Hymn to Varuṇa
Rigveda VIII.47 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.
Praise unto Mitra and Varuṇa, the sovereigns of the wide-spreading heavens. They who uphold the law of the cosmos, who maintain the order of all things.
Mitra, whose face is turned toward the light, who doth shine forth with his blessed gaze. He who watcheth over those that dwell in righteousness; he who turneth away from those that walk in deceit.
Varuṇa, keeper of the waters, of the boundless ocean and the streams that flow to the sea. He who doth bind the wicked with his nooses; he who doth see all things that are done, whether in secret or in the open day. His eye pierceth through the darkness; his wisdom is unfathomable.
Aryaman, the friend of all men, who doth guide the wanderer upon the path. He who setteth forth the sun upon its course each day; he who doth speed the waters onward.
The three Ādityas doth reign together, and their dominion is eternal. They are the guardians of truth; they are the protectors of the righteous. They give unto the pious the rewards of their faith; they bring swift punishment upon the wicked.
The sun doth move according to their will. The moon riseth and setteth at their command. The seasons turn as they decree. The very stars obey their power.
When a man doth speak a false oath, lo, the gods do know it. Varuṇa doth mark it down, and the consequences shall surely follow. There is no escape from the law that they do keep; there is no hiding from their sight.
When a man doth walk in righteousness, when he giveth unto the poor and doth speak the truth always, the gods do see this and they smile upon him. Mitra doth bless him with friends; Varuṇa doth shield him with protection; Aryaman doth guide him safely upon the path.
We seek thy shelter, O sovereign gods. Hide us beneath the shadow of thy wings. Let us not fall into the nooses of the wicked; let us not be caught in the snare of those that would do us harm.
Grant unto us thy favor. Grant unto us the ability to speak truth always. Grant unto us the strength to walk the righteous path, no matter how difficult it may be. Make us worthy of thy blessing.
Thou art the law, O gods, and the law is eternal. All things move in accordance with thy will. The hunter knoweth where to find his prey because thou dost guide him. The farmer knoweth when to plant because thou dost show him the seasons. The merchant knoweth where to trade because thou dost open the way.
The bonds that bind us to the earth are of thy making. The family that gathereth together in peace—this is of thy design. The tribe that standeth united against its foes—this too is thy work.
Mitra, the friend, and Varuṇa, the sovereign lord—between them doth all the world find order and peace. They are not separate, nor are they warring against each other. Rather, they work in harmony, like the two eyes of a single face.
Aryaman, who doth guide all mortals and gods alike, doth move between them, ensuring that the path is kept clear, that the way remains open for all who would seek it in good faith.
The dawn breaketh, and the sun riseth in the heavens. This is their work. The night falleth, and the stars come forth. This too is their doing. The rain falleth upon the earth, and the crops grow. This is their blessing.
We stand in need of thy mercy, O sovereigns. We stand in need of thy protection. Receive this hymn; accept this offering. Make us strong in righteousness; make us steadfast in truth. Let us ever walk in thy sight, and let us find peace in thy keeping.
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.47
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.
mahi vo mahatām avo varuṇa mitra dāśuṣe |
yam ādityā abhi druho rakṣathā nem aghaṁ naśad anehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 1 ||
vidā devā aghānām ādityāso apākṛtim |
pakṣā vayo yathopari vy a1sme śarma yacchatānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 2 ||
vy a1sme adhi śarma tat pakṣā vayo na yantana |
viśvāni viśvavedaso varūthyā manāmahe 'nehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 3 ||
yasmā arāsata kṣayaṁ jīvātuṁ ca pracetasaḥ |
manor viśvasya ghed ima ādityā rāya īśate 'nehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 4 ||
pari ṇo vṛṇajann aghā durgāṇi rathyo yathā |
syāmed indrasya śarmaṇy ādityānām utāvasy anehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 5 ||
parihvṛted anā jano yuṣmādattasya vāyati |
devā adabhram āśa vo yam ādityā ahetanānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 6 ||
na taṁ tigmaṁ cana tyajo na drāsad abhi taṁ guru |
yasmā u śarma sapratha ādityāso arādhvam anehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 7 ||
yuṣme devā api ṣmasi yudhyanta iva varmasu |
yūyam maho na enaso yūyam arbhād uruṣyatānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 8 ||
aditir na uruṣyatv aditiḥ śarma yacchatu |
mātā mitrasya revato 'ryamṇo varuṇasya cānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 9 ||
yad devāḥ śarma śaraṇaṁ yad bhadraṁ yad anāturam |
tridhātu yad varūthya1ṁ tad asmāsu vi yantanānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 10 ||
ādityā ava hi khyatādhi kūlād iva spaśaḥ |
sutīrtham arvato yathānu no neṣathā sugam anehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 11 ||
neha bhadraṁ rakṣasvine nāvayai nopayā uta |
gave ca bhadraṁ dhenave vīrāya ca śravasyate 'nehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 12 ||
yad āvir yad apīcya1ṁ devāso asti duṣkṛtam |
trite tad viśvam āptya āre asmad dadhātanānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 13 ||
yac ca goṣu duṣṣvapnyaṁ yac cāsme duhitar divaḥ |
tritāya tad vibhāvary āptyāya parā vahānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 14 ||
niṣkaṁ vā ghā kṛṇavate srajaṁ vā duhitar divaḥ |
trite duṣṣvapnyaṁ sarvam āptye pari dadmasy anehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 15 ||
tadannāya tadapase tam bhāgam upaseduṣe |
tritāya ca dvitāya coṣo duṣṣvapnyaṁ vahānehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 16 ||
yathā kalāṁ yathā śaphaṁ yatha ṛṇaṁ saṁnayāmasi |
evā duṣṣvapnyaṁ sarvam āptye saṁ nayāmasy anehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 17 ||
ajaiṣmādyāsanāma cābhūmānāgaso vayam |
uṣo yasmād duṣṣvapnyād abhaiṣmāpa tad ucchatv anehaso va ūtayaḥ suūtayo va ūtayaḥ || 18 ||
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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