Apo Hi Shtha Mayo Bhuvah
आपो हि ष्ठा मयोभुवः
Also known as: apo hi shtha · apo hi stha mayo bhuvah · apah suktam · marjana mantra · water purification mantra · apo hi shtha mayobhuvah
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✦ Meaning
These three verses, addressed to the divine Waters (Apah), are among the most beloved of the Rigveda and are recited daily during Marjana — the sprinkling of purifying water — in Sandhyavandana and many pujas. They praise water as the source of well-being, strength and renewal, likening it to loving mothers, and ask for a share of its most auspicious, blissful essence. As the verses are chanted, water is sprinkled over the head and body for inner and outer purification.
Origin & Story
Rigveda 10.9.1–3 (also in Yajurveda); used in Sandhyavandana Marjana · Rishi Sindhudvipa (Ambarisha) · Vedic
This short hymn to the Waters (Apah) is one of the most frequently chanted passages of the Veda. Attributed to Rishi Sindhudvipa in the Rigveda's tenth Mandala, it personifies water as a divine, motherly power that bestows strength, joy and spiritual renewal. Because water is the great purifier, the tradition placed these verses at the heart of the daily Marjana rite, where the worshipper sprinkles consecrated water on the body while chanting them, cleansing the self before approaching the sacred.
✦ As told in scripture
The Vedic seers held the Waters to carry the very nectar of immortality and all healing herbs; the Apah-Suktas declare that within the waters lie all remedies and the medicine that makes the body whole. Devotees believe that sincere Marjana with these verses washes away not only bodily impurity but the subtle stains of the mind.
Complete Text with Meaning
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ॐ आपो हि ष्ठा मयोभुवस्ता न ऊर्जे दधातन। महे रणाय चक्षसे॥
Om Apo Hi Shtha Mayo-Bhuvas-Ta Na Urje Dadhatana. Mahe Ranaya Chakshase.
Meaning:O Waters, you are indeed the bringers of well-being and joy; therefore grant us strength and nourishment, that we may perceive great delight. Give us a share, here in this world, of that most auspicious essence of yours — like loving mothers eager to nourish their children. To you we come readily for that bliss to whose abode you gladden and impel us; O Waters, regenerate and renew us. (This is the Marjana hymn recited while sprinkling purifying water in the daily ritual.)
यो वः शिवतमो रसस्तस्य भाजयतेह नः। उशतीरिव मातरः॥
Yo Vah Shivatamo Rasas-Tasya Bhajayateha Nah. Ushatir-Iva Matarah.
तस्मा अरं गमाम वो यस्य क्षयाय जिन्वथ। आपो जनयथा च नः॥
Tasma Aram Gamama Vo Yasya Kshayaya Jinvatha. Apo Janayatha Cha Nah.
Word-by-Word Meaning
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Benefits of Chanting Apo Hi Shtha Mayo Bhuvah
The Vedic Marjana mantra for purifying body and mind with sprinkled water
Invokes the divine Waters as bringers of strength, nourishment and renewal
Cleanses subtle impurities before japa, puja, homa or Sandhyavandana
Cultivates gratitude toward water as a motherly, life-giving force
Believed to bestow health, vigour and clarity of perception ('Mahe Ranaya Chakshase')
A simple, universally used Rigvedic mantra suitable for daily practice
How to Chant Apo Hi Shtha Mayo Bhuvah
Take clean water in the right palm or in a small spoon (uddharani). While reciting the three verses, dip a darbha grass or the fingertips in the water and sprinkle it (Marjana / Prokshana) over the head and body, or touch the head, eyes, and limbs with the moistened fingers. The water is sprinkled at the close of each verse. Sit facing east, mind calm, regarding the water as the divine purifying Apah.