Written by London Swaminathan
Date: 21 June 2017
Time uploaded in London- 10-28 am
Post No. 4021
Pictures are taken from various sources such as Face book, Wikipedia and newspapers; thanks.

 

 

“Light giving Varuna! Your piercing glance does scan

In quick succession, all this stirring active world

And penetrates, too the broad ethereal space,

Measuring our days and nights and SPYING OUT all creatures”—Rig Vedic Hymn on Varuna

 

Brahmins who do Sandhyavandanam thrice a day worship Varuna; He is the God of the coastal area according to the oldest Tamil book Tolkappiam; Sangam Tamil verses say that Tamil fishermen worshiped Varuna on sea coast of Tamil Nadu. Varuna is in almost all European and Iranian languages.

 

Max Muller says,

“Varuna is one of the most interesting creations of Hindu mind, because, though we can still perceive the physical background from which he rises, the vast, starry, brilliant expanse above, his features more than those of any other Vedic God have been completely transfigured, and he stands before us as a god who watches over the world, punishes the evil doer, and even forgives the sins of those who implore his pardon”

 

In the Rig Veda an exceedingly high position is ascribed to Varuna. He is Chief of the Adityas – sons of Aditi. They are inviolable, imperishable, eternal beings.

 

Aditi, the great Mother Goddess has twelve sons including Varuna, Mitra, Daksha, Indra and Surya. Varuna is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘var “to cover”. He is therefore god of the heavens covering all things. A mysterious presence, a mysterious power and a mysterious knowledge were all ascribed to him.

He is the one who makes the sun to shine in the heavens; the winds that blow is but his breath; he has hollowed out the channels of the rivers which flow at his command, and he has made the depths of the sea.

 

His ordinances are fixed and unassailable; through their operation the moon walks in brightness, and the stars which appear in the night sky vanish in the day light.

 

The birds flying in the air, the rivers in their sleepless flow, cannot attain a knowledge of his power and wrath. But he knows the flight of the birds in the sky, the course of the far travelling wind, paths of ships on the ocean, and beholds all the secret things that have been, or shall be, done.

He witnesses man’s truth and falsehood.

 

In truth, omniscience is his outstanding attribute. The sun and the thousand stars are his eyes searching out all the passes on earth, from which even darkness cannot hide. When two are in the company, he is the third. He is the god of the serene distant heaven, yet he is not far from any one of us.

 

“His spies descending from the skies glide all this world around;

Their thousand eyes, all scanning, sweep to earth’s remotest bound

Whatever exits in heaven and earth, whatever beyond the skies.,

Before the eyes of Varuna the thing unfolded lies.

The secret winkings all he counts of every mortal eyes

And wields this universal frame as gamester throws his dice!

 

Tamil God

Varuna is one of the Gods mentioned in the oldest Tamil book Tolkappiam. He is portrayed a s a god of the coastal Tamils. Tamil Sangam literature also has a reference to fishermen worshipping Varuna.

 

Mitra and Varuna are always paired in the Vedic hymns. Some people see it as positive and negative forces in the universe. Mitra represents light and Varuna represents night. It is like Shiva and Sakti; both are required for the survival of the universe.

 

Rig Veda (7-86-3/6) has the following prayer:

Be gracious, O mighty God, be gracious. I have sinned through want of power; be gracious.

Seeking to perceive that sin, O Varuna, I inquire: I resort to the wise to ask. The sages will tell me the same; it is Varuna who is angry with you.

What great sin  is it, Varuna, for which you seek to slay your worshipper and friend?

Tell me, O unassailable and self dependent God; and, freed from sin, I shall speedily come to you for adoration.

Release us from the sins of our fathers, and from those which we have committed in our own persons.

O King, loose, like a thief who feeds the cattle, as from the cord a calf, set free Vasistha.

It was not our own will, Varuna, but some seduction which lead us astray – wine anger, dice or thoughtlessness. The stronger perverts the weaker. Even sleep occasions sin.”

 

It is the prayer from the bottom of the heart of a true devotee!

 

Hundreds of hymns in the Vedas praise the mighty Varuna. They all make very interesting reading. The ancient Hindu society knew the general weakness of the human beings.

