call to them, the perfect in knowledge, for the giving of the plenitudes.Sri Aurobindo
The Secret of the Veda
with Selected Hymns
The Fourth Hymn to Mitra-Varuna
The Lords of the Journey
[The Rishi invokes the two great increasers of the truth in our being to lead us in our journey to the plenitudes, to the vastness of our true existence which they conquer for us out of the narrow limits of our present ignorant and imperfect mentality.]
5.65.1
यश्चि॒केत॒ स सु॒क्रतु॑र्देव॒त्रा स ब्र॑वीतु नः ।
वरु॑णो॒ यस्य॑ दर्श॒तो मि॒त्रो वा॒ वन॑ते॒ गिरः॑ ॥१॥
yaḥ ciketa saḥ su-kratuḥ deva-trā saḥ bravītu naḥ
varuṇaḥ yasya darśataḥ mitraḥ vā vanate giraḥ
He who has awakened to the knowledge, becomes perfect in will; let him speak for us among the gods: Varuna of the vision and Mitra take delight in his words.
5.65.2
ता हि श्रेष्ठ॑वर्चसा॒ राजा॑ना दीर्घ॒श्रुत्त॑मा ।
ता सत्प॑ती ऋता॒वृध॑ ऋ॒तावा॑ना॒ जने॑जने ॥२॥
tā hi śreṣṭha-varcasā rājānā dīrghaśrut-tamā
tā satpatī iti sat-patī ṛta-vṛdhā ṛta-vānā jane-jane
They are the Kings most glorious in light and most far in their hearing;1 they are the masters of being in creature and creature and the increasers of the Truth in us, for the Truth is theirs.
5.65.3
ता वा॑मिया॒नोऽव॑से॒ पूर्वा॒ उप॑ ब्रुवे॒ सचा॑ ।
स्वश्वा॑स॒: सु चे॒तुना॒ वाजाँ॑ अ॒भि प्र दा॒वने॑ ॥३॥
tā vām iyānaḥ avase pūrvau upa bruve sacā
su-aśvāsaḥ su cetunā vājān abhi pra dāvane
Travelling on the path I call to them, the twain together, the ancient and first; with perfect steeds2 as we travel we call to them, the perfect in knowledge, for the giving of the plenitudes.
5.65.4
मि॒त्रो अं॒होश्चि॒दादु॒रु क्षया॑य गा॒तुं व॑नते ।
मि॒त्रस्य॒ हि प्र॒तूर्व॑तः सुम॒तिरस्ति॑ विध॒तः ॥४॥
mitraḥ aṃhoḥ cit āt uru kṣayāya gātum vanate
mitrasya hi pra-tūrvataḥ