Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda V.66 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 5 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 by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
Ye are the shield of the faithful! O Mitra-Varuṇa, protectors of those who hold to truth and justice. As the fortress wall defendeth against the enemy's arrow, so do ye defend the righteous from wickedness and decay. Your vigilance is eternal; your strength is beyond measure.
Ye guard the herds from the wolf's fang. Ye protect the women and children when the man goeth forth to battle. Ye shield the seeds in the earth from the rot and the worm. Nothing escapeth thy care; nothing falleth outside thy dominion.
The wicked man who breaketh the law must fear thy judgment. His deeds cry out against him in the night. The oath-breaker standeth alone, bereft of thy favour. But the faithful man walketh in light; his fields bear fruit; his herds multiply. Thou hast promised him thy protection, and thy promises are written in stone.
Therefore let us strive to be worthy of thy care! Let us honor thy laws as a son honoreth his father. Let us keep thy commandments as a guard keepeth his post. For we are weak, and the world is full of dangers—enemies without and treachery within.
O Mitra! O Varuṇa! Ye who knowest the heart of every man—see the sincerity of our devotion! Defend us from those who would lead us astray. Guard us in battle, in storm, in the darkness of sickness and sorrow. Let thy justice be our fortress; let thy truth be our shield. So long as we cleave to thee, so long shall we endure.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda V.66
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.
ā cikitāna sukratū devau marta riśādasā |
varuṇāya ṛtapeśase dadhīta prayase mahe || 1 ||
tā hi kṣatram avihrutaṁ samyag asurya1m āśāte |
adha vrateva mānuṣaṁ sva1r ṇa dhāyi darśatam || 2 ||
tā vām eṣe rathānām urvīṁ gavyūtim eṣām |
rātahavyasya suṣṭutiṁ dadhṛk stomair manāmahe || 3 ||
adhā hi kāvyā yuvaṁ dakṣasya pūrbhir adbhutā |
ni ketunā janānāṁ cikethe pūtadakṣasā || 4 ||
tad ṛtam pṛthivi bṛhac chravaeṣa ṛṣīṇām |
jrayasānāv aram pṛthv ati kṣaranti yāmabhiḥ || 5 ||
ā yad vām īyacakṣasā mitra vayaṁ ca sūrayaḥ |
vyaciṣṭhe bahupāyye yatemahi svarājye || 6 ||
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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