Rig Veda Sukta 47
Mandala 7Sukta 474 Mantras

Sukta 47

Sukta 7.47

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha

Chandas

Triṣṭubh

Himne Triṣṭubh yang ringkas oleh Vasiṣṭha ini memuji Āpaḥ (Air/Sungai) sebagai penyuci ilahi; gelombang pertama mereka yang manis seperti madu menjadi layak bagi Indra dan bagi persembahan manusia. Ia memohon agar air bergerak selaras dengan jalan para dewa dan ketetapan Indra, serta mengurniakan ruang yang luas (varivas) dan kesejahteraan yang berkekalan (svasti) kepada para pemuja.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 7.47

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • ApasMantras 1-3Āpaḥ (Waters)

    The Waters are addressed as goddesses, pure, unstained, ‘hundred-fold purifying’ (śatapavitrāḥ), moving on the path of the gods, and fit to bear ghee-like brightness and honeyed sweetness.

  • Sindhava / ApasMantra 4Sindhavaḥ / Āpaḥ (Rivers / Waters), with Sūrya and Indra as co-actors

Mantras

Mantra 1

आपो यं वः प्रथमं देवयन्त इन्द्रपानमूर्मिमकृण्वतेळः । तं वो वयं शुचिमरिप्रमद्य घृतप्रुषं मधुमन्तं वनेम ॥

Wahai Air-Airan, ombak pertamamu yang mula-mula dibentuk oleh para pencari dewa sebagai minuman Indra—itulah yang kami ingin peroleh pada hari ini: yang suci dan tiada tercemar, menitis dengan kejernihan (ghṛta), penuh kemanisan madu, untuk persembahan batin kami.

Mantra 2

तमूर्मिमापो मधुमत्तमं वोऽपां नपादवत्वाशुहेमा । यस्मिन्निन्द्रो वसुभिर्मादयाते तमश्याम देवयन्तो वो अद्य ॥

Wahai Air-Airan, semoga Apāṃ Napāt—yang pantas dalam gerak keemasannya—melindungi bagi kamu ombak yang paling kaya kemanisan. Ombak yang di dalamnya Indra bersukaria bersama para Vasu—semoga kami, yang mendambakan Yang Ilahi, mencapainya pada hari ini melalui kamu.

Mantra 3

शतपवित्राः स्वधया मदन्तीर्देवीर्देवानामपि यन्ति पाथः । ता इन्द्रस्य न मिनन्ति व्रतानि सिन्धुभ्यो हव्यं घृतवज्जुहोत ॥

Para Dewi—seratus kali dalam tapis penyuciannya—bersukacita dengan daya semula jadi mereka sendiri, berjalan pada jalan para dewa. Mereka tidak melanggar ketetapan-ketetapan (vrata) Indra. Persembahkanlah havya, kaya seperti ghṛta, kepada sungai-sungai.

Mantra 4

याः सूर्यो रश्मिभिराततान याभ्य इन्द्रो अरदद्गातुमूर्मिम् । ते सिन्धवो वरिवो धातना नो यूयं पात स्वस्तिभिः सदा नः ॥

Wahai perairan—kamu yang dibentangkan oleh Sūrya dengan sinar-sinarnya, dan olehmu Indra mengukir laluan serta gelombang—wahai sungai-sungai, dirikanlah bagi kami ruang yang luas lagi bebas. Peliharalah kami sentiasa dengan sejahtera kamu.

Inside Sukta 47

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Invocation of the Waters’ ‘first wave’ as pure, unstained, ghee-bright and honeyed—worthy to be won for offering and delight.

  2. Development

    The waters are praised as divine purifiers moving along the gods’ path, never transgressing Indra’s ordinances; the rite turns toward proper offering to rivers.

  3. Climax

    Cosmic coordination is revealed: Sūrya stretches the waters with his rays and Indra carves their passage—waters become the divinely engineered way of movement and blessing.

  4. Where it settles

    A direct petition: O rivers, grant wide space and guard us always with well-being (svasti).

The deity: Āpaḥ / Sindhavaḥ

  • Cosmic functionThey cleanse and sustain life, carry offerings and vitality through the world’s channels, and uphold divine order by flowing in accordance with Indra’s established ordinances and the solar spreading of light.
  • Inner significanceSymbol of inner purification: the clear current of consciousness that washes away stain, restores right movement (ṛta), and opens ‘wide space’—a felt freedom and safety in the heart-mind.

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha-gotra (one of the Seven Ṛṣis; associated with the Vasiṣṭha clan of Mandala 7) · Foremost seer of Mandala 7, celebrated for hymns of ethical order (ṛta), royal-priestly insight, and luminous devotion—especially to Varuṇa–Mitra and to the powers that purify and protect.

Famous verses

ghṛtapruṣam madhumantam
Verse 7.47.1Defines the hymn’s central image: the ‘first wave’ of the waters as a pure, unstained, ghee-bright, honeyed current—fit both for Indra and for the worshipper’s inner offering.Read verse 7.47.1 →
śatapavitrāḥ
Verse 7.47.3States the waters’ ritual identity as ‘hundred-fold purifying’ goddesses who follow the gods’ path and keep Indra’s ordinances; it explicitly instructs offering to the rivers.Read verse 7.47.3 →
varivo dhātanā no / svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ
Verse 7.47.4Links waters to Sūrya and Indra as co-actors in the cosmos and culminates in the practical boon: wide space and continuous protection through svasti.Read verse 7.47.4 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Purifying (pavitra, śuci)
  • Life-sustaining and nourishing
  • Honeyed/pleasant (madhumant)
  • Ghee-bright/clarifying (ghṛtapruṣ)
  • Aligned with ṛta and Indra’s vrata (ordinances)
  • Protective bestowers of svasti (well-being)
  • Space-giving (varivas)

Also by this seer

  • Major authorship of Rig Veda Mandala 7 (Vasiṣṭha family book)
  • Hymns to Varuṇa and Mitra-Varuṇa emphasizing ṛta and release from sin (e.g., RV 7.86–7.89)
  • Hymns to Agni and Indra within Mandala 7 reflecting the Vasiṣṭha ritual tradition

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare clean water (from river/source if possible) and seat the rite with a brief ācamana.
  • Invoke the Waters as divine purifiers, recalling their ‘first wave’ fit for Indra and for the inner offering (RV 7.47.1).
  • Perform sprinkling (prokṣaṇa) of the altar/participants, asking for removal of stain and establishment of purity.
  • Offer oblation ‘rich as ghee’ to the rivers/waters (RV 7.47.3), mentally linking the flow to the gods’ path.
  • Conclude with a protective prayer for varivas (wide free space) and continuous svasti (RV 7.47.4).

Offerings

  • Water libation
  • Ghṛta (ghee) or ghṛta-mixed oblation (as stated ‘ghṛtavat’)
  • Optional honey/sweet offering symbolically matching ‘madhumant’

Frequently Asked Questions

The main deities are the Āpaḥ—the divine Waters, also addressed as Sindhavaḥ (rivers). Sūrya and Indra appear as cosmic powers who guide and shape their flow.

It asks the waters to purify the worshipper, to grant “wide free space” (varivas—freedom from constraint), and to protect continuously with well-being (svasti).

These images express clarity, purity, and delight: the waters are envisioned as luminous and nourishing, fit to carry offerings and to refresh the inner life of the seeker.

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