Hydrologic Ancient Indian Texts
Ancient Indian texts, particularly the Vedas, contain profound insights into the hydrologic cycle. The Yajurveda (Verse 13.53) poetically describes the continuous transformation of water:
अपान्त्वेमन्त्सादयाम्यपान्त्वोद्मन्त्सादयाम्यापान्त्वा भस्मन्त्सादयाम्यापान्त्वा ज्योतिषि सादयाम्यापान्त्वायने सादयाम्यर्णवे त्वा सदने सादयामि । समुद्रे त्वा सदने सादयामि । सरिरे त्वा सदने सादयाम्यपान्त्वा क्षये सादयाम्यपान्त्वा सधिषि सादयाम्यपान्त्वा सदने सादयाम्यपान्त्वा सधस्थे सादयाम्यपान्त्वा योनौ सादयाम्यपान्त्वा पुरीषे सादयाम्यपान्त्वा पाथसि सादयामि गायत्रेण त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि त्रैष्टुभेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि जागतेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयाम्यानुष्टुभेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि पाङ्क्तेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि॥
The text represents availablity of water in specific locations, these locations could represent metaphysical realms, bodily parts, cosmic elements, or ritualistic settings.
- अपान्त्वेमन्त्सादयामि “I place you, O water, in this space.”
- अपान्त्वोद्मन्त्सादयामि “I place you, O water, in the uplifted space.”
- अपान्त्वा भस्मन्त्सादयामि “I place you, O water, in ashes.”
- अपान्त्वा ज्योतिषि सादयामि “I place you, O water, in light.”
- अपान्त्वायने सादयामि “I place you, O water, in the path.”
- समुद्रे त्वा सदने सादयामि। “I place you in the ocean”
- सरिरे त्वा सदने सादयामि “I place you in the body.”
- अपान्त्वा क्षये सादयामि “I place you in the abode of end.”
- अपान्त्वा सधिषि सादयामि “I place you in the assembly.”
- अपान्त्वा सदने सादयामि “I place you in the dwelling.”
- अपान्त्वा सधस्थे सादयामि “I place you in the summit.”
- अपान्त्वा योनौ सादयामि “I place you in the womb.”
- अपान्त्वा पुरीषे सादयामि “I place you in the excrement.”
- अपान्त्वा पाथसि सादयामि “I place you in water.”
- गायत्रेण त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि “I place you with the Gayatri meter.”
- त्रैष्टुभेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि “I place you with the Trishtubh meter.”
- जागतेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि “I place you with the Jagati meter.”
- अनुष्टुभेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि “I place you with the Anushtubh meter.”
- पाङ्क्तेन त्वा छन्दसा सादयामि “I place you with the Pankti meter.”
The repeated invocation of “Apah” (water) emphasizes its purifying, life-giving, and sacred qualities. This illustrates the ancient understanding of water’s cyclical journey through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Additionally, the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) describes the water cycle in Sanskrit:
“ जलं निरन्तरं स्वरूपं परिवर्तते। सूर्यस्य तापेन वाष्पस्वरूपं, शीतले सति सङ्घनीकरणे मेघस्वरूपं, वर्षामाध्यमेन जलस्वरूपं धरति। जलं महासागरेषु, वायुमण्डले, पृथिव्यां च परिभ्रमति। जलस्य तत्परिभ्रमणं जलचक्रं कथ्यते। ”
This translates to: “Water continuously changes its form. By the heat of the sun, it becomes vapor; upon cooling, it condenses into clouds; through rainfall, it returns to water. Water circulates in oceans, the atmosphere, and on Earth. This circulation of water is called the water cycle.”
For a comprehensive study on ancient Indian hydrology, refer to the paper “Hydrology and Water Resources Management in Ancient India” by Singh et al. (2020), published in Hydrology and Earth System Sciences.
Reference
Singh, P. K., Dey, P., Jain, S. K., and Mujumdar, P. P.: Hydrology and water resources management in ancient India, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 24, 4691–4707, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-24-4691-2020, 2020