Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda VIII.25 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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.
Hail to thee, O Mitra and O Varuṇa! Ye twin sovereigns of the cosmos, ye upholders of the eternal law! We sing your praises with voices lifted high.
Ye are the wardens of ṛta, that sacred order by which the heavens hold their place and the earth remaineth firm. Without your constant watchfulness, chaos would reign and the worlds would fall into ruin.
The Sun doth rise and set according to your ordinance, O Mitra and Varuṇa. The moon doth wax and wane by your command. The seasons do turn in their appointed time through your wisdom and your power.
Ye are the guardians of oaths and the judges of truth, O Divine Sovereigns. Those who do swear falsely before you shall receive your punishment, and those who do keep faith shall receive your reward.
O Varuṇa, thy net is cast wide across the heavens and the earth. It doth snare those who do transgress against the law, and it doth bind them in the cords of their own misdeeds.
O Mitra, thy gaze falleth upon all mankind, and thou dost see into the hearts of men and dost know their secret thoughts and their hidden deeds. From thy sight nothing can be concealed.
Ye do govern the moral law that bindeth all creatures, O Mitra and Varuṇa. The righteous man who doth walk in the path of truth shall find favour in your eyes and shall be protected by your power.
The deceitful man and the one who doth break his oaths shall know your wrath, O Divine Sovereigns. The liar, the thief, the betrayer—all shall be brought to justice by your inexorable hand.
Ye are the lords of the waters, O Mitra and Varuṇa, and the rivers do flow at your command. The rain falleth according to your will, and the seas do obey your ordinances.
The wind doth blow, the clouds do gather, the lightning doth flash—all according to your ancient decrees, O Sovereigns. Ye are the masters of the heavens and all that dwell therein.
We do call upon you in our distress, O Mitra and Varuṇa, beseeching you to free us from the bonds of sin and wrongdoing. Grant unto us your pardon and your forgiveness.
Those who do worship you with faithful hearts and do keep the sacred law shall be blessed with long life, with good health, with prosperity, and with peace of mind.
O Mitra, thy companionship is sought by all, for thou art the god of friendship and of contracts between men. Those who do deal fairly and honestly shall find thee to be a friend and a protector.
O Varuṇa, thy power is fearsome and thy justice is implacable. Thou dost punish the wicked and dost defend the righteous. Thou art the keeper of the cosmic law.
The sun riseth as Mitra doth lead the day forward. The night falleth as Varuṇa doth reign over the realm of darkness and the realm of dreams.
Ye are the dispensers of wealth and poverty, O Divine Ones. Ye grant prosperity to those who keep your laws and dost visit hardship upon those who transgress.
In the beginning of time, ye did establish the laws by which the worlds are governed. These laws have stood unchanged since the first dawn of creation and shall stand unchanged unto the end of time.
O Mitra and Varuṇa, we do offer unto you the soma and the clarified butter. We do light the sacred fires in your honour, and we do chant the ancient hymns that our fathers and our fathers' fathers have chanted since days of old.
Accept thou our offerings, O Sovereigns. Look down upon us with favour. And grant unto us the wisdom to walk ever in the path of truth and righteousness.
The righteous man shall dwell in peace under your protection, O Mitra and Varuṇa. But the wicked man shall know no rest, for your gaze pursueth him whithersoever he may go.
We do pledge ourselves to uphold the sacred law that ye have ordained, O Divine Sovereigns. We do promise to deal fairly and truthfully with all men, to keep our oaths, and to respect the bonds that bind the community together.
O Mitra, thou who art the friend of all men—grant unto us thy companionship and thy favour. Help us to forge alliances that are just and lasting, and guide us in our dealings with our neighbours and our kinfolk.
O Varuṇa, thou who art the judge of all deeds—grant unto us thy forgiveness for the wrongs we have done, and help us to amend our ways and to walk henceforth in the path of virtue.
Ye are the immortal guardians of the cosmic order, O Mitra and Varuṇa. Ye are the eternal witnesses to all things that come to pass. Ye are the divine administrators of justice and righteousness.
