Rig Veda Sukta 63
Mandala 5Sukta 637 Mantras

Sukta 63

Sukta 5.63

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha

Devata

Mitra-Varuṇa

Chandas

Triṣṭubh

Ang himalang ito ay nagpupuri kay Mitra at Varuṇa bilang mga bantay na laging gising ng Ṛta (kosmikong kaayusan), na nakaupo sa pinakamataas na langit at nagpapanatili ng tunay na batas at mga banal na utos. Ito ay ikinokonekta ang kanilang pamamahalan sa nakikitang mga kosmikong proseso, lalo na ang paglalakbay ng Araw at ang pagpapadala ng ulan, na nagpapakita na ang banal na kaayusan ay nagiging pagkain, kasaganaan, at moral na katatagan para sa mga pinagkakalooban nila.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 5.63

Mantras

Mantra 1

ऋतस्य गोपावधि तिष्ठथो रथं सत्यधर्माणा परमे व्योमनि । यमत्र मित्रावरुणावथो युवं तस्मै वृष्टिर्मधुमत्पिन्वते दिवः ॥

Mga tagapagbantay ng Rta, kayo ay tumatayo sa inyong karwahe sa pinakamataas na langit, na nakatayo sa batas ng Katotohanan. Kung sinuman ang inyong sinasaklaw dito, para sa kanya ang ulan mula sa langit ay pinipiga bilang tamis, na pagkain para sa paglago ng kaluluwa.

Mantra 2

सम्राजावस्य भुवनस्य राजथो मित्रावरुणा विदथे स्वर्दृशा । वृष्टिं वां राधो अमृतत्वमीमहे द्यावापृथिवी वि चरन्ति तन्यवः ॥

Bilang magkasamang soberano, kayo ay nagpapahari sa sanlibutang ito, O Mitra at Varuna, na nakikita sa liwanag ng langit sa mga pagtitipon ng sakripisyo. Hinahanap namin sa inyo ang ulan, ang kasaganaan, at ang walang kamatayang pagkatao; at ang Langit at Lupa ay gumagalaw nang malawak sa mga kapangyarihan ng kulog.

Mantra 3

सम्राजा उग्रा वृषभा दिवस्पती पृथिव्या मित्रावरुणा विचर्षणी । चित्रेभिरभ्रैरुप तिष्ठथो रवं द्यां वर्षयथो असुरस्य मायया ॥

Mga kapwa soberano, makapangyarihan, mga panginoong parang toro ng langit at lupa, O Mitra at Varuna na gumagalaw sa gitna ng mga tao: sa pamamagitan ng mga kumikinang na ulap, kayo ay tumatayo sa huni ng kulog, at sa kapangyarihan ng Asura sa paglikha, inyong pinapaulan ang langit.

Mantra 4

माया वां मित्रावरुणा दिवि श्रिता सूर्यो ज्योतिश्चरति चित्रमायुधम् । तमभ्रेण वृष्ट्या गूहथो दिवि पर्जन्य द्रप्सा मधुमन्त ईरते ॥

Ang inyong kapangyarihan sa paglikha, O Mitra at Varuna, ay nakatayo sa langit: ang Araw ay gumagalaw bilang liwanag, isang kamangha-manghang sandata. Inyong tinatakpan siya roon ng ulap at ulan; pagkatapos ang mga patak ni Parjanya ay sumasibol, na nagdadala ng tamis, kasiyahan na nagpapakain sa lupa at kaluluwa.

Mantra 5

रथं युञ्जते मरुतः शुभे सुखं शूरो न मित्रावरुणा गविष्टिषु । रजांसि चित्रा वि चरन्ति तन्यवो दिवः सम्राजा पयसा न उक्षतम् ॥

Ang mga Marut ay nagsasaklob ng kanilang karwahe para sa isang maliwanag at masayang paggalaw, tulad ng mga mandirigma sa paghahanap ng Liwanag; at ang iba't ibang mga kulog ay gumagala sa mga kalawakan. O mga kapantay na hari ng langit, Mitra at Varuna, ibuhos sa amin ang inyong gatas ng pagkain, ang inyong nagpapanatiling diwa.

Mantra 6

वाचं सु मित्रावरुणाविरावतीं पर्जन्यश्चित्रां वदति त्विषीमतीम् । अभ्रा वसत मरुतः सु मायया द्यां वर्षयतमरुणामरेपसम् ॥

Isang mayaman at nagpapatibay na Salita, O Mitra at Varuna, ang sinasabi ni Parjanya, na kumikinang at puno ng lakas. O mga Marut, tumahan sa mga ulap sa pamamagitan ng matalinong kapangyarihan sa paglikha; at pauran ninyo ang langit, ang mapula, na walang bahid at hindi nasasaktan, na nagbubuhos ng dalisay na sigla.

Mantra 7

धर्मणा मित्रावरुणा विपश्चिता व्रता रक्षेथे असुरस्य मायया । ऋतेन विश्वं भुवनं वि राजथः सूर्यमा धत्थो दिवि चित्र्यं रथम् ॥

Sa batas ng katuwiran, O Mitra at Varuna, na matalino sa pagkilala, inyong binabantayan ang mga utos sa pamamagitan ng soberanong kapangyarihan sa paglikha. Sa Rta, kayo ay nagpapahari sa lahat ng nagiging; inyong inilalagay ang Araw sa langit sa kanyang kumikinang na karwahe, ang pangitain ng katotohanang nakatayo sa itaas.

