Hymn to Mitra and Varuṇa
Rigveda VII.65 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. At sunrise I call to you both with hymns — Mitra, and Varuṇa of pure resolve — whose lordly power is unfailing and supreme, ever watchful as it moves along the path of all things.
2. They are the lords of the gods, they are the masters; may they make our lands flourish and thrive. May we reach you, Mitra and Varuṇa, there where the days and the heavens grow abundant.
3. You two, with your many snares, are the dams that untruth cannot easily pass — hard to cross for the deceitful mortal. By your path of truth, Mitra and Varuṇa, may we cross over troubles as by boat over water.
4. Come to us, Mitra and Varuṇa, and take pleasure in our offering; sprinkle our pastures with ghee, with waters of refreshment. Here grant your favor in return to this person; fill us with the lovely water of heaven.
5. This hymn of praise, Varuṇa, Mitra, is offered to you, as bright soma is offered to Vāyu. Favor our thoughts, rouse our devotions. May you always guard us with blessings.
Translator's note: "duratyetū" (v.3) is rendered "hard to pass" — its exact grammatical force (a compound describing the "dams") is uncertain but the sense of an obstacle blocking untruth is clear. "puraṁdhīḥ" (v.5) is translated "devotions"; the word covers abundant, generous thought or the bounty it invokes, and no single English word fully captures it.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.65 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation rendered verse by verse from the Sanskrit text printed below. Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation.
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Source Text: ṛgveda VII.65
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
prati vāṁ sūra udite sūktair mitraṁ huve varuṇam pūtadakṣam |
yayor asurya1m akṣitaṁ jyeṣṭhaṁ viśvasya yāmann ācitā jigatnu || 1 ||
tā hi devānām asurā tāv aryā tā naḥ kṣitīḥ karatam ūrjayantīḥ |
aśyāma mitrāvaruṇā vayaṁ vāṁ dyāvā ca yatra pīpayann ahā ca || 2 ||
tā bhūripāśāv anṛtasya setū duratyetū ripave martyāya |
ṛtasya mitrāvaruṇā pathā vām apo na nāvā duritā tarema || 3 ||
ā no mitrāvaruṇā havyajuṣṭiṁ ghṛtair gavyūtim ukṣatam iḻābhiḥ |
prati vām atra varam ā janāya pṛṇītam udno divyasya cāroḥ || 4 ||
eṣa stomo varuṇa mitra tubhyaṁ somaḥ śukro na vāyave 'yāmi |
aviṣṭaṁ dhiyo jigṛtam puraṁdhīr yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 5 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).