Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda VII.87 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 Varuṇa, thou art mighty and wise! Thy dominion extendeth over all the worlds. In thy hands lieth the destiny of gods and mortals alike. Thou hast made the rivers to flow; thou hast set the sun in his course; thou hast measured out the earth with thy hand.
The waters obey thy command. When thou dost speak, the rivers rush forth in their appointed channels. The Indus floweth; the Gaṅgā floweth; all the waters of the earth flow according to thy decree. No river escapeth thy governance; no stream disobeyeth thy law.
The sky obeyeth thy command. When thou dost speak, the sun riseth in the east and setteth in the west. The stars come forth in their proper season; the moon waxeth and waneth. The whole universe is a clock wound by thy hand, and it keepeth perfect time.
The earth obeyeth thy command. Mountains stand because thou hast caused them to stand. The soil is fertile because thou hast decreed it so. The creatures of the earth—the cattle, the wild beasts, the creeping things—all exist by thy permission, all feed according to thy ordinance.
Yet for all thy might, O Varuṇa, thou art also merciful. Thou art the friend of the righteous, the protector of the true. Those who walk in thy way shall never perish. Those who honor thy law shall be blessed. Thou art the guardian of truth, the keeper of oaths, the witness to all promises.
Hear us, O wise one! Accept our prayers! Be satisfied with our offerings! And grant unto us thy blessings—that we may prosper in our lands, that our enemies may be defeated, that our children may be born healthy, and that our lives may be long and peaceful.
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.87
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.
radat patho varuṇaḥ sūryāya prārṇāṁsi samudriyā nadīnām |
sargo na sṛṣṭo arvatīr ṛtāyañ cakāra mahīr avanīr ahabhyaḥ || 1 ||
ātmā te vāto raja ā navīnot paśur na bhūrṇir yavase sasavān |
antar mahī bṛhatī rodasīme viśvā te dhāma varuṇa priyāṇi || 2 ||
pari spaśo varuṇasya smadiṣṭā ubhe paśyanti rodasī sumeke |
ṛtāvānaḥ kavayo yajñadhīrāḥ pracetaso ya iṣayanta manma || 3 ||
uvāca me varuṇo medhirāya triḥ sapta nāmāghnyā bibharti |
vidvān padasya guhyā na vocad yugāya vipra uparāya śikṣan || 4 ||
tisro dyāvo nihitā antar asmin tisro bhūmīr uparāḥ ṣaḍvidhānāḥ |
gṛtso rājā varuṇaś cakra etaṁ divi preṅkhaṁ hiraṇyayaṁ śubhe kam || 5 ||
ava sindhuṁ varuṇo dyaur iva sthād drapso na śveto mṛgas tuviṣmān |
gambhīraśaṁso rajaso vimānaḥ supārakṣatraḥ sato asya rājā || 6 ||
yo mṛḻayāti cakruṣe cid āgo vayaṁ syāma varuṇe anāgāḥ |
anu vratāny aditer ṛdhanto 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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