Varuna - a follow up

From: kishore patnaik
Message: 60802
Date: 2008-10-11

Dear all,


Varuna  was one of the oldest of the Vedic deities, Varuna may have been part of the first triad of gods known in the Vedic period – along with Mitra and Aryaman [1}A  little later, but still within early Vedic period, they were replaced by Agni, Indra and Surya [1]

Varuna was both an asura and a deva., leading to the notion that Varuna, ancient lord of Justice (rta) and truth (satya) had a violent streak. There were accusations in the later myths that this violence was why Indra took away Varuna's power.  [1] However, Varuna is kind hearted also.  [8]

In the early Vedas, Varuna was the king of the earth and the sky, and the creator. He was also associated with Mitra , the ruler of night – though in later Vedic hymns, we find him as the chief of the Adityas, thus an asura, and contrasted to Mitra, a deva and the ruler of the day. [1]

By the time of Puranas,  he was reduced to the status of Neptune, with Indra taking away his ruler ship of heaven and he was left with  the ruler ship only on the worlds of waters. Yet, he was still presented as the father of Brahma, again, which role was taken over by Vishnu in the later Puranas. [1]

He is in contrast to Indra.  Varuna  is described by Mc donnel as " the other

great universal monarch of the RV., who wields passive and peaceful sway, who uniformly applies thelaws of nature, who upholds moral order, and whose character displays lofty ethical features." [2]

 

 It is certain that two gods tower above the rest as leading deities about equal in power, Indra as the mighty warrior and Varuna as the supreme moral ruler… Varuna appears as preeminent only when the supreme laws of the physical and moral world are contemplated, and can not be called as a popular god. It has been held by various scholars that Varuna and the Adityas   were the highest gods of an older period, but were later displaced by Indra.[3]

It is Roth who has developed a theory that Indra has superseded Varuna in the Rgvedic period. The growth of Prajapati as a supreme deity also has led to the fading of the characteristics of Varuna as a sovereign god. His decline to the position of Neptune or god the sea, which was only one of the elements he originally held is well attested.

The word "Varuna"  is traced to Var or to cover (as by sky or by darkness) [4]

Devotional spirit pervades the Varuna hymns [5]

 

While Dumezil tries to find a parallel for Varuna in European mythology, such as in Scandinavia, [6] Dyaus-Zeus-Jupiter , Father sky, is about the only certain equation of Proto- Aryan mythology. But in spite of this, he (Dyaus) was of no special moment in Vedic religion and became important to Greek and Roman only as he became much more than an ancestor. [7]

 

[1] Handbook of Hindu mythology  by George Mason Williams, p 294

[2] p. 19, A VEDIC READER For Students By Arthur Anthony Macdonell

[3] p 20, Vedic mythology by Arthur Anthony Macdonel

[5] p 27 of Indian myth and Legend by Donald Mackenzie

[7] p 53, Origin and Evolution of Religion By E. Washburn Hopkins

[8] p. 136, A Study of Deities of "Rig Veda"  By S.S. Gupta


Hope to hear from you all,

Kishore patnaik

P.s . Two or three references are missing here. I propose to supply them later