The mighty Varuna, who rules above, looks down
Upon these worlds, his kingdom, as if close at hand.
"When men imagine they do ought by stealth, he knows it.
No one can stand or walk or softly glide along
Or hide in dark recess, or lurk in secret cell,
But Varuna detects him and his movements spies.
Two persons may devise some plot, together sitting
In private and alone; but he, the king, is there—
A third—and sees it all. This boundless earth is his,
His the vast sky, whose depth no mortal e'er can fathom.
Both oceans1 find a place within his body, yet
In that small pool he lies contained. Whoe'er should flee
Far, far beyond the sky, would not escape the grasp
Of Varuna, the king. His messengers descend
Countless from his abode—for ever traversing
This world and scanning with a thousand eyes its inmates.
Whate'er exists within this earth, and all within the sky,
Yea all that is beyond, king Varuna perceives.
The winkings2 of men's eyes, are numbered all by him.
He wields the universe, as gamesters handle dice.
May thy destroying snares cast sevenfold round the wicked,
Entangle liars, but the truthful spare, O king!3
I pass from the ancient Aryan deity Varuna to the more thoroughly Indian god Indra (see p. 13).
The following metrical lines bring together various scattered texts relating to this Hindu Jupiter Pluvius *:
translations, sentences and words being here and there omitted or transposed, or fragments joined together, so as to read like one continuous passage. In fact, it will be seen that my main design has been to offer English versions of the text for general readers and for those students and educated men who, not being necessarily Sanskritists, are desirous of some insight into Hindu literature.
1 That is, air and sea.
2 The winking of the eye is an especial characteristic of humanity, distinguishing men from gotls; cf. Nala V. 25, Magha III. 42.
- Compare Manu VIII. 82 : 'A witness who speaks falsely is fast liound by the snares of Varuna.' These snares are explained by Kulluka to be 'cords consisting of serpents' (pasaih sarpa-rajjubhih).
4 The texts which furnish the basis of these and the succeeding verses