Perun (Varun) in Slavish Countries.

 

INTERESTING STORY IN YAJUR VEDA

In the Yajur Veda, the following story is narrated of Varuna:_

Varuna is found instructing Bhrigu, one of the Seven Divine Rishis, as to the nature of Brahman, the Supreme Spirit.

Varuna tod the seer: Whence all beings are produced; by which they live when born, towards which they tend, and unto which they pass.

Bhrigu, after meditating in devout contemplation, recognised food to be Brahman; for all things are indeed produced from food; when born they live by food; towards food they tend, they pass into food.

Unsatisfied, however after further meditation, he discovered breath to be Brahman: for all things are indeed produced from breath; when born they live by breath; towards breath they tend; they pass into breath.

Again he sought Brahman in deep meditation, and discovered intellect to be Brahman; for all things are indeed produced from thought; when born they live by thought; towards thought they tend; they pass into thought.

 

Then he went to Varuna and requested him,

“Venerable Father, make known to me Brahman.

Varuna replied, “Inquire by devout contemplation, profound meditation”.

Bhrigu thought deeply and then he knew Ananda (bliss, joy, felicity) to be Brahman; for all things are indeed produced from desire; when born they live by joy; towards happiness they tend; they pass into happiness.

Such is the science taught by Varuna of the origin of things.

 

Hymns to Varuna reach a lofty poetic height because they are rather sombre and inspire reverence and awe in a manner few other Vedic Gods do. As an unwinking watcher of men’s conduct and as judge and punisher he inspires awe and fear- the god who evokes an ethical response.

 

These hymns show that the Vedic Hindus were highly intellectual and reached the pinnacle of civilization. They are not primitive as westerners described. Human psychology is fully reflected in these Vedic poems.

(Bhagavad Gita 3-14 to 3-17 also discuss it)

 

“He instructs the seer Vasistha in mysteries; but his secrets and those of Mitra are not to be revealed to the foolish”

 

(that is why Vedic seers speak in symbolic language; it has hidden meaning; only the enlightened people can read between the lines)

 

“he has a hundred thousand remedies, and is supplicated to show his wide and deep benevolence and drive away evil and sin, to unite sin like a rope and remove it. He is entreated not to steal away, but to prolong life, and to spare the life who daily transgresses his laws. In many places mention is made of the bonds or nooses with which he seizes and punishes transgressors.

 

Amazing Knowledge of the Seas!

“By his wonderful contrivance the rivers pour out their waters into one ocean but never fill it”.

These lines are in the Vedas and Sangam Tamil Literature. Paranar, a Brahmin poet, quoted this in his Tamil Sangam verse.

This shows that the Vedic Hindus had amazing knowledge about the seas and oceans. They talk about thousands of rivers pouring into ocean and yet the seas never cross its shores. This is because of God’s order- Varuna’s orders.

 

All the Hindus use the simile every day at the end of their prayer “Akasat patitam toyam yathaa—– like the rain water that fall from the sky reaches the ocean , all my salutes/pranams go to Kesava”. They knew very well about the thousands of rivers and 7 oceans.

 

All the Tamil Sangam verses and earlier Sanskrit verses, whenever they mentioned earth, they say ‘sea clad earth’. Every second they remembered it. No literature in the world would mention it in all their verses that mentioned earth.

 

Vedic Hindus migrated from India to different parts of the world and spread Hindu values. All the famous rivers and seas around the world have Sanskrit names!

(I have dealt with this in my articles; so I am not going to repeat it)

 

If you get hold of the Vedas, just read the poems/hymns on Varuna! You will be wonderstruck!!!

In Mahabharata and Puranas, we see a different Varuna. ( I will deal with it separately)

 

Source Books:–  four different books on Vedas.

Vedic God Varuna in Oldest Tamil Book | Tamil and Vedas

https://tamilandvedas.com/2013/07/08/vedic-god-varuna-in-oldest-tamil-book/

8 Jul 2013 – Vedic God Varuna in Oldest Tamil Book. East European Slavs worshiped Varu as Perun. Oldest Tamil book Tolkappaiam dated to 1^st century …

 

-Subham–