History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c74.14

v5.c74.14

In the Ṛgveda waters, rivers in general and certain named rivers¹²⁴⁵ are referred to with great reverence as holy and are deified. In Ṛg VII. 49 the refrain of all four verses is 'may the divine waters protect me' (tā āpo devīr-iha māmavantu). In Ṛg. VII. 49. 1 waters are spoken of as purifying (punānāḥ). Ṛg. VII. 47, X. 9, X. 30¹²⁴⁶ are hymns addressed to waters as divinities. They are said to purify a man not only physically but are also invoked to rid a man of all sins and lapses from the right path. The Tai S. II. 6. 8. 3 asserts that all deities are centred in waters (āpo vai sarvā devatāḥ). In the Atharvaveda¹²⁴⁷ (I. 33.1) waters are described as holy and purifying and are invoked to confer happiness. About twenty rivers in all An empty or blank page is shown. There is no text or furniture to transcribe.