Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda V.68 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.
Hear us now, O twin lords most high! We gather at the dawn to praise thy names, to pour the sacred butter upon the altar, to sing the hymns that have been chanted since the world was young. Accept this offering from thy servants who dwell in darkness and confusion.
Mitra, who dost bring together all creatures in the bonds of friendship! Varuṇa, who dost hold all things in the net of cosmic law! Together ye are the pillars upon which the three worlds rest. Without thee, the heavens would fall; the earth would crumble; all would return to chaos and void.
We beseech thee—grant us prosperity! Let our cattle increase; let our fields bear grain beyond measure. Let our women bear sons strong and wise; let our enemies flee before us. Yet we ask not for these things out of greed or pride, but that we may honor thee with greater sacrifice, that we may sing thy praises with hearts made glad by thy blessings.
More than wealth, we desire thy favour. More than abundance, we desire thy approval. For without thy blessing, all treasures turn to ash; without thy grace, the mightiest man becomes as dust before the wind.
Therefore accept this hymn, this prayer, this offering! Let it rise before thee as incense riseth to heaven. Let it penetrate thy ears as the cry of the suffering penetrateth the heart of a merciful man. Grant us thy peace, thy justice, thy eternal vigilance. Let us dwell in thy light until the sun falleth from the sky and the stars are scattered like ashes upon the wind.
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.68
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.
pra vo mitrāya gāyata varuṇāya vipā girā |
mahikṣatrāv ṛtam bṛhat || 1 ||
samrājā yā ghṛtayonī mitraś cobhā varuṇaś ca |
devā deveṣu praśastā || 2 ||
tā naḥ śaktam pārthivasya maho rāyo divyasya |
mahi vāṁ kṣatraṁ deveṣu || 3 ||
ṛtam ṛtena sapanteṣiraṁ dakṣam āśāte |
adruhā devau vardhete || 4 ||
vṛṣṭidyāvā rītyāpeṣas patī dānumatyāḥ |
bṛhantaṁ gartam āśāte || 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).
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