Vedic Mythology c5.s2.t1.19

c5.s2.t1.19

§ 24. Apāṁ napāt. — The deity called Apāṁ napāt is celebrated in one whole hymn (2, 35), is invoked in two verses of a hymn to the waters (10, 30³. ⁴), and is mentioned by name nearly thirty times altogether in the RV. The waters stood around the brilliant Son of waters; the youthful waters go around him the youthful; three divine females desire to give food to him the divine; he sucks the milk of the first mothers (2, 35³⁻⁵). He, the bull, engendered the embryo in them; he the child, sucks and they kiss him (v. ¹³); the Son of waters growing strong within the waters, shines forth (v. ⁷). He shines without fuel in the waters (v. ⁴; 10, 30⁴). Clothed in lightning the Son of waters has mounted upright the lap of the slanting (waters); carrying him the swift (waters) golden in colour go around him (v. ⁹; cp. Agni in 1, 95⁴. ⁵). The Son of waters is golden in form, appearance and colour; coming from a golden womb he sits down and gives food to his worshipper (v. ¹⁰). Standing in the highest place he always shines with undimmed (splendour); the swift waters carrying ghee as food to their son, fly around with their garments (v. ¹⁴). The face of the Son of waters, whom the maidens kindle, whose colour is golden, and whose food is ghee, increases in secret (v. ¹¹). He has a cow which in his own house gives good milk (v. ⁷). Steeds (*vṛṣaṇaḥ*) swift as thought carry the son of waters (1, 186⁵). The son of waters is connected with rivers (*nādya*: v. ¹). The son of waters has engendered all beings, who are merely branches of him (v. ²· ⁸). In the last stanza of the Apām napāt hymn, the deity is invoked as Agni and must be identified with him. Conversely Agni is in some hymns addressed to him, spoken of as Apām napāt (cp. VS. 8, 24). Agni is the Son of waters (3, 9¹). He is the Son of waters who sat down on earth as a dear priest (1, 143¹). But they are also distinguished. Agni, accordant with the Son of waters, confers victory over Vṛtra (6, 13³). The Son of waters unites here with the body of another as it were (2, 35¹³). The epithet *āśuheman*, 'swiftly speeding'¹, applied three times to Apām napāt, is in its only other occurrence used of Agni.