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Rig Veda · 565 of 1027
Mandala 7: HYMN XLIX. Waters.
1.FORTH from the middle of the flood the Waters-their chief the Sea-flow cleansing, never sleeping. Indra, the Bull, the Thunderer, dug their channels: here let those Waters, Goddesses, protect me.
2.Waters which come from heaven, or those that wander dug from the earth, or flowing free by nature, Bright, purifying, speeding to the Ocean, here let those Waters. Goddesses, protect me.
3.Those amid whom goes Varuṇa the Sovran, he who discriminates men’s truth and falsehood- Distilling meath, the bright, the purifying, here let those Waters, Goddesses, protect me.
4.They from whom Varuṇa the King, and Soma, and all the Deities drink strength and vigour, They into whom Vaiśvānara Agni entered, here let those Waters, Goddesses, protect Me.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn call the Waters 'Goddesses' and ask them to 'protect me'?
The hymn personifies rivers, rain, and the sea as Waters—“their chief the Sea”—and calls them Goddesses because they are sources of life, cleansing, and sacrificial power: they are where Deities like Varuṇa, Soma, and Agni drink and gain vigour. Naming them Goddesses makes the ritual plea concrete; the speaker seeks the sustaining, purifying force those Waters embody.
Asking the Waters to “protect me” places the speaker under their moral and physical jurisdiction: Varuṇa is the one who “discriminates men’s truth and falsehood,” and Waters mediate purity and social order. This aligns with themes in the Atharva Veda and later Upanishadic passages where water functions as purifier and witness to oaths, so invoking Waters secures both sanctity and divine oversight.
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