Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda VIII.42 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.
O mighty Varuṇa, thy kingdom stretcheth over all the waters and the sky!
Thou dost command the vast and liquid realm where dwell the creatures without number.
The oceans answer to thy sovereign call; the rivers flow as thou dost bid them flow.
In heaven thou dost reign eternal and supreme, seated upon thy golden throne on high.
The sky itself is but thy covering; beneath it spreads the whole of creation's work.
All things that move and all things that are still bow down before thy majesty.
The waters are thy body; the wind is thy swift breath; the light is thine own eye.
Thou seest through the vapours rising from the deep; thou knowest every drop and every wave.
No secret hideth from thy gaze, not any corner of the world escapeth thee.
I come to thee with lifted hands and heart made supple by repentance's touch.
Free me from the cord of sin that bindeth me; loose every knot that holdeth fast my soul.
Let thy great mercy fall upon me like the rains that fall in season to the thirsty earth.
Be thou my friend, O Varuṇa, and I shall be to thee a faithful servant all my days.
Guard me from those who wish me harm; shield me from envy, malice, and deceit.
Let no man's curse or evil eye bring down calamity upon my house and kin.
The friendship of a god is worth more than all the treasures buried in the earth.
To dwell within thy favour is to dwell in safety, shelter'd and at peace.
Accept me, lord, and make me clean, that I may walk once more beneath the sun with gladness in my heart.
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.42
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.
astabhnād dyām asuro viśvavedā amimīta varimāṇam pṛthivyāḥ |
āsīdad viśvā bhuvanāni samrāḍ viśvet tāni varuṇasya vratāni || 1 ||
evā vandasva varuṇam bṛhantaṁ namasyā dhīram amṛtasya gopām |
sa naḥ śarma trivarūthaṁ vi yaṁsat pātaṁ no dyāvāpṛthivī upasthe || 2 ||
imāṁ dhiyaṁ śikṣamāṇasya deva kratuṁ dakṣaṁ varuṇa saṁ śiśādhi |
yayāti viśvā duritā tarema sutarmāṇam adhi nāvaṁ ruhema || 3 ||
ā vāṁ grāvāṇo aśvinā dhībhir viprā acucyavuḥ |
nāsatyā somapītaye nabhantām anyake same || 4 ||
yathā vām atrir aśvinā gīrbhir vipro ajohavīt |
nāsatyā somapītaye nabhantām anyake same || 5 ||
evā vām ahva ūtaye yathāhuvanta medhirāḥ |
nāsatyā somapītaye nabhantām anyake same || 6 ||
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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