Rig Veda Sukta 47
Mandala 7Sukta 474 Mantras

Sukta 47

Sukta 7.47

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha

Devata

Āpaḥ (Waters)

Chandas

Triṣṭubh

Este breve hino em triṣṭubh de Vasiṣṭha louva as Āpaḥ (Águas/Rios) como purificadoras divinas, cuja primeira onda, doce como mel, se torna adequada para Indra e para a oferenda humana. Pede às águas que corram em harmonia com o caminho dos deuses e as ordenanças de Indra, e que concedam aos adoradores amplo espaço (varivas) e bem‑estar duradouro (svasti).

Recitation with translationRig Veda 7.47

Mantras

Mantra 1

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

Ó Águas, essa primeira onda vossa que os devotos do divino moldaram como bebida de Indra — a ela queremos hoje alcançar: pura, sem mancha, a destilar ghṛta (ghṛta) límpido, plena de doçura melíflua, para a nossa oferenda interior.

Mantra 2

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

Ó Águas, que Apāṃ Napāt (Apāṃ Napāt), veloz no seu movimento dourado, proteja para vós essa onda, a mais rica em doçura. Aquela em que Indra exulta com os Vasus — que nós, aspirantes ao Divino, a alcancemos hoje por vosso intermédio.

Mantra 3

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

Cem vezes purificadoras, jubilando por sua própria força, as Deusas seguem pela senda dos deuses. Não violam as ordenanças de Indra. Aos rios oferecei a oblação, rica em ghṛta (ghṛta).

Mantra 4

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

Ó águas que Sūrya estendeu com seus raios, e pelas quais Indra talhou uma passagem e uma vaga—ó rios, estabelecei para nós um amplo espaço livre. Guardai-nos sempre com o vosso bem-estar, com a vossa boa ventura.

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

  • In the VedaThe 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.
  • 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.

Ask anything about Sukta 47 of the Rig Veda

Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.

Not sure where to start?

A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.

Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app

Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Continue reading in the Vedapath app

Open in App
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play