Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda I.24 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to Varuṇa, the all-seeing lord of cosmic law, guardian of ṛta, judge of human deeds. 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.
Varuṇa, sovereign lord of all, whose thousand eyes do watch the world,
Whose net of ṛta—cosmic law—doth bind the heavens and the earth.
Thou keepest vigil day and night; no deed escapeth thy sight.
We sing thy praise, O mighty king, thou protector of all righteous folk.
What noble creature hath the strength to stand against Varuṇa's might?
The gods themselves obey thy law; the waters flow at thy command.
Thou art the lord of sky and sea, the guardian of the sacred oath.
All oaths are sworn before thy throne; all vows are made beneath thy gaze.
The men who speak the truth and keep their word do dwell in thy safe keeping.
The liars and the oath-breakers shall perish in thy wrath terrible.
For thou dost punish all transgression; thy judgment is without delay.
The sinful man shall waste away; disease shall track him night and day.
O Varuṇa, forgive us now for all the wrongs that we have done.
We bow before thy majesty; we lift our hands in penitence.
Release us from the bonds of sin; unbind us from the curse we bear.
Grant us the grace to walk in truth forevermore.
The waters haste to do thy will; the wind obeyeth thy command.
The sun and moon pursue their paths as thou hast fixed them in the sky.
All creatures born do know thy law, though mortal men may oft rebel.
Thou art eternal, infinite, the keeper of the cosmic order.
We praise thee, Varuṇa, most wise, thou source of all propriety.
Grant us long life and righteous sons, prosperity and noble fame.
Let us never break the oath we speak, nor swerve from thy just law.
Keep us ever in thy favor, O thou guardian of ṛta bright.
Colophon
Rigveda I.24 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 Varuṇa, the all-seeing lord of cosmic law, guardian of ṛta, judge of human deeds. 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.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda I.24
kasya nūnaṁ katamasyāmṛtānām manāmahe cāru devasya nāma |
ko no mahyā aditaye punar dāt pitaraṁ ca dṛśeyam mātaraṁ ca || 1 ||
agner vayam prathamasyāmṛtānām manāmahe cāru devasya nāma |
sa no mahyā aditaye punar dāt pitaraṁ ca dṛśeyam mātaraṁ ca || 2 ||
abhi tvā deva savitar īśānaṁ vāryāṇām |
sadāvan bhāgam īmahe || 3 ||
yaś cid dhi ta itthā bhagaḥ śaśamānaḥ purā nidaḥ |
adveṣo hastayor dadhe || 4 ||
bhagabhaktasya te vayam ud aśema tavāvasā |
mūrdhānaṁ rāya ārabhe || 5 ||
nahi te kṣatraṁ na saho na manyuṁ vayaś canāmī patayanta āpuḥ |
nemā āpo animiṣaṁ carantīr na ye vātasya praminanty abhvam || 6 ||
abudhne rājā varuṇo vanasyordhvaṁ stūpaṁ dadate pūtadakṣaḥ |
nīcīnāḥ sthur upari budhna eṣām asme antar nihitāḥ ketavaḥ syuḥ || 7 ||
uruṁ hi rājā varuṇaś cakāra sūryāya panthām anvetavā u |
apade pādā pratidhātave 'kar utāpavaktā hṛdayāvidhaś cit || 8 ||
śataṁ te rājan bhiṣajaḥ sahasram urvī gabhīrā sumatiṣ ṭe astu |
bādhasva dūre nirṛtim parācaiḥ kṛtaṁ cid enaḥ pra mumugdhy asmat || 9 ||
amī ya ṛkṣā nihitāsa uccā naktaṁ dadṛśre kuha cid diveyuḥ |
adabdhāni varuṇasya vratāni vicākaśac candramā naktam eti || 10 ||
tat tvā yāmi brahmaṇā vandamānas tad ā śāste yajamāno havirbhiḥ |
aheḻamāno varuṇeha bodhy uruśaṁsa mā na āyuḥ pra moṣīḥ || 11 ||
tad in naktaṁ tad divā mahyam āhus tad ayaṁ keto hṛda ā vi caṣṭe |
śunaḥśepo yam ahvad gṛbhītaḥ so asmān rājā varuṇo mumoktu || 12 ||
śunaḥśepo hy ahvad gṛbhītas triṣv ādityaṁ drupadeṣu baddhaḥ |
avainaṁ rājā varuṇaḥ sasṛjyād vidvām̐ adabdho vi mumoktu pāśān || 13 ||
ava te heḻo varuṇa namobhir ava yajñebhir īmahe havirbhiḥ |
kṣayann asmabhyam asura pracetā rājann enāṁsi śiśrathaḥ kṛtāni || 14 ||
ud uttamaṁ varuṇa pāśam asmad avādhamaṁ vi madhyamaṁ śrathāya |
athā vayam āditya vrate tavānāgaso aditaye syāma || 15 ||
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).
🌲