Deities & devotionVedic deity of water and rita
Varuna
Guardian of the waters and of cosmic order.
Try it at home
Before using water in a ritual, or simply before drinking, pause and chant Om Varunaya Namah.
Optional, as always. Adapt it to your family, region and health.
The wisdom
Varuna is the Vedic god of the waters and the oceans, and the guardian of rita, the order that keeps the world and human conduct true.
Varuna stands for keeping promises and living honestly, since nothing is hidden from him.
What the evidence says
Evidence: TraditionalThe value rests on lived tradition and reasoning, not on tests.Research doesn't test devotion to a deity. The Vedic hymns are studied as literature and history; their spiritual meaning is a matter of faith.
How we rate evidenceSignificance
What it means to the people who keep it. Faith-based meaning is described as belief, not as proven fact.
Water used in worship is often invoked as Varuna's. He later becomes the lord of the oceans and of the western direction.