Text 23]
The Structure of the Universe
295
TEXT 23
आपः पुरुषवीर्याः स्थ पुनन्तीर्भूर्भुवः सुवः ।
तानः पुनीतामीवघ्नीः स्पृशतामात्मना भुव इति ॥ २३ ॥
āpaḥ puruṣa-vīryāḥ stha punantīr bhūr-bhuvaḥ-suvaḥ tā naḥ punītāmīva-ghnīḥ spṛśatām ātmanā bhuva iti
āpaḥ—O water; puruṣa-vīryāḥ—endowed with the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; stha—you are; punantīḥ—sanctifying; bhūḥ—of the planetary system known as Bhūḥ; bhuvaḥ—of the Bhuvaḥ planetary system; suvaḥ—of the Svaḥ planetary system; tāḥ—that water; naḥ—of us; punīta—purify; amīva-ghnīḥ—who destroys sin; spṛśatām—of those touching; ātmanā—by your constitutional position; bhuvaḥ—the bodies; iti—thus.
TRANSLATION
[The inhabitants of Krauñcadvīpa worship with this mantra.] O water of the rivers, you have obtained energy from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore you purify the three planetary systems, known as Bhūloka, Bhuvarloka and Svarloka. By your constitutional nature, you take away sins, and that is why we are touching you. Kindly continue to purify us.
PURPORT
Kṛṣṇa says in  Bhagavad-gītā  (7.4):
bhūmīr āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhīr eva ca ahaṅkāra itīyaṁ me bhinnā prakṛtīr aṣṭadhā
“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego—all together these eight comprise My separated material energies.”