collected clean water; recite the hymn over the vessel to ‘charge’ it. For maximal apotropaic effect, pour the water in a continuous stream during washing/sprinkling to embody the srotas that carries away impurity and illness.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is used to consecrate water for healing and purification—especially for bathing, washing, sprinkling, or sipping—to remove pollution and support recovery and well-being.
To claim the blessing of Āpaḥ everywhere: whichever form of water is available becomes a valid carrier of welfare (śam) and remedy when invoked.
It is a poetic way of stating that the Waters themselves are treated as a primary divine medicine: their purity, depth, and flow are invoked to restore health beyond ordinary means.
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