Varuṇa

Varuṇa is the deva of the waters and the keeper of ṛta (the order that holds the universe together). He is the lord of the western direction. He is one of the ādityas and one of the eight lokapālas (guardians of the directions). He rules the oceans, the rivers and the rain.

Birth

Chapter 4 of the Brahma Khaṇḍa of the Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa says that Varuṇa arose from the jala (the first waters) that Śrī Kṛṣṇa brought into being when creation began. He is one of the first devas to arise at the start of creation, and he took his place among the chief devas who hold up the universe. He is the presiding deva of those first waters and so the lord of all waters in the created world.

Nature and domain

Varuṇa is one of the oldest and highest of the Vedic devas. In the Ṛgveda he stands beside Mitra as a great guardian of ṛta, the unseen moral law that upholds the universe. His special power is his clear sight. He sees all things, even the secrets of the heart, and he holds beings to ṛta with his cosmic net (pāśa). Breaking the moral order, which the Vedic hymns call āgas (sin), brings a person under Varuṇa’s net. Freedom from the bonds of Varuṇa is sought through confession and prayer.

In the age of the Purāṇas, Varuṇa is above all the lord of the waters and of the west. He rules the ocean and all bodies of water. He guards the western direction. He also binds the wicked with his noose (pāśa).

Varuṇa-sabhā

The Sabhā Parva of the Mahābhārata describes the assembly hall of Varuṇa (Varuṇa-sabhā). Nārada describes it to Yudhiṣṭhira. It lies in the ocean and is filled with nāgas, gandharvas, asuras who have accepted the rule of Varuṇa, and various divine beings who have reached the western svarga.

Varuṇa and Nanda: the Ekādaśī episode

The 10th Skanda of the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa (Chapter 28) tells a short but important episode, during the pilgrimage of the gopas (cowherds) to Ambikāvana. Nanda was keeping the Ekādaśī fast. He went alone to the river in the dark before dawn to bathe. A servant of Varuṇa seized him and brought him before Varuṇa.

Kṛṣṇa and the gopas came to the river bank and could not find Nanda. The gopas began to pray hard to Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa went down to the realm of Varuṇa and brought Nanda back.

When Varuṇa saw Kṛṣṇa, he surrendered and offered a stotra (hymn of praise). He explained that his servant had made a mistake. The servant had taken Nanda, who was without fault and had done no wrong, for someone who had broken the rules of the holy hour. Varuṇa said he knew Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa and set Nanda free with honour.

After this Kṛṣṇa showed the gathered gopas a vision of Vaikuṇṭha, reflected in the holy lake. It was an act of grace, and it made their longing for the divine realm stronger.

Vana Parva: the gift to Arjuna

In Chapter 41 of the Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata, Arjuna had received the Pāśupatāstra from Bhagavān Śiva and the battle was done. The four lokapālas came down to the peak of the Himālaya where Arjuna stood. Each came in turn to honour Arjuna and give him divine weapons. Varuṇa came as lord of the west, with his followers.

Varuṇa gave Arjuna the Vāruṇapāśas, the divine nooses, which are binding weapons of Varuṇa. They were not ordinary weapons but tools of cosmic law. They could bind any being, devas and asuras too, with a bond that ordinary means could not break.

As the weapons were described to Arjuna, he was told that the Vāruṇapāśas had been used in the Tārakāmaya war. This was the great battle of the devas against the daityas led by Tāraka, in which the daitya forces were in the end overcome by Kumāra (Skanda, Kārttikeya).

Mahāprasthānika Parva: the return of Gāṇḍīva

As lord of the waters, Varuṇa is the true keeper of the divine bow Gāṇḍīva. In Chapter 1 of the Mahāprasthānika Parva of the Mahābhārata, the Pāṇḍavas have given up the world and walk to the shore of the sea Lauhitya. Agni appears to them there. He recalls that long ago he had obtained Gāṇḍīva from Varuṇa for the sake of Arjuna.

Now its purpose was fulfilled, and the bow had to be given back to Varuṇa. At the command of Agni, Arjuna threw Gāṇḍīva and its two quivers, which never ran out of arrows, into the waters. They returned to the keeping of Varuṇa.

Sources

• Brahma Vaivarta Mahā Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa (Chapter 4)
• Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 10th Skanda, Chapter 28
• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 41
• Mahābhārata, Sabhā Parva
• Mahābhārata, Mahāprasthānika Parva, Chapter 1
• Ṛgveda