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Mantra · The Vedic flower of chants: water's resting place in fire, sun, moon

Mantra Pushpam

योऽपां पुष्पं वेद । पुष्पवान् प्रजावान् पशुमान् भवति । चन्द्रमा वा अपां पुष्पम् । पुष्पवान् प्रजावान् पशुमान् भवति । य एवं वेद । योऽपामायतनं वेद । आयतनवान् भवति ॥

Also known as Yo'pam Pushpam Veda

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

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What the Mantra Pushpam is

Mantra Pushpam, the 'flower of mantras', is the Vedic passage priests chant together as flowers are offered at the close of a puja, and it opens with the words 'yo'pam pushpam veda'. It is the twenty-second anuvaka of the Aruna Prashna, the first book of the Taittiriya Aranyaka of the Krishna Yajurveda, a section also called the Surya Namaskara Prashna. The text is prose, not metre. It begins by naming the moon as the flower of the waters, then works through seven pairs: fire, air, the blazing sun, the moon, the stars, the rain cloud and the year are each the ayatana, the resting place, of the waters, and the waters are in turn the resting place of each. Every section ends with the same refrain about the one who knows this. The last section turns to a boat standing firm upon the waters. In temples the passage is closed with 'Rajadhirajaya', a salutation to Kubera Vaishravana taken from Taittiriya Aranyaka 1.31.

A question about where time comes to rest

The Aruna Prashna has thirty-two anuvakas, and the commentator Sri Varadachari Sathakopan of Oppiliappan Koil reads the Mantra Pushpam as the answer to a puzzle set fourteen sections earlier. The eighth anuvaka asks where the rain cloud goes to rest, where the year dissolves, where day and night, months, fortnights and moments find their home, and where water goes when ponds and rivers run dry. Its own answer is that the units of time enter water, water enters fire, and fire merges into the sun. The twenty-second anuvaka returns to that chain and states it as mutual support: each power rests in water, and water rests in it. The same commentary links these verses to the Arunaketuka rite, the fire altar of the Aruna Prashna, and notes that the passage is recited daily in Srivaishnava Bhagavad Aradhanam, the household worship of Vishnu. The classical commentators Sayana and Bhatta Bhaskara both treated water here as a name for the supreme reality. How the passage came to be the standard flower offering at the end of worship is not recorded; even the translator P. R. Ramachander wrote that he did not know why it is repeated at every function. The closing Kubera salutation was joined to it by temple practice, where priests recite it while distributing prasada.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiयोऽपां पुष्पं वेद । पुष्पवान् प्रजावान् पशुमान् भवति । चन्द्रमा वा अपां पुष्पम् । पुष्पवान् प्रजावान् पशुमान् भवति । य एवं वेद । योऽपामायतनं वेद । आयतनवान् भवति ॥

Tamilயோபாம் புஷ்பம் வேத । புஷ்பவாந் ப்ரஜாவாந் பஶுமாந் பவதி । சந்த்ரமா வா அபாம் புஷ்பம் । புஷ்பவாந் ப்ரஜாவாந் பஶுமாந் பவதி । ய ஏவம் வேத । யோபாமாயதநம் வேத । ஆயதநவாந் பவதி ॥

Teluguయోఽపాం పుష్పం వేద । పుష్పవాన్ ప్రజావాన్ పశుమాన్ భవతి । చన్ద్రమా వా అపాం పుష్పమ్ । పుష్పవాన్ ప్రజావాన్ పశుమాన్ భవతి । య ఏవం వేద । యోఽపామాయతనం వేద । ఆయతనవాన్ భవతి ॥

Kannadaಯೋಽಪಾಂ ಪುಷ್ಪಂ ವೇದ । ಪುಷ್ಪವಾನ್ ಪ್ರಜಾವಾನ್ ಪಶುಮಾನ್ ಭವತಿ । ಚನ್ದ್ರಮಾ ವಾ ಅಪಾಂ ಪುಷ್ಪಮ್ । ಪುಷ್ಪವಾನ್ ಪ್ರಜಾವಾನ್ ಪಶುಮಾನ್ ಭವತಿ । ಯ ಏವಂ ವೇದ । ಯೋಽಪಾಮಾಯತನಂ ವೇದ । ಆಯತನವಾನ್ ಭವತಿ ॥

