A Hymn to Mitra and Varuna

I was reading a section of a hymn from the Rg Veda yesterday and an accompanying insight that I found truly joyful and inspiring. I felt like shouting it from the rooftops. Given the paucity of a suitable rooftop in my vicinity, I chose the next best alternative… So, here we go…

मि॒त्रं हु॑वे पू॒तद॑क्षं॒ वरु॑णं च रि॒शाद॑सम् ।
धियं॑ घृ॒ताचीं॒ साध॑न्ता ॥ (RV 1.2.7-.9)

mitraM huve pūtadakSaM varuNaM ca riśādasam
dhiyaM ghrtācīM sādhantā

which is translated to mean. . .

I call Mitra, of purified understanding and
Varuna, who destroys our hurters,
Together effecting a clear and luminous intelligence

“dhiyaM ghrtācīM” means an intellect full of rich and bright mental activity. Varuna and Mitra, who accomplish or perfect this state of intellect, are distinguished by two several epithets. Mitra is “pūtadakSa”, possessed of a purified judgment; Varuna is “riśādas”, he destroys all hurters or enemies.

In the Veda, there are no merely ornamental epithets. Every word is meant to tell, to add something to the sense and bear a strict relation to the thought of the sentence in which it occurs.

There are two obstacles which prevent an intellect from being a perfect and luminous mirror of the Truth-Consciousness. The first is impurity of discernment or discriminative faculty, which leads to confusion of the Truth and the second, the many causes or influences which interfere which the growth of the Truth by limiting its full application or by breaking up the connections and harmony of the thoughts that express it and which bring thus about poverty andfalsification of its contents.

Just as the Gods in the Vedas represent universal powers descended from the Truth-Consciousness which build up the harmony of the worlds and in man his progressive perfection, so the influences that work against these objects are represented by hostile agencies, Dasyus and Vritras, who seek to break up, to limit, to withhold and deny.

Varuna in the Veda is always characterised as a power of wideness and purity; when, therefore, he is present in man as a conscious force of the Truth, all that limits and hurst the nature by introducing into it fault, sin and evil is destroyed by contact with him. He is “riśādas”, destroyer of the enemy, of all that seek to injure the growth.

Mitra, a power like Varuna of Light and Truth, especially represents Love, Joy and harmony, the foundations of Mayas, the Vedic beautitude. Working with the purity of Varuna and imparting that purity to the discernment, he enables it to get rid of all the discords and confusions and establish the right working of the strong and luminous intellect.

Truly enlightened were our ancients. . .

Peace
S