Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda VII.61 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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.
O Mitra and Varuṇa, ye guardians of truth! Ye who see into the hearts of all creatures! Ye from whom nothing can be hidden!
We come before you with our petition. Grant us the strength to overcome our enemies! Let them be scattered like leaves before the wind! Let their counsel be confused; let their weapons be weakened; let their hearts be filled with fear!
Yet we do not ask for victory through treachery or deceit. We ask only for what is just! We ask that the righteous triumph and the wicked be brought low! This is the law that ye yourselves have established!
Keep us safe in our homes! Guard our cattle and our fields! Bless our wives and our children! Let prosperity flow into our household like a river in flood!
O Mitra, thou friend of mortals! Thou dost see us when we wake and when we sleep. Thou dost know our every thought and our every deed. Thou art kind to the faithful and merciful to the repentant.
O Varuṇa, thou terrible lord! Thou dost bind with thy cosmic rope all those who break the law. Thy punishment is swift and sure. Yet to those who honor thee, thou art generous and kind.
Together, O mighty ones, hold us in your protection! Guide us along the righteous path! Lead us to prosperity and peace!
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 VII.61
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.
ud vāṁ cakṣur varuṇa supratīkaṁ devayor eti sūryas tatanvān |
abhi yo viśvā bhuvanāni caṣṭe sa manyum martyeṣv ā ciketa || 1 ||
pra vāṁ sa mitrāvaruṇāv ṛtāvā vipro manmāni dīrghaśrud iyarti |
yasya brahmāṇi sukratū avātha ā yat kratvā na śaradaḥ pṛṇaithe || 2 ||
proror mitrāvaruṇā pṛthivyāḥ pra diva ṛṣvād bṛhataḥ sudānū |
spaśo dadhāthe oṣadhīṣu vikṣv ṛdhag yato animiṣaṁ rakṣamāṇā || 3 ||
śaṁsā mitrasya varuṇasya dhāma śuṣmo rodasī badbadhe mahitvā |
ayan māsā ayajvanām avīrāḥ pra yajñamanmā vṛjanaṁ tirāte || 4 ||
amūrā viśvā vṛṣaṇāv imā vāṁ na yāsu citraṁ dadṛśe na yakṣam |
druhaḥ sacante anṛtā janānāṁ na vāṁ niṇyāny acite abhūvan || 5 ||
sam u vāṁ yajñam mahayaṁ namobhir huve vām mitrāvaruṇā sabādhaḥ |
pra vām manmāny ṛcase navāni kṛtāni brahma jujuṣann imāni || 6 ||
iyaṁ deva purohitir yuvabhyāṁ yajñeṣu mitrāvaruṇāv akāri |
viśvāni durgā pipṛtaṁ tiro no yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 7 ||
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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