The Secret of the Veda

The Fifth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna

V.66

The Givers of Self-Rule

[The Rishi invokes Varuna, the vast form of the Truth, and Mitra the beloved, godhead of its harmonies and large bliss, who conquer for us the perfect force of our true and infinite being, to change our imperfect human nature into the image of their divine workings. Then the solar Heaven of the Truth is manifested within us, its wide pasture of herding illuminations becomes the field of journeying of our chariots, the high thoughts of the seers, their purified discernment, their rapid inspirations become ours, our very earth becomes the world of that vast Truth. For then there is the perfect movement, the transcendence of this darkness of sin and suffering. We arrive at self-empire, a rich, full and vast possession of our infinite being.]

आ चिकितान सुकतू देवौ मर्त रिशादसा ।
वरुणाय ऋतपेशसे दधीत प्रयसे महे ॥१॥

1) O mortal who awakenest to knowledge, call to thee the two godheads who are perfect in will and destroyers of thy enemy. Direct your thoughts to Varuna of whom Truth is the form and to the great Delight.¹

ता हि क्षत्रमविह्रुतं सम्यगसुर्यमाशाते ।
अध व्रतेव मानुषं स्वर्ण धायि दर्शतम् ॥२॥

2) For it is they who attain to the undistorted force and the entire mightiness. Then shall thy humanity become as if the workings of these gods; it is as if the visible heaven of light² were founded in thee.

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ता वामेषे रथानामुर्वी गव्यूतिमेषाम् ।
रातहव्यस्य सुष्टुतिं दघृक्स्तोमैर्मनामहे ॥३॥

3) Therefore you, O gods, I desire,—for the rushing of these chariots your wide pasture of the herds. Forcefully by our hymns our minds seize on his perfect affirmation when the god receives our bounteous offerings.

अधा हि काव्या युवं दक्षस्य पूर्भिरद्भुता ।
नि केतुना जनानां चिकेथे पूतदक्षसा ॥४॥

4) Then indeed, O transcendent godheads, you conquer the seer-wisdoms by the full floodings of the illumined discernment; you perceive knowledge for these human creatures by a perception in which the judgment is purified.

तदृतं पृथिवि बृहच्छ्रवएष ऋषीणाम् ।
ज्रयसानावरं पृथ्वति क्षरन्ति यामभिः ॥५॥

5) O wide Earth, that Vast, that Truth for the movement of inspired knowledge of the sages! Widely the Twain speed with full capacity, our chariots pass streaming beyond³ in their travellings.

आ यद्वामीयचक्षसा मित्र वयं च सूरयः ।
व्यचिष्ठे बहुपाथ्ये यतेमहि स्वराज्ये ॥६॥

6) When, O Mitra, you have your far-voyaging vision and we are the illumined seers, may we arrive in the effort of our journey to a self-empire⁴ spread out widely open and governing its multitudes.

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