Inside Sukta 63

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Mitra and Varuṇa are hailed as the guardians of Ṛta, standing on their chariot in the highest heaven, firmly established in truth-law.

  2. Development

    Their support manifests as tangible blessing: sweet rain from heaven, and the divine governance that structures the world through ordinances (vrata). The hymn moves from praise of their station to their operational power—Sun, cloud, rain, and fertility.

  3. Climax

    The revelation of their ‘māyā’ (formative sovereign power): they set the Sun as a radiant ‘weapon’ and can veil it with cloud, releasing Parjanya’s sweet drops—cosmic control serving life and order.

  4. Where it settles

    It concludes by reaffirming that by dharma and Ṛta they reign over all becoming, guarding ordinances and establishing the Sun’s radiant chariot—order restored and upheld.

The deity: Mitra-Varuṇa

  • In the VedaA paired sovereignty: Mitra embodies covenant, friendship, and social concord; Varuṇa embodies vastness, moral oversight, and the binding power of law. Together they are ‘guardians of Ṛta,’ wise and discerning, maintaining vrata (ordinances) and ordering the heavens—especially the Sun’s path and the rains.
  • Cosmic functionThey stabilize cosmic and social order: setting the Sun in heaven, regulating day and night, and releasing rain through cloud and Parjanya’s waters, so that Ṛta becomes fertility and continuity in the world.
  • Inner significanceMitra-Varuṇa symbolize inner truthfulness and ethical self-regulation: the capacity to keep one’s word (Mitra) and to submit the ego to a higher law of conscience and clarity (Varuṇa). Their ‘vrata’ becomes disciplined integrity, leading to inner nourishment (the ‘sweet’ rain) and luminous vision (the Sun).

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha (Vasiṣṭha-gotra), one of the Saptarṣi; chief seer of the Vasiṣṭha family · Renowned as the brahmarṣi of the Rig Veda’s 7th Maṇḍala and as a paradigmatic priest-seer who articulates Ṛta, truth, and right kingship; closely associated with hymns to Varuṇa, Mitra-Varuṇa, and royal consecratory themes.

Famous verses

ṛtasya gopāv (Guardians of Ṛta)
Verse 5.63.1Programmatic statement of the hymn: Mitra-Varuṇa as ‘guardians of Ṛta’ in the highest heaven, whose favor yields sweet, nourishing rain—linking moral order to prosperity.Read verse 5.63.1 →
माया वां मित्रावरुणा दिवि श्रिता सूर्यो ज्योतिश्चरति चित्रमायुधम् । तमभ्रेण वृष्ट्या गूहथो दिवि पर्जन्य द्रप्सा मधुमन्त ईरते ॥
Verse 5.63.4Highlights their māyā (formative power) in cosmic imagery: the Sun as a wondrous weapon, veiled by cloud, releasing Parjanya’s sweet rain—showing sovereignty over light and waters.Read verse 5.63.4 →
ṛtena viśvam bhuvanaṃ vi rājathaḥ
Verse 5.63.7Strong concluding synthesis: by dharma they guard ordinances, by Ṛta they rule all worlds, and they set the Sun in heaven—an explicit theology of law, order, and illumination.Read verse 5.63.7 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Guardians of Ṛta (cosmic order)
  • Satyadharma (established in truth-law)
  • Protectors of vrata (sacred ordinances)
  • All-seeing, discerning (vipaścit)
  • Regulators of the Sun’s course
  • Givers of rain and sweetness (madhu)
  • Sovereign power (āsurī māyā: formative mastery)

Also by this seer

  • Primary seer of most of Rig Veda Maṇḍala 7 (Vasiṣṭha Maṇḍala)
  • Numerous Rigvedic hymns to Varuṇa and Mitra-Varuṇa emphasizing Ṛta and vrata (ordinance)
  • Hymnic material connected with royal legitimacy and priestly counsel (purohita function)

The rite, step by step

  • Establish the āhavanīya fire and perform preliminary purification (ācamana, pavitras) with an intention of satya and ṛta.
  • Recite the sukta as an invocation (āvāhana) to Mitra-Varuṇa, visualizing them ‘in the highest heaven’ guarding Ṛta.
  • Offer ghee into Agni with short invocatory formulas, aligning the rite with vrata (right rule).
  • If in Soma context: accompany pressing/offerings with the hymn, asking for ‘madhu’ (sweet nourishment) and orderly rains.
  • Conclude with a quiet affirmation of truthfulness (satya-vrata) and a closing oblation for harmony in community and household.

Offerings

  • Ghṛta (clarified butter)
  • Soma (where applicable)
  • Milk/curds as sweet offerings (symbolic of madhu)
  • Water libation (for rain/ṛta symbolism)

Frequently Asked Questions

They are a paired Vedic divinity of order: Mitra represents harmony and covenant, and Varuṇa represents moral oversight and the binding power of law. Together they guard Ṛta, the cosmic right order.

The hymn shows that divine order is not abstract: Mitra-Varuṇa regulate the Sun’s course and also release rain through clouds and Parjanya. Light and water become signs that Ṛta is functioning in the world.

Live by truth and right rule (satya, dharma, vrata). The hymn teaches that when order is upheld inwardly and socially, the same divine order supports well-being—symbolized by sweet, nourishing rain.

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