The Secret of the Veda

The Second Hymn to Mitra-Varuna

The Givers of the Rain

[Mitra and Varuna are by their united universality and harmony the guardians of the divine Truth and its divine Law eternally perfect in the ether of our supreme being; thence they rain down the abundance of the heavens and its bliss upon the favoured soul. Seers in man of that world of Truth, as they are, by their guardianship of its law, rulers of all this becoming, they give us its rain of spiritual wealth and immortality. The Life-powers range with the voice of the truth-seeking thought through earth and heaven and the two Kings come to their cry with the brilliant clouds full of the creative waters. It is by the Maya, the divine truth-knowledge of the Lord, that they thus rain down heaven; that divine knowledge is the Sun, the Light, the weapon of Mitra and Varuna ranging abroad to destroy the ignorance. At first the Sun, the body of the Truth, is concealed in the very storm of its outpourings and only the sweetness of their streaming into the life is felt; but the Maruts as Life-Powers and Thought-Powers range abroad seeking in all the worlds of our being for the brilliant rays of the concealed knowledge to be gathered as a shining wealth; the voice of the Rain is full of the flashings of the Light and the movement of the divine Waters; its clouds become robes for the Life-Powers. Through it all by the formative knowledge of the mighty master of Truth and by the law of the Truth, the two kings maintain the divine workings in us, governing by the Truth all our being, and finally set in its sky the Sun, now revealed, as a chariot of the richly varied splendours of the knowledge, the chariot of the journey of the spirit to the highest heavens.]

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ऋतस्य गोपावधि तिष्ठथो रथं सत्यधर्माण परमे व्योमनि ।
यमत्र मित्रावरुणावथो युवं तस्मै वृष्टिर्मधुमत्पिन्वते दिवः ॥१॥

1) Guardians of the Truth, you ascend your car and the law of the Truth is yours in the supreme ether.¹ He whom here you cherish. Masters of the wideness and the harmony, for him increases full of the honey the rain of heaven.

सम्राजावस्य भुवनस्य राजथो मित्रावरुणा विदथे स्वर्दृशा ।
वृष्टिं वां राघो अमृतत्वमीमहे द्यावापृथिवी वि चरन्ति तन्यवः ॥२॥

2) Emperors², you rule over this world of our becoming, O Mitra and Varuna, in the getting of knowledge you are seers of the realm of Light; we desire from you the rain, the felicitous wealth, the immortality, and lo! the Thunderers³ range abroad through earth and heaven.

सम्राजा उग्रा वृषभा दिवस्पती पृथिव्या मित्रावरुणा विचर्षणी ।
चित्रेभिरभ्रैरुप तिष्ठयो रवं द्यौ वर्षयथो असुरस्य मायया ॥३॥

3) Emperors, strong Bulls of the abundance. Masters of earth and heaven, O Mitra and Varuna, universal in your workings, you approach their cry with your clouds of varied light and you rain down Heaven by the power of the knowledge⁴ of the Mighty One.⁵

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माया वां मित्रावरुणा दिवि श्रिता सूर्यो ज्योतिश्चरति चित्रमायुधम् ।
तमभ्रेण वृष्टया गूहथो दिवि पर्जन्य द्रप्सा मधुमन्त ईरते ॥४॥

4) This is your knowledge, O Mitra and Varuna, that is lodged in heaven; it is the Sun, it is the Light; it ranges abroad as your rich and varied weapon. You hide it in heaven with the cloud and with the raining. O Rain, full of the honey start forth thy streamings.

रथं युञ्जते मरुतः शुभे सुखं शूरो न मित्रावरुणा गविष्टिषु ।
रजांसि चित्रा वि चरन्ति तन्यवो दिवः सम्राजा पयसा न उक्षतम् ॥५॥

5) The Life-Powers yoke their happy car for the bliss, even as might a hero for battle, O Mitra and Varuna, in their seekings for the herds of Light; thundering they range the varied worlds, and you pour out on us, rulers imperial, the water of Heaven.

वाचं सु मित्रावरुणाविरावर्ती पर्जन्यश्चित्रां वदति त्विषीमतीम् ।
अभ्रा वसत मरुतः सु मायया द्यां वर्षयतमरुणामरेपसम् ॥६॥

6) O Mitra and Varuna, the Rain speaks its language⁶ rich and varied and full of the light and the movement; the LifePowers have put on your clouds for raiment. Utterly by the knowledge you rain down Heaven ruddy-shining and sinless.

धर्मणा मित्रावरुणा विपश्चिता व्रता रक्षेथे असुरस्य मायया ।
ऋतेन विश्वं भुवनं वि राजथः सूर्यमा घत्थो दिवि चिञ्यं रथम् ॥७॥

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7) O Mitra and Varuna illumined in consciousness, by the Law, by the knowledge of the Mighty One you guard the workings;⁷ by the Truth you govern widely all the world of our becoming; you set the Sun in heaven, a chariot of various splendour.

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