The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c17.s3.1

v1.c17.s3.1

The deity Apāṁ Napāt, 'child of the waters,' is more distinguished than Trita Āptya by being the subject of one whole hymn in the Rigveda, where his name occurs some thirty times in all. He is essentially connected with the waters, his relation being envisaged in diverse ways: three divine females desire to give him food, he sucks the milk of the first mothers, but he also engenders the embryo within them, as a bull. On the other hand he shines without fuel in the waters; clothed in the lightning he mounts upright the lap of the shining waters; around him the swift golden-coloured waters go. He is golden in form, he comes from a golden womb. His food is ghee, he has in his home a cow which gives him milk. He dwells in the highest place, and grows in secret, and in the hymn addressed to him he is directly identified with the god Agni, but elsewhere, though associated with Agni, he is distinguished from him. In the ritual he is connected with the waters; when the priests go for the waters required for the sacrifice, it is to Apāṁ Napāt that they address their prayer, and to him they offer butter in order to procure suitable waters; offerings are likewise made to him in the case when the sacrificial victim perishes in water, or when the Kārīrīṣṭi, a rain spell, is performed.