Devanagari
आप: पुरुषवीर्या: स्थ पुनन्तीर्भूर्भुव:सुव: ।
ता न: पुनीतामीवघ्नी: स्पृशतामात्मना भुव इति ॥ २३ ॥
Verse text
āpaḥ puruṣa-vīryāḥ stha
punantīr bhūr-bhuvaḥ-suvaḥ
tā naḥ punītāmīva-ghnīḥ
spṛśatām ātmanā bhuva iti
Synonyms
āpaḥ
—
O water
;
puruṣa
—
vīryāḥ — endowed with the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
stha
—
you are
;
punantīḥ
—
sanctifying
;
bhūḥ
—
of the planetary system known as Bhūḥ
;
bhuvaḥ
—
of the Bhuvaḥ planetary system
;
suvaḥ
—
of the Svaḥ planetary system
;
tāḥ
—
that water
;
naḥ
—
of us
;
punīta
—
purify
;
amīva
—
ghnīḥ — who destroys sin
;
spṛśatām
—
of those touching
;
ātmanā
—
by your constitutional position
;
bhuvaḥ
—
the bodies
;
iti
—
thus .
Translation
[The inhabitants of Krauṣcadvīpa worship with this mantra.] O water of the rivers, you have obtained energy from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore you purify the three planetary systems, known as Bhūloka, Bhuvarloka and Svarloka. By your constitutional nature, you take away sins, and that is why we are touching you. Kindly continue to purify us.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O water! Your abilities have been given to you by the Lord. You are the purifier of the three worlds. Purify the bodies of us, who touch you, since you are the destroyer of sins by your presence.
O water! Your abilities have been given by the Lord (puruṣa-vīryāḥ). You purify the three worlds (bhūr-bhuvaḥ-suvaḥ. Purify -bodies (bhuvaḥ) of us, who are touching you, since you destroy sin by your svarūpa (ātmanā).
Purport
Kṛṣṇa says in
Bhagavad-gītā
(7.4)
:
bhūmir āpo ’nalo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me
bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā
“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego — all together these eight comprise My separated material energies.”
The energy of the Lord acts throughout the creation, just as heat and light, the energies of the sun, act within the universe and make everything work. The specific rivers mentioned in the
śāstras
are also energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and people who regularly bathe in them are purified. It can actually be seen that many people are cured of diseases simply by bathing in the Ganges. Similarly, the inhabitants of Krauṣcadvīpa purify themselves by bathing in the rivers there.