Hymn to Mitra and Varuṇa
Rigveda I.151 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Mitra and Varuṇa, the great pair: Mitra the lord of covenant and Varuṇa the upholder of cosmic law. It is one of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda organized within Maṇḍala 1, the first of ten books. The ṛṣi (seer) to whom this hymn is attributed and its precise liturgical context are recorded in the traditional Śākalya Anukramaṇī.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest surviving religious texts in the world, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in the Vedic Sanskrit of the Indus-Sarasvatī region. Its hymns were preserved through oral transmission across millennia before being committed to writing. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
O Mitra and Varuṇa! Twin lords of cosmic order! Ye who govern the sky and earth, who dispense justice and mercy, who uphold the sacred law that bindeth all things together—we call upon you with reverent voices.
Mitra! Thou art the friend, the companion, the keeper of covenant. Where two men make a pact, thou art witness. Where friendship floweth between hearts, thy presence giveth it binding force. Thou art the cement that holdeth society together, the bond that maketh tribes into peoples.
Varuṇa! Thou art the sovereign, the keeper of cosmic order, the one who seeth all actions even in the darkness. No secret escapeth thy all-seeing eye. Thou art the lawgiver, and all must bow before thy judgment. The waters obey thee, the winds carry thy commands, the very stars move in accordance with thy will.
Yet ye are not two who are separate—ye are one law viewed from two aspects. Mitra is the merciful visage, the light that draweth creatures to order through love and fellowship. Varuṇa is the stern visage, the darkness that preventeth chaos through fear and righteous judgment.
We, who are weak and prone to falsehood, do implore your mercy! Let Varuṇa not bind us with the ropes of divine wrath for our transgressions! Intercede for us, O Mitra, thy kindness melting the severity of thy companion's gaze!
Ye are the foundation upon which all dwelling resteth. The cattle are secure because ye uphold the law. The crops grow because ye ordain the seasons. The people live in peace when ye art pleased.
O mighty ones! Grant us the wisdom to keep the sacred covenant! Give us strength to honour our oaths! Let us be just in our dealings with one another! And when we stumble and err, grant us the chance to make amends!
Ye are praised! Ye are honoured! Ye are the rulers of all existence!
Colophon
Rigveda I.151 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, the version that has been transmitted and is considered canonical in the mainstream tradition. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE; this hymn addresses Mitra and Varuṇa, the great pair: Mitra the lord of covenant and Varuṇa the upholder of cosmic law. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation session to be documented during Kshatriya Blood Rule audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda I.151
mitraṁ na yaṁ śimyā goṣu gavyavaḥ svādhyo vidathe apsu jījanan |
arejetāṁ rodasī pājasā girā prati priyaṁ yajataṁ januṣām avaḥ || 1 ||
yad dha tyad vām purumīḻhasya sominaḥ pra mitrāso na dadhire svābhuvaḥ |
adha kratuṁ vidataṁ gātum arcata uta śrutaṁ vṛṣaṇā pastyāvataḥ || 2 ||
ā vām bhūṣan kṣitayo janma rodasyoḥ pravācyaṁ vṛṣaṇā dakṣase mahe |
yad īm ṛtāya bharatho yad arvate pra hotrayā śimyā vītho adhvaram || 3 ||
pra sā kṣitir asura yā mahi priya ṛtāvānāv ṛtam ā ghoṣatho bṛhat |
yuvaṁ divo bṛhato dakṣam ābhuvaṁ gāṁ na dhury upa yuñjāthe apaḥ || 4 ||
mahī atra mahinā vāram ṛṇvatho 'reṇavas tuja ā sadman dhenavaḥ |
svaranti tā uparatāti sūryam ā nimruca uṣasas takvavīr iva || 5 ||
ā vām ṛtāya keśinīr anūṣata mitra yatra varuṇa gātum arcathaḥ |
ava tmanā sṛjatam pinvataṁ dhiyo yuvaṁ viprasya manmanām irajyathaḥ || 6 ||
yo vāṁ yajñaiḥ śaśamāno ha dāśati kavir hotā yajati manmasādhanaḥ |
upāha taṁ gacchatho vītho adhvaram acchā giraḥ sumatiṁ gantam asmayū || 7 ||
yuvāṁ yajñaiḥ prathamā gobhir añjata ṛtāvānā manaso na prayuktiṣu |
bharanti vām manmanā saṁyatā giro 'dṛpyatā manasā revad āśāthe || 8 ||
revad vayo dadhāthe revad āśāthe narā māyābhir itaūti māhinam |
na vāṁ dyāvo 'habhir nota sindhavo na devatvam paṇayo nānaśur magham || 9 ||
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).
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