०८५

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सायण-भाष्यम्

‘ प्र सम्राजे ’ इत्यष्टर्चं त्रयोदशं सूक्तमात्रेयं त्रैष्टुभं वारुणम् । अनुक्रम्यते च- प्र सम्राजेऽष्टौ वारुणम्’ इति । विनियोगो लैङ्गिकः ॥

Jamison Brereton

85 (439)
Varuṇa
Atri Bhauma
8 verses: triṣṭubh
This hymn is often admired and translated because of its grand vision of Varuṇa as a creator god (vss. 1–6) and as a god who forgives the faults of human beings (vss. 7–8). But what is the connection between these two sides of Varuṇa? The poet joins the two functions of Varuṇa formally by the repetition of the accented preverb ví-, meaning “out,” “apart,” or the like. In fashioning the world and sustaining life, Varuṇa “split apart” (ví …jaghā́na, 1c), “stretched out” (ví …tatāna, 2a), “soaks” (vy ùnatti, 3d), and “measured out” (ví mamé, 5d). All this leads up to the plea that Varuṇa “unbind” (ví ṣya, 8c) the wrongs that people commit. With their sense of opening up and freeing, the verbal compounds with ví- create not only a verbal con nection between Varuṇa’s cosmogonic and redemptive acts, but a logical one as well. On the cosmological plane Varuṇa spread out the world beneath the sun (vs. 1cd), stretched out the midspace (vs. 2ab), and lets loose the rain (vss. 3–4) and the rivers (vs. 6). Analogously, on the moral plane he loosens the fetters that people’s evildoing would otherwise create (vs. 8). Thus the hymn is dominated by the name of Varuṇa, which occurs in every verse except one (vs. 6) and the preverb ví-. Even where these do not appear, the poet echoes váruṇa and ví- throughout the hymn by repeating words

containing -v- and, especially, beginning with v-, for example, váneṣu and vā́jam opening 2a and 2b, téna víśvasya and yávaṃ ná vr̥ṣṭír ví at the beginning of 3c and 3d, váruṇo váṣṭi in 4b, vasata and vīrā́ḥ in 4c and 4d, and so forth.
In all of this, verse 6 is anomalous, since it does not mention Varuṇa by name and does not contain ví- or even a word beginning with v-. It is generally more difficult to explain why something does not occur than why something does, but the position and content of the verse suggest possible reasons for these omissions. First, the verse may be marked, albeit by absence, because it is the transitional verse from the cosmologi
cal themes of the first part of the hymn to the redemptive one of the last two verses. Second, the theme of the verse is the mystery of the god. Its center is the paradox in 6cd that the “sea”—whatever body of water is meant by that—never fills despite the waters flooding into it. The opening line of the verse mentions Varuṇa’s māyā́, his “cunning,” and calls him the kavítama, “the foremost sage poet,” the one who best knows and best articulates what he knows. The poet may have suppressed overt men
tion of Varuṇa’s name to indicate the impenetrability of his power and mind.

01 प्र सम्राजे - त्रिष्टुप्

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प्र᳓ सम्रा᳓जे बृह᳓द् अर्चा गभीर᳓म्
ब्र᳓ह्म प्रियं᳓ व᳓रुणाय श्रुता᳓य
वि᳓ यो᳓ जघा᳓न शमिते᳓व च᳓र्म
उपस्ति᳓रे पृथिवीं᳓ सू᳓रियाय

02 वनेषु व्यट्न्तरिक्षम् - त्रिष्टुप्

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व᳓नेषु वि᳓ अन्त᳓रिक्षं ततान
वा᳓जम् अ᳓र्वत्सु प᳓य उस्रि᳓यासु
हृत्सु᳓ क्र᳓तुं व᳓रुणो अप्सु᳓ अग्निं᳓
दिवि᳓ सू᳓र्यम् अदधात् सो᳓मम् अ᳓द्रौ

03 नीचीनबारं वरुणः - त्रिष्टुप्

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नीची᳓नबारं व᳓रुणः क᳓वन्धम्
प्र᳓ ससर्ज रो᳓दसी अन्त᳓रिक्षम्
ते᳓न वि᳓श्वस्य भु᳓वनस्य रा᳓जा
य᳓वं न᳓ वृष्टि᳓र् वि᳓ उनत्ति भू᳓म

04 उनत्ति भूमिम् - त्रिष्टुप्

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उन᳓त्ति भू᳓मिम् पृथिवी᳓म् उत᳓ द्यां᳓
यदा᳓ दुग्धं᳓ व᳓रुणो व᳓ष्टि आ᳓द् इ᳓त्
स᳓म् अभ्रे᳓ण वसत प᳓र्वतासस्
तविषीय᳓न्तः श्रथयन्त वीराः᳓

05 इमामू ष्वासुरस्य - त्रिष्टुप्

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इमा᳓म् ऊ षु᳓ आसुर᳓स्य श्रुत᳓स्य
मही᳓म् मायां᳓ व᳓रुणस्य प्र᳓ वोचम्
मा᳓नेनेव तस्थिवाँ᳓ अन्त᳓रिक्षे
वि᳓ यो᳓ ममे᳓ पृथिवीं᳓ सू᳓रियेण

06 इमामू नु - त्रिष्टुप्

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इमा᳓म् ऊ नु᳓ कवि᳓तमस्य माया᳓म्
महीं᳓ देव᳓स्य न᳓किर् आ᳓ दधर्ष
ए᳓कं य᳓द् उद्ना᳓ न᳓ पृण᳓न्ति ए᳓नीर्
आसिञ्च᳓न्तीर् अव᳓नयः समुद्र᳓म्

07 अर्यम्यं वरुण - त्रिष्टुप्

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अर्यमि᳓यं वरुण मित्रि᳓यं वा
स᳓खायं वा स᳓दम् इ᳓द् भ्रा᳓तरं वा
वेशं᳓ वा नि᳓त्यं वरुणा᳓रणं वा
य᳓त् सीम् आ᳓गश् चकृमा᳓ शिश्र᳓थस् त᳓त्

08 कितवासो यद्रिरिपुर्न - त्रिष्टुप्

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+++(ऋत्विजः)+++ कितवा᳓सो य᳓द् रिरिपु᳓र्+++(=लिलिपुः)+++ न᳓ दीवि᳓+++(देवकर्मणि)+++,
य᳓द् वा ऽघा सत्य᳓म् उत᳓ य᳓न् न᳓ विद्म᳓ ।
स᳓र्वा ता᳓ वि᳓ष्य+++(=विनाशय)+++ शिथिरे᳓व+++(=शिथिला +इव)+++
देवा᳓था ते स्याम वरुण प्रिया᳓सः ॥