Lord Varuna of the Vedas

The Vedic people believed in many celestial gods: Varuna, the guardian of cosmic law, and Mitra, Varuna's chief assistant and a friend and benefactor of humankind are chief among these. Varuna is one of the earliest of the Vedic gods, and is in many aspects similar to the Avestan Ahura Mazda. Varuna is thus sometimes referred to in the Rig Veda as the great Asura (the Avestan Ahura) or cosmogenic power. He corresponds to the Greek Ouranos.

The earliest mention of Varuna appears to have been that of the all-encompassing cosmic law. Varuna is the creator and sustainer of the worlds. He maintains the natural and moral law, called the rita. As one of the most important gods of the early Vedic period, he was the overseer of moral action, and his guidance was the standard for cosmic, moral, and religious order. This order is called rita. Varuna created the world and ruled it by the standard of rita. Rita also provided a structure for other celestial devas.

Varuna punishes sinners by binding them in his noose, and is therefore known as “the Binder.” But he also delivers those sinners who are repentant and therefore evildoers pray for his kindness:

“If we to any dear and loved companion
Have evil done, to brother or to neighbour,
To our own countrymen or to a stranger,
That sin do thou, oh Varuna, forgive us.

Forgive the wrongs committed by our fathers,
What we ourselves have sinned in mercy pardon;
My own misdeeds do thou, oh god take from me,
And for another's sin let me not suffer”

Varuna is associated with Mitra, and often the two are mentioned together. His eye is the sun, and with it he observes mankind. Being far-sighted, he is said to have a thousand eyes. Mitra and Varuna sit on lofty seats made firm with a thousand columns, in their house having a thousand doors, surrounded by their spies, surveying the places of punishment situated all around to which they send the guilty sinners.

So mighty is Varuna's domain that neither the birds as they fly nor the rivers as they flow can reach its limits. He is omniscient and nothing can remain hidden from him. He knows what lies in the hearts of men. No creature can even wink without him. In fact the winks of men are numbered by him and whatever a man thinks, devises or does, Varuna knows.

Varuna, Mitra and Indra among the Vedic people still represented only many facets of the same one Divine. The forms are many, the reality is one; the principle is very deeply rooted in Hindu thought. A hymn in the outset in the Rig Veda says:

“They call him lndra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni,
And he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman.
To what is One, sages give many a title:
They call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.”

Later on, Varuna takes on the aspect of Lord of the Waters, as can be seen in theMahabharata. While Krishna and Arjuna are in the Kandava forest helping Agni devour it to restore his lost glory, Agni calls on Varuna for some help:

“The smoke-bannered Agni called upon Varuna, that god who protects one of the points of heaven and whose home is in the waters. Varuna appeared immediately, and Agni said to him, ‘Give me quickly the bow and the quiver and the ape-bannered chariot that were made by the architect of heaven, for Arjuna has need of them! Give me also, for Krishna, a mace and a fiery discus!’ Then Varuna gave to Arjuna that jewel of a bow known as Gandiva, beautiful to behold, without any sign of weakness, equal to a hundred thousand bows. He gave him also two quivers whose arrows could never be used up, and a chariot yoked with horses white as silver or as fleecy clouds, decked in golden harness and fleet as the wind. Its flagstaff bore a banner with the figure of a celestial ape, which glared fiercely out as if to destroy all that it beheld; there were lesser flags with figures of animals whose roars and yells would cause the enemy to faint. The god gave to Krishna a mace and a fiery discus which became his favorite weapon. It could slay both men and gods; its roar was like thunder and when he hurled it in battle, it returned to his hand.”

Courtesy-www.allaboutbharat.org