Hymn to Mitra and Varuṇa
Rigveda VIII.25 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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. You two are the guardians of everything, gods worthy of worship among the gods, upholders of the cosmic order, of purified strength — to you we offer worship.
2. Mitra, like a charioteer guiding by lineage, and Varuṇa of good purpose — both well-born from ancient time, sons who hold firmly to their vows.
3. Great Aditi, all-knowing, upholder of the cosmic order, gave birth to these two mighty ones, greatly powerful, for sovereign lordship.
4. Great Mitra and Varuṇa, sovereign kings, gods and lords — upholders of the cosmic order, they proclaim the vast truth.
5. Descendants of great might, sons of power, of good purpose, ever-flowing in their gifts — grant a dwelling place of nourishment over our settlements.
6. You two who together hold the streams, the nourishments of heaven and earth — let the cloud-laden rains come to you.
7. You two who look down from the high heaven as if upon herds — truth-upholding sovereigns, set in place to receive our homage.
8. Truth-upholding, of good purpose, they have taken their seat for sovereign rule; holding fast to their vows, of ruling power, they have attained dominion.
9. Keener at finding the path than the eye itself, with a steady, unfailing gaze, watchful even while blinking, attentive — they perceive everything.
10. And may goddess Aditi grant us freedom, and the Nāsatyas; may the Maruts, of ever-growing strength, grant us freedom.
11. Protect our boat, you of good bounty, by day and by night; unharmed, may we hold fast to your protections.
12. To Viṣṇu who does not slay, the bounteous one, may we come unharmed. Hear us, self-moving river, that we be your foremost concern.
13. We choose that most desirable boon, the best, the protective one — that which Mitra guards, which Varuṇa guards, which Aryaman guards.
14. And for us may the river of waters grant that, the Maruts grant that, the Aśvins grant that — Indra and Viṣṇu, the bounteous ones, all in accord.
15. For they indeed, eager leaders, repel the hostile intent of anyone, impetuous, like a sharp torrent.
16. This one alone, lord of the people, truly looks out widely over many things; according to his ordinances we conduct ourselves toward you.
17. We follow the ancient, established ordinances of the sovereignty — the far-famed ordinances of Mitra and of Varuṇa.
18. He who with his measuring cord marked out the limits of heaven and of earth has filled both worlds by his greatness.
19. Up in the shelter of heaven the Sun has raised his light, like bright Agni kindled and offered oblations.
20. In the long-enduring assembly I have power over speech; I rule over the prize rich in cattle; I have power to bestow abundant nourishment.
21. That Sun, over both worlds, at evening and at dawn I invoke: rise up always over us among the generous ones.
22. We have won a swift steed in the contest for the bull, a bright one in the contest for the tawny horses, and a yoked chariot, in the fair contest.
23. These two are for me generous bestowers of horse-teams, of tawny steeds, and indeed carriers of men, of the able racers.
24. With reins together, whip in hand, we inspired ones, with newest song — may we, together with the two great prize-winning coursers, attain the winning seat.
Translator's note: Verses 18–24 shift from Mitra-Varuṇa's cosmic order to Sūrya and to horse-race/chariot imagery whose specific referents (e.g. "ukṣaṇyāyane," "harayāṇe," "suṣāmaṇi" in verse 22) are obscure technical or proper terms; they are rendered conservatively, keeping the literal images of steeds, chariot, and contest rather than resolving them to a specific named event.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.25 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 VIII.25
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.
tā vāṁ viśvasya gopā devā deveṣu yajñiyā |
ṛtāvānā yajase pūtadakṣasā || 1 ||
mitrā tanā na rathyā3 varuṇo yaś ca sukratuḥ |
sanāt sujātā tanayā dhṛtavratā || 2 ||
tā mātā viśvavedasāsuryāya pramahasā |
mahī jajānāditir ṛtāvarī || 3 ||
mahāntā mitrāvaruṇā samrājā devāv asurā |
ṛtāvānāv ṛtam ā ghoṣato bṛhat || 4 ||
napātā śavaso mahaḥ sūnū dakṣasya sukratū |
sṛpradānū iṣo vāstv adhi kṣitaḥ || 5 ||
saṁ yā dānūni yemathur divyāḥ pārthivīr iṣaḥ |
nabhasvatīr ā vāṁ carantu vṛṣṭayaḥ || 6 ||
adhi yā bṛhato divo3 'bhi yūtheva paśyataḥ |
ṛtāvānā samrājā namase hitā || 7 ||
ṛtāvānā ni ṣedatuḥ sāmrājyāya sukratū |
dhṛtavratā kṣatriyā kṣatram āśatuḥ || 8 ||
akṣṇaś cid gātuvittarānulbaṇena cakṣasā |
ni cin miṣantā nicirā ni cikyatuḥ || 9 ||
uta no devy aditir uruṣyatāṁ nāsatyā |
uruṣyantu maruto vṛddhaśavasaḥ || 10 ||
te no nāvam uruṣyata divā naktaṁ sudānavaḥ |
ariṣyanto ni pāyubhiḥ sacemahi || 11 ||
aghnate viṣṇave vayam ariṣyantaḥ sudānave |
śrudhi svayāvan sindho pūrvacittaye || 12 ||
tad vāryaṁ vṛṇīmahe variṣṭhaṁ gopayatyam |
mitro yat pānti varuṇo yad aryamā || 13 ||
uta naḥ sindhur apāṁ tan marutas tad aśvinā |
indro viṣṇur mīḍhvāṁsaḥ sajoṣasaḥ || 14 ||
te hi ṣmā vanuṣo naro 'bhimātiṁ kayasya cit |
tigmaṁ na kṣodaḥ pratighnanti bhūrṇayaḥ || 15 ||
ayam eka itthā purūru caṣṭe vi viśpatiḥ |
tasya vratāny anu vaś carāmasi || 16 ||
anu pūrvāṇy okyā sāmrājyasya saścima |
mitrasya vratā varuṇasya dīrghaśrut || 17 ||
pari yo raśminā divo 'ntān mame pṛthivyāḥ |
ubhe ā paprau rodasī mahitvā || 18 ||
ud u ṣya śaraṇe divo jyotir ayaṁsta sūryaḥ |
agnir na śukraḥ samidhāna āhutaḥ || 19 ||
vaco dīrghaprasadmanīśe vājasya gomataḥ |
īśe hi pitvo 'viṣasya dāvane || 20 ||
tat sūryaṁ rodasī ubhe doṣā vastor upa bruve |
bhojeṣv asmām̐ abhy uc carā sadā || 21 ||
ṛjram ukṣaṇyāyane rajataṁ harayāṇe |
rathaṁ yuktam asanāma suṣāmaṇi || 22 ||
tā me aśvyānāṁ harīṇāṁ nitośanā |
uto nu kṛtvyānāṁ nṛvāhasā || 23 ||
smadabhīśū kaśāvantā viprā naviṣṭhayā matī |
maho vājināv arvantā sacāsanam || 24 ||
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).