Malayalamയോഽപാം പുഷ്പം വേദ । പുഷ്പവാന് പ്രജാവാന് പശുമാന് ഭവതി । ചന്ദ്രമാ വാ അപാം പുഷ്പമ് । പുഷ്പവാന് പ്രജാവാന് പശുമാന് ഭവതി । യ ഏവം വേദ । യോഽപാമായതനം വേദ । ആയതനവാന് ഭവതി ॥

EnglishRoman transliterationyo'pāṃ puṣpaṃ veda | puṣpavān prajāvān paśumān bhavati | candramā vā apāṃ puṣpam | puṣpavān prajāvān paśumān bhavati | ya evaṃ veda | yo'pāmāyatanaṃ veda | āyatanavān bhavati ||

“He who knows the flower of the waters becomes rich in flowers, in offspring and in cattle. The moon is the flower of the waters; he who knows this becomes rich in flowers, offspring and cattle. He who knows the resting place (source) of the waters comes to have a firm resting place.”

योऽपां: yo'pāṃ — he who, of the waters
पुष्पं: puṣpaṃ — the flower
वेद: veda — knows
पुष्पवान्: puṣpavān — rich in flowers
प्रजावान्: prajāvān — rich in offspring
पशुमान्: paśumān — rich in cattle
भवति: bhavati — becomes
चन्द्रमा: candramā — the moon
वा: vā — indeed
अपां: apāṃ — of the waters
पुष्पम्: puṣpam — the flower
पुष्पवान्: puṣpavān — rich in flowers
प्रजावान्: prajāvān — rich in offspring
पशुमान्: paśumān — rich in cattle
भवति: bhavati — becomes
य: ya — he who
एवं: evaṃ — thus
वेद: veda — knows
योऽपामायतनं: yo'pāmāyatanaṃ — he who, the resting place of the waters
वेद: veda — knows
आयतनवान्: āyatanavān — possessed of a resting place
भवति: bhavati — becomes

Mantra Pushpam lyrics in full

The eight sections of Taittiriya Aranyaka 1.22, closed by the Rajadhirajaya salutation to Kubera; some temples add further mantras after it.

All 9 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Mantra Pushpam PDFAll 9 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

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Verse 1

योऽपां पुष्पं वेद ।
पुष्पवान् प्रजावान् पशुमान् भवति ।
चन्द्रमा वा अपां पुष्पम् ।
पुष्पवान् प्रजावान् पशुमान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽपामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ॥

He who knows the flower of the waters becomes rich in flowers, in offspring and in cattle. The moon is the flower of the waters; he who knows this becomes rich in flowers, offspring and cattle. He who knows the resting place (source) of the waters comes to have a firm resting place.

Verse 2

अग्निर्वा अपामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
योऽग्नेरायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
आपो वा अग्नेरायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽपामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ॥

Fire is the resting place of the waters; he who knows the resting place of fire comes to have a firm resting place. The waters in turn are the resting place of fire. He who knows this, he who knows the resting place of the waters, comes to have a firm resting place.

Verse 3

वायुर्वा अपामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
यो वायोरायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
आपो वै वायोरायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽपामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ॥

Air (Vayu) is the resting place of the waters; he who knows the resting place of air comes to have a firm resting place. The waters in turn are the resting place of air. He who knows this, he who knows the resting place of the waters, comes to have a firm resting place.

Verse 4

असौ वै तपन्नपामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
योऽमुष्य तपत आयतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
आपो वा अमुष्य तपत आयतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽपामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ॥

Yonder blazing sun is the resting place of the waters; he who knows the resting place of the blazing sun comes to have a firm resting place. The waters in turn are the resting place of the blazing sun. He who knows this, he who knows the resting place of the waters, comes to have a firm resting place.