We glorify you, we exalt you, we do lift up our hearts and our voices in your praise. Mitra and Varuṇa! Divine Sovereigns! Accept our worship and our devotion!
The seasons turn, the years pass, the generations of men come and go—but ye remain eternal and unchanging, O Mighty Ones, upheld by your own will and by the cosmic power that floweth through all things.
Grant unto us your favour, O Sovereigns. Bless us with the gift of truthfulness, the gift of honesty, the gift of loyalty, and the gift of wisdom. And protect us always in the path of righteousness.
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 VIII.25
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.
tā vāṁ viśvasya gopā devā deveṣu yajñiyā |
ṛtāvānā yajase pūtadakṣasā || 1 ||
mitrā tanā na rathyā3 varuṇo yaś ca sukratuḥ |
sanāt sujātā tanayā dhṛtavratā || 2 ||
tā mātā viśvavedasāsuryāya pramahasā |
mahī jajānāditir ṛtāvarī || 3 ||
mahāntā mitrāvaruṇā samrājā devāv asurā |
ṛtāvānāv ṛtam ā ghoṣato bṛhat || 4 ||
napātā śavaso mahaḥ sūnū dakṣasya sukratū |
sṛpradānū iṣo vāstv adhi kṣitaḥ || 5 ||
saṁ yā dānūni yemathur divyāḥ pārthivīr iṣaḥ |
nabhasvatīr ā vāṁ carantu vṛṣṭayaḥ || 6 ||
adhi yā bṛhato divo3 'bhi yūtheva paśyataḥ |
ṛtāvānā samrājā namase hitā || 7 ||
ṛtāvānā ni ṣedatuḥ sāmrājyāya sukratū |
dhṛtavratā kṣatriyā kṣatram āśatuḥ || 8 ||
akṣṇaś cid gātuvittarānulbaṇena cakṣasā |
ni cin miṣantā nicirā ni cikyatuḥ || 9 ||
uta no devy aditir uruṣyatāṁ nāsatyā |
uruṣyantu maruto vṛddhaśavasaḥ || 10 ||
te no nāvam uruṣyata divā naktaṁ sudānavaḥ |
ariṣyanto ni pāyubhiḥ sacemahi || 11 ||
aghnate viṣṇave vayam ariṣyantaḥ sudānave |
śrudhi svayāvan sindho pūrvacittaye || 12 ||
tad vāryaṁ vṛṇīmahe variṣṭhaṁ gopayatyam |
mitro yat pānti varuṇo yad aryamā || 13 ||
uta naḥ sindhur apāṁ tan marutas tad aśvinā |
indro viṣṇur mīḍhvāṁsaḥ sajoṣasaḥ || 14 ||
te hi ṣmā vanuṣo naro 'bhimātiṁ kayasya cit |
tigmaṁ na kṣodaḥ pratighnanti bhūrṇayaḥ || 15 ||
ayam eka itthā purūru caṣṭe vi viśpatiḥ |
tasya vratāny anu vaś carāmasi || 16 ||
anu pūrvāṇy okyā sāmrājyasya saścima |
mitrasya vratā varuṇasya dīrghaśrut || 17 ||
pari yo raśminā divo 'ntān mame pṛthivyāḥ |
ubhe ā paprau rodasī mahitvā || 18 ||
ud u ṣya śaraṇe divo jyotir ayaṁsta sūryaḥ |
agnir na śukraḥ samidhāna āhutaḥ || 19 ||
vaco dīrghaprasadmanīśe vājasya gomataḥ |
īśe hi pitvo 'viṣasya dāvane || 20 ||
tat sūryaṁ rodasī ubhe doṣā vastor upa bruve |
bhojeṣv asmām̐ abhy uc carā sadā || 21 ||
ṛjram ukṣaṇyāyane rajataṁ harayāṇe |
rathaṁ yuktam asanāma suṣāmaṇi || 22 ||
tā me aśvyānāṁ harīṇāṁ nitośanā |
uto nu kṛtvyānāṁ nṛvāhasā || 23 ||
smadabhīśū kaśāvantā viprā naviṣṭhayā matī |
maho vājināv arvantā sacāsanam || 24 ||
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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