Hymn to Indra and Varuṇa
Rigveda VII.85 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. I purify for you two an undeceptive hymn, offering soma to Indra and to Varuṇa — like the divine Dawn with her ghee-bright face. May you two protect us on our way, in the encounter.
2. They contend here indeed in the war-cry, where the arrows fly among the banners. You two, Indra and Varuṇa, strike down those enemies — turned back, scattered in every direction, by your weapon.
3. Even the self-glorious divine Waters, in their seats, have set up Indra and Varuṇa by their godhead. One of the two upholds the peoples, set apart; the other slays the unopposable obstacles.
4. Let him be a skilled priest, one who perceives the truth, who, O sons of Aditi, honors you two with might, full of reverence. Bearing the oblation, may he turn to you two for help; rich in offerings, may he indeed prosper.
5. This hymn of mine has reached Indra and Varuṇa; hastening, it has aided us in children and offspring. Rich in treasure, may we attain the feast of the gods. Protect us always, you gods, with blessings.
Translator's note: verse 3's "one... the other" (anyaḥ... anyaḥ) divides roles between the pair without naming them individually; by convention Varuṇa is understood as upholder of the peoples/order and Indra as slayer of obstacles (vṛtras), matching each god's usual role elsewhere in the Rigveda. Verse 4's vocative "āditya" is rendered "sons of Aditi," addressing Indra and Varuṇa together as Ādityas. Verse 5's closing line uses the common plural refrain formula (yūyam, "you all") found across many Rigvedic hymns regardless of how many gods are addressed in the hymn itself.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.85 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.85
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.
punīṣe vām arakṣasam manīṣāṁ somam indrāya varuṇāya juhvat |
ghṛtapratīkām uṣasaṁ na devīṁ tā no yāmann uruṣyatām abhīke || 1 ||
spardhante vā u devahūye atra yeṣu dhvajeṣu didyavaḥ patanti |
yuvaṁ tām̐ indrāvaruṇāv amitrān hatam parācaḥ śarvā viṣūcaḥ || 2 ||
āpaś cid dhi svayaśasaḥ sadaḥsu devīr indraṁ varuṇaṁ devatā dhuḥ |
kṛṣṭīr anyo dhārayati praviktā vṛtrāṇy anyo apratīni hanti || 3 ||
sa sukratur ṛtacid astu hotā ya āditya śavasā vāṁ namasvān |
āvavartad avase vāṁ haviṣmān asad it sa suvitāya prayasvān || 4 ||
iyam indraṁ varuṇam aṣṭa me gīḥ prāvat toke tanaye tūtujānā |
suratnāso devavītiṁ gamema 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).