Information AboutVaruna |
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In and one of the Adityas . VEDIC AND LATER ROLES In the pre- Vedic era, Varuna was probably the most supreme god and keeper of order, a god of Rain and Law who keeps the Sun moving. He was omniscient and omnipotent. Varuna and Mitra are the gods of the Oath . The Atharvaveda portrays Varuna as omniscient, catching liars in his snares. The stars are his thousand-eyed spies, watching every movement of men. As a sky god, Varuna may either correspond to, or rule over, the dark half of the sky — or Celestial Ocean ( Rasā ) — or represent the 'dark' side of the Sun as it travels back from West to East during the night. In the post-Vedic era, his role as sovereign is increasingly taken on by Indra , a process already apparent in the Rig-Veda . Varuna became perhaps most strongly associated with Rain , after Indra took his former position as overlord of the universe. Varuna later became the god of Ocean s and River s and keeper of the souls of the drowned. As such, Varuna is also a god of the dead, and can grant Immortality . He is attended by the Naga s. Varuna is the master of Rta , which is the energy that keeps the universe running on time and in proper order, and is one of the Ashta-Dikpalas , representing the west. Later Art depicts Varuna as a Lunar Deity , as a white man wearing Gold en armor and holding a Noose or Lasso made from a Snake . He rides the sea monster '' Makara ''. NAME
Varuna is often named as forming a unit with Mitra forming the Dvandva compound, ''Mitravaruna''. He is also intertwined with Indra in the Rig-Veda , where the two gods are referred to as ''Indravaruna''.
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