Mantra 69
Sukta 4
उदुत्तमं वरुण पाशमस्मदवाधमं वि मध्यमं श्रथाय । अधा वयमादित्य व्रते तवानागसो अदितये स्याम
úd uttamáṃ varuṇa pā́śam asmád ávā́dhamáṃ ví madhyamáṃ śrathāya | ádhā vayám āditya vraté tavā́nāgaso áditaye syāma
Loose from us, O Varuṇa, the uppermost noose; take off the nether one; rend apart the middle: then may we, O Āditya, in thine ordinance, be guiltless, and belong to Freedom (Aditi).
Rishi: Vasiṣṭha-tradition in RV parallels; in AV usage, adopted as authoritative Varuṇa-release formula
Devata: Varuṇa (Āditya), with Aditi as the state/deity of unbinding
Chandas: Triṣṭubh (RV-style cadence; adopted into AV funerary/expiatory context)
{"primary_rasa":"shanta","secondary_rasa":"bhayankara","emotional_arc":"From fear of being bound/punished to relief and spacious innocence.","listener_experience":"A sense of being untied and allowed to breathe again; moral clarity rather than mere comfort.","intensity":6}