Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda VIII.27 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.
Mitra and Varuṇa, ye upholders of all ṛta, ye mighty lords of heaven and of earth, who guard the sacred law with constant vigilance, we call upon you now to hear our worship's cry.
Ye measure out the waters in their proper place, ye set the boundary where the earth doth end and sky begin. All creatures live and move within the bounds ye made.
Ye sovereigns fair and righteous, ye protectors true of all the worlds, of all the gods, and all the mortal race, ye who uphold the rite and crown the truthful man, accept our song of praise.
What man hath ever fled from you and gained his peace? What mortal, having turned away his face from ṛta's path, hath found the blessing that the gods alone bestow?
The falsehood-speaker, him ye hunt down with your might, and bind him round about with cords of adamant. Ye make him weep and wail, his household falls to ruin.
But he who speaks the truth, who walketh in the way of righteousness and order, him ye lift on high, and shower upon his head the gifts of gold and cattle, fields and sons unnumbered.
The mighty both together have established all the worlds; through their great power both the sun and moon do move on high. The stars do wheel about, the winds do blow, the waters flow—all ordered by their will.
Aryaman and Dakṣa, Aṃśa, Bhaga bright—these are the sovereigns of the eastern gate. With Mitra and Varuṇa they guard the cosmic throne.
The Ādityas all do stretch their watchful eye across the earth and heaven, neither hid nor wrought with shadow. All deeds of man are witnessed by their gaze eternal.
O Varuṇa, O Mitra, do not turn from us when we have erred in thought or word or deed through ignorance. The weakest creature doth offend against the law; forgive us as a father forgiveth his young son.
No man is born so pure and spotless that he doth not stumble on the path of ṛta. Like running waters that do flow without delay, so run the days of man from birth unto the grave—grant us forgiveness for our failures and our faults.
The godly man who offers up the sacred gift, the man whose hands are ever clean, his altar bright with flame, whom the Ādityas favor and protect with shield of light—to him ye grant the mighty boons he doth desire.
Extend your blessings far and wide that we may thrive, that all our cattle multiply like the stars of heaven, that all our fields may teem with golden grain in plenty, that we may live in peace and honor till the end.
O lords of light and order, guardians of the truth, ye who do bind the wicked with the cords of consequence, we hymn your glory loud and crave your sovereign grace. Make us the friends of righteousness, the foes of lies.
Ye are the waters' keepers, ye the wind's command; ye rule the seasons turning and the days that come and go. Accept our humble offering and grant us all good things.
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.27
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.
agnir ukthe purohito grāvāṇo barhir adhvare |
ṛcā yāmi maruto brahmaṇas patiṁ devām̐ avo vareṇyam || 1 ||
ā paśuṁ gāsi pṛthivīṁ vanaspatīn uṣāsā naktam oṣadhīḥ |
viśve ca no vasavo viśvavedaso dhīnām bhūta prāvitāraḥ || 2 ||
pra sū na etv adhvaro3 'gnā deveṣu pūrvyaḥ |
ādityeṣu pra varuṇe dhṛtavrate marutsu viśvabhānuṣu || 3 ||
viśve hi ṣmā manave viśvavedaso bhuvan vṛdhe riśādasaḥ |
ariṣṭebhiḥ pāyubhir viśvavedaso yantā no 'vṛkaṁ chardiḥ || 4 ||
ā no adya samanaso gantā viśve sajoṣasaḥ |
ṛcā girā maruto devy adite sadane pastye mahi || 5 ||
abhi priyā maruto yā vo aśvyā havyā mitra prayāthana |
ā barhir indro varuṇas turā nara ādityāsaḥ sadantu naḥ || 6 ||
vayaṁ vo vṛktabarhiṣo hitaprayasa ānuṣak |
sutasomāso varuṇa havāmahe manuṣvad iddhāgnayaḥ || 7 ||
ā pra yāta maruto viṣṇo aśvinā pūṣan mākīnayā dhiyā |
indra ā yātu prathamaḥ saniṣyubhir vṛṣā yo vṛtrahā gṛṇe || 8 ||
vi no devāso adruho 'cchidraṁ śarma yacchata |
na yad dūrād vasavo nū cid antito varūtham ādadharṣati || 9 ||
asti hi vaḥ sajātyaṁ riśādaso devāso asty āpyam |
pra ṇaḥ pūrvasmai suvitāya vocata makṣū sumnāya navyase || 10 ||
idā hi va upastutim idā vāmasya bhaktaye |
upa vo viśvavedaso namasyur ām̐ asṛkṣy anyām iva || 11 ||
ud u ṣya vaḥ savitā supraṇītayo 'sthād ūrdhvo vareṇyaḥ |
ni dvipādaś catuṣpādo arthino 'viśran patayiṣṇavaḥ || 12 ||
devaṁ-devaṁ vo 'vase devaṁ-devam abhiṣṭaye |
devaṁ-devaṁ huvema vājasātaye gṛṇanto devyā dhiyā || 13 ||
devāso hi ṣmā manave samanyavo viśve sākaṁ sarātayaḥ |
te no adya te aparaṁ tuce tu no bhavantu varivovidaḥ || 14 ||
pra vaḥ śaṁsāmy adruhaḥ saṁstha upastutīnām |
na taṁ dhūrtir varuṇa mitra martyaṁ yo vo dhāmabhyo 'vidhat || 15 ||
pra sa kṣayaṁ tirate vi mahīr iṣo yo vo varāya dāśati |
pra prajābhir jāyate dharmaṇas pary ariṣṭaḥ sarva edhate || 16 ||
ṛte sa vindate yudhaḥ sugebhir yāty adhvanaḥ |
aryamā mitro varuṇaḥ sarātayo yaṁ trāyante sajoṣasaḥ || 17 ||
ajre cid asmai kṛṇuthā nyañcanaṁ durge cid ā susaraṇam |
eṣā cid asmād aśaniḥ paro nu sāsredhantī vi naśyatu || 18 ||
yad adya sūrya udyati priyakṣatrā ṛtaṁ dadha |
yan nimruci prabudhi viśvavedaso yad vā madhyaṁdine divaḥ || 19 ||
yad vābhipitve asurā ṛtaṁ yate chardir yema vi dāśuṣe |
vayaṁ tad vo vasavo viśvavedasa upa stheyāma madhya ā || 20 ||
yad adya sūra udite yan madhyaṁdina ātuci |
vāmaṁ dhattha manave viśvavedaso juhvānāya pracetase || 21 ||
vayaṁ tad vaḥ samrāja ā vṛṇīmahe putro na bahupāyyam |
aśyāma tad ādityā juhvato havir yena vasyo 'naśāmahai || 22 ||
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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