''Ap'' (') is the
Vedic Sanskrit
Vedic Sanskrit, also simply referred as the Vedic language, is the most ancient known precursor to Sanskrit, a language in the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is atteste ...
term for "water", which in
Classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest ...
only occurs in the plural ' (sometimes re-analysed as a thematic singular, '), whence
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
'. The term is from
Proto Indo-European "water".
[The word has many cognates in archaic European toponyms, e.g., '' Mess-apia'', and perhaps also '' Avon'', from Old Brythonic ''abona'' or Welsh '' afon'' (), both meaning 'river'.]
The
Indo-Iranian word also survives as the
Persian word for water, ''āb'', e.g. in ''
Punjab
Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
'' (from ''panj-āb'' "five waters"). In archaic
ablaut
In linguistics, the Indo-European ablaut ( , from German ) is a system of apophony (regular vowel variations) in the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE).
An example of ablaut in English is the strong verb ''sing, sang, sung'' and its relate ...
ing contractions, the
laryngeal of the Proto Indo-European root remains visible in Vedic Sanskrit, e.g. ' "against the current", from . In
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
, Appu (Tamil form of "Ap") means water, and has references in poetry.
In the
Rigveda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...
, several hymns are dedicated to "the waters" ('): 7.49, 10.9, 10.30, 10.137. In the oldest of these, 7.49, the waters are connected with the drought of
Indra
Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes
Indra is the m ...
.
Agni
Agni ( ) is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of fire. As the Guardians of the directions#Aṣṭa-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Eight Directions"), guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. ...
, the god of fire, has a close association with water and is often referred to as ''
Apām Napāt'' "offspring of the waters". In Vedic astrology, the female deity Apah is the presiding deity of the
Purva Ashadha asterism, meaning "first of the aṣāḍhā", with aṣāḍhā "the invincible one" being the name of the greater constellation.
In
Hindu philosophy
Hindu philosophy or Vedic philosophy is the set of philosophical systems that developed in tandem with the first Hinduism, Hindu religious traditions during the Iron Age in India, iron and Classical India, classical ages of India. In Indian ...
, the term refers to
water as an element, one of the ''
Panchamahabhuta,'' or "five great elements". In
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, it is also the name of the deva Varuna a
personification
Personification is the representation of a thing or abstraction as a person, often as an embodiment or incarnation. In the arts, many things are commonly personified, including: places, especially cities, National personification, countries, an ...
of water, one of the
Vasus in most later
lists.
Notes
See also
*
Varuna
Varuna (; , ) is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky ...
, the god of water
*
Samudra, the sea god
*
Abzu, the
Sumerian primeval waters
*
Aban or āpō, the Avestan concept of "the waters"
*
Doab, spit of land lying between two confluent rivers
*
Old European hydronymy
*
Rigvedic rivers
*
Sea and river deity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ap
Classical elements
Hindu deities
Hindu philosophical concepts
Rigveda
Sanskrit words and phrases
Water and religion
Rigvedic deities