Upanishads · Prāṇāgnihotra 1.9
॥
Devanāgarī
आपः पुनन्तु पृथिवीं पृथिवी पूता पुनातु माम् । पुनन्तु ब्रह्मणस्पतिर्ब्रह्मपूता पुनातु माम्
Transliteration (IAST)
āpaḥ punantu pṛthivīṃ pṛthivī pūtā punātu mām | punantu brahmaṇaspatirbrahmapūtā punātu mām
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
आपः पुनन्तु पृथिवीम्āpaḥ punantu pṛthivīmmay the waters purify the earth
पृथिवी पूता पुनातु माम्pṛthivī pūtā punātu māmmay the earth, purified, purify me
पुनन्तु ब्रह्मणः पतिःpunantu brahmaṇaḥ patiḥmay the lord of prayer purify
ब्रह्म-पूता पुनातु माम्brahma-pūtā punātu māmmay [the earth,] purified by prayer, purify me
Translation
May the waters purify the earth; may the earth, purified, purify me; may the lord of prayer purify; may [the earth,] purified by prayer, purify me.
Version
3e09d7e2dbf3 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A chain of purification is built: the waters purify the earth, the earth purifies me. This structure deserves examining, for it is unusual. Usually one asks: purify me. Here the request is different: purify what is beneath me, and let it purify me.
That is, purification comes not directly, but through an intermediary. This notion is constant in Indian books and lies at the foundation of all reverence for intermediaries: the teacher, the devotee, the holy place. No one goes directly; everyone goes through someone.
The Vaiṣṇava side stands on this especially firmly and states it more sharply than others. Its rule holds that service to devotees is higher than direct service to the Lord; and the Bhāgavatam says: mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā, "worship of My devotees exceeds [worship of Me]" (11.19.21). This position sounds strange and deserves explaining, for it is not a courteous exaggeration.
The reasoning given is this: one turned directly to the Lord can deceive himself, for He does not answer aloud and does not object. One turned to a devotee deals with a living person, who sees and can object; and so it is harder to be deceived here. Let us add that the chain built in this line is the same thought in its most ancient form: one is purified through what is near, not through what is above.