Water Is the Mother of Gold

We saw the first two mantras of this sukta earlier – Apo hishta mayobhuvaha and Yo va shivatmo rasaha.

Now the third mantra –
तस्मा अरं गमाम वः यस्य क्षयाय जिन्वथ आपो जनयथा च नः
तस्मा अरं गमाम – युष्मान् अलम् प्राप्नुयाम

Addressed to water or waters in plural as it is in Vedas. Waters is a group of devatas addressed in plural. May we get you in abundance. In the form of rains. So that there is sufficient food. Our requirement of food is taken care of. And thereby we are satisfied and happy.

Plants are the primary food providers. Veda also says –
ते दिवो वृष्टिं असृजन्त । यावन्तः स्तोका अवापद्यन्त तावतीरोषधयोऽजायन्त
There are as many plants on the surface of earth as the number of raindrops. Every drop of rain accounts for one plant.

आपो जनयथा च नः – May there be abundance of progeny, children and grandchildren.

How नः जनयथ?
पतिर्जायां प्रविशति गर्भो भूत्वा स मातरम् । तस्यां पुनर्नवो भूत्वा दशमे मासि जायते । तज्जाया भवति यदस्यां जायते पुनः

In Sanskrit, wife is called Jaaya. Also called Jaaya, another term for Patni is Jaaya.
The mantra says, the husband — part of the husband which is the beeja — enters the wife, becomes pregnancy, stays inside her for ten months and is reborn as a child. The progeny is a rebirth of the father. And the mother is instrumental in this janana — hence she is called Jaaya.

Procreation happens because of the nourishment given by water in the form of food. Water is behind procreation. This fact is recognized and used to praise water and pray to water.

The fourth mantra –
ईशाना वार्याणां क्षयन्तीः चर्षणीनाम् अपो याचामि भेषजम्
वार्याणां वरणीयानां धनानां ईशानाः

Which is the basic wealth? Gold. Every currency, every other form of wealth is connected to gold.
Veda says water is the mother of gold.
Connection between gold and Agni is obvious. They both have the same colour. But how is water the mother of gold?

आपो वरुणस्य पत्नय आसन् । ता अग्निरभ्यध्यायत्
ताः समभवन् । तस्य रेतः पराऽपतत् । तद्धिरण्यमभवत्

Waters were the wives of Varuna. Agni fantasized about them. He thought about them. And his retas, beeja, fell. That became gold. Gold is the retas of Agni, and who caused the fall of Agni’s retas? Water.
So, water is the mother of gold.

Waters were the wives of Varuna, Agni had fantasy about them and his retas fell. So forthright. Nothing like 'Should Agni have done it?', 'Is it right to fantasize about another’s wife?'

Nothing. Just straightforward statement. It so happened. That’s it.

Our scriptures clearly say that we should not try to draw conclusions out of the actions of Devas. We don’t know their intention or methods.

It is said that – if a snake has to go from point A to point B, nobody can predict its path.
If a dry leaf is going to fall from a tree, nobody can say for sure where it is going to fall.
The actions of Devas are like this. You never know what is behind their actions and what is their intention.

It is better to stay away from analyzing their actions. They won’t fit into our limited intelligence or notions of dharma and adharma.

But again. Doesn’t this also reveal the true nature of wealth — gold being the base of all wealth?
Gold was born out of a mischief.
Why is Veda saying that waters were wives of Varuna and still Agni fantasized about them and gold was born?
The very context is pointing out that what Agni did was immoral and gold came into existence because of this.
The origin of wealth itself is not clean.
No wonder wealth is behind most of the troubles in the world.

We will not go deeper than this. Otherwise, so many things will have to be explained.
Just to understand the relationship between gold and water, or wealth and water, so much of explanation.
Don’t get judgmental – 'How can Agni Deva be immoral?'
It is a statement. A fact.

Then how can he be called even Deva?
Divinities exist within the created world. We are not talking about Nirguna Parabrahma here.
Being part of the created world, all the three gunas are present in them.
Don’t presume that all divinities are hundred percent satwik.
They have all the gunas present in them. They get angry, they get pleased, they get offended.

This is what the scriptures reveal.
Scriptures tell you how you should be, and they tell you how Devas are.
How you should be is an advice.
How they are is a description.

Because you are the one in karma bhumi.
Only you can work on yourself and improve.
Not Devas – they are as they are.
They are in Swarga. Swarga is not a karma bhumi.
Bharata Varsha on earth is the karma bhumi.

So don’t waste your time passing judgment on Agni Deva – 'How can a god be like this?'

One more connection here. Whenever yajna is performed, a piece of gold is placed in the agnikunda, at the time of generation of Agni.
This piece of gold represents the retas of Agni. Agni has to produce something as a result of the performance of the yajna.
Something that is non-existent — that is the purpose of yajna.

To produce something — rain or health or wealth or place in Swarga.
To produce — someone has to be virile. That’s why Agni and his retas are placed together in the yajna kunda.

This also shows that gold is not completely impure. Gold or wealth is a necessity.
It is kept in yajna kunda.
For creation of anything, gold or wealth is essential.

See what all one mantra reveals. This is what Veda is all about.

क्षयन्तीः चर्षणीनाम् — They, waters, provide enough wealth to humans so that they become stable, they don’t have to go here and there looking for wealth.

There is another meaning — they are there for humans – क्षयन्तीः चर्षणीनाम्
मनुष्यार्थं निवसन्तीः — they only keep man healthy.

We are praying to them — for their healing power.
To heal us, to cure us of all diseases.

अपो याचामि भेषजम्

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi