Verse 7.10.1

आपो वावान्नाद्भूयस्तस्माद्यदा सुवृष्टिर्न भवति व्याधीयन्ते प्राणा अन्नं कनीयो भविष्यतीत्यथ यदा सुवृष्टिर्भवत्यानन्दिनः प्राणा भवन्त्यन्नं बहु भविष्यतीत्याप एवेमा मूर्ता येयं पृथिवी यदन्तरिक्षं यद्द्यौर्यत्पर्वता यद्देवमनुष्यायत्पशवश्च वयांसि च तृणवनस्पतयः श्वापदान्याकीटपतङ्गपिपीलकमाप एवेमा मूर्ता अप उपास्स्वेति ॥ ७.१०.१ ॥

āpo vāvānnādbhūyastasmādyadā suvṛṣṭirna bhavati vyādhīyante prāṇā annaṃ kanīyo bhaviṣyatītyatha yadā suvṛṣṭirbhavatyānandinaḥ prāṇā bhavantyannaṃ bahu bhaviṣyatītyāpa evemā mūrtā yeyaṃ pṛthivī yadantarikṣaṃ yaddyauryatparvatā yaddevamanuṣyāyatpaśavaśca vayāṃsi ca tṛṇavanaspatayaḥ śvāpadānyākīṭapataṅgapipīlakamāpa evemā mūrtā apa upāssveti || 7.10.1 ||

1. Water is certainly superior to food. That is why if there is no rain, people worry and think, ‘There will not be enough food.’ But if there is a good rainfall, they are happy, thinking, ‘There will be plenty of food.’ All these are water in different forms: the earth, the interspace, heaven, the mountains, gods and human beings, cattle and birds, creepers and trees, animals of prey, worms, insects, and ants. All these are water in different forms. Therefore worship water.

Word-for-word explanation:

Āpaḥ vāva annāt bhūyaḥ, water is certainly superior than food; tasmāt, this is why; yadā suvṛṣṭiḥ na bhavati, when there is not enough rain; prāṇāḥ vyādhīyante, people are anxious; annam kanīyaḥ bhaviṣyati iti, [thinking,] there will not be much food; atha yadā suvṛṣṭiḥ bhavati, then when it rains; prāṇāḥ ānandinaḥ bhavanti, people become happy; annam bahu bhaviṣyati iti, [thinking,] there will be much food; āpaḥ eva imāḥ, water is all this; mūrtāḥ, different forms; yā iyam pṛthivī, this earth; yat antarikṣam, this interspace; yat dyauḥ, this heaven; yat parvatāḥ, these mountains; yat deva-manuṣyāḥ, these gods and human beings; yat paśavaḥ ca, these cattle; vayāṃsi ca, and birds; tṛṇa-vanaspatayaḥ, and creepers and trees; śvāpadāni, animals of prey; ākīṭa-pataṅga-pipīlikam, worms, insects, and ants; āpaḥ eva imāḥ mūrtāḥ, these are all water in different forms; apaḥ upāssva iti, worship water.

Commentary:

Suppose one year there is very little rainfall. Everyone then becomes very worried. They say: ‘What will happen to us? This is a bad year. The crops will fail and there will be a famine.’ On the other hand, if there is good rain during the year, then there is a good harvest. People say, ‘This year we will have plenty to eat.’

The bodies of all living beings are products of water and are dependent on water.