Verse 5

चन्द्रमा वा अपामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
यश्चन्द्रमस आयतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
आपो वै चन्द्रमस आयतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽपामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ॥

The moon is the resting place of the waters; he who knows the resting place of the moon comes to have a firm resting place. The waters in turn are the resting place of the moon. He who knows this, he who knows the resting place of the waters, comes to have a firm resting place.

Verse 6

नक्षत्राणि वा अपामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
यो नक्षत्राणामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
आपो वै नक्षत्राणामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽपामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ॥

The stars are the resting place of the waters; he who knows the resting place of the stars comes to have a firm resting place. The waters in turn are the resting place of the stars. He who knows this, he who knows the resting place of the waters, comes to have a firm resting place.

Verse 7

पर्जन्यो वा अपामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
यः पर्जन्यस्यायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
आपो वै पर्जन्यस्यायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽपामायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ॥

The rain cloud (Parjanya) is the resting place of the waters; he who knows the resting place of the rain cloud comes to have a firm resting place. The waters in turn are the resting place of the rain cloud. He who knows this, he who knows the resting place of the waters, comes to have a firm resting place.

Verse 8

संवत्सरो वा अपामायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
यस्संवत्सरस्यायतनं वेद ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
आपो वै संवत्सरस्यायतनम् ।
आयतनवान् भवति ।
य एवं वेद ।
योऽप्सु नावं प्रतिष्ठितां वेद ।
प्रत्येव तिष्ठति ॥

The year is the resting place of the waters; he who knows the resting place of the year comes to have a firm resting place. The waters in turn are the resting place of the year. The verse says that he who knows the boat that stands firm upon the waters stands firm himself.

Verse 9

राजाधिराजाय प्रसह्यसाहिने ।
नमो वयं वैश्रवणाय कुर्महे ।
स मे कामान्कामकामाय मह्यम् ।
कामेश्वरो वैश्रवणो ददातु ।
कुबेराय वैश्रवणाय ।
महाराजाय नमः ॥

To the king of kings, who overcomes by his might, to Vaishravana we offer our salutation. May he, Vaishravana, the lord of desires, grant me, who long for them, the things I desire. To Kubera, son of Vishravas, the great king, salutations.

The syllable people get wrong

The opening word yo'pāṃ (योऽपां) carries an avagraha: the a of apāṃ has merged into yo, so it is said 'yo-paam' in two syllables, not 'yo-apaam'. The same elision recurs in every refrain as yo'pāmāyatanaṃ, 'yo-paa-maa-ya-ta-nam'.

When the Mantra Pushpam is chanted

Festival. Pushpanjali, the flower offering at the close of puja

Questions

It means 'the moon is indeed the flower of the waters'. The opening lines say that one who knows the flower of the waters becomes rich in flowers, offspring and cattle, and then name the moon as that flower. Sri Varadachari Sathakopan explains the image through the churning of the milky ocean, from whose waters the moon rose like a lotus, and through the old idea that the moon's cool rays give rise to water, so each is the support of the other.

The eight sections printed here are Taittiriya Aranyaka 1.22, the twenty-second anuvaka of the Aruna Prashna in the Krishna Yajurveda. The closing 'Rajadhirajaya' salutation to Kubera is not part of that anuvaka; it comes from later in the same book, Taittiriya Aranyaka 1.31. Some numberings cite the passage by its individual mantras, 78 to 84 of the Prashna, which is why references to it differ.

The final verse, beginning 'Rajadhirajaya prasahyasahine', salutes Vaishravana, the son of Vishravas, as king of kings and asks him, as lord of desires, to grant what the worshipper longs for. It was attached to the water passage by temple custom rather than by the Aranyaka itself, and temple priests recite it while handing out prasada after an archana. Most printed editions include it as the close.

Some temples and one printed recension continue after the Kubera salutation with further mantras, among them 'Om tad brahma', 'Antascharati bhuteshu', 'Ishanah sarvavidyanam', 'Tad vishnoh paramam padam', 'Ritam satyam' and the Narayana Gayatri. These come from other Vedic and Upanishadic passages and are not part of Taittiriya Aranyaka 1.22. The text on this page stops at the Kubera salutation, as most editions do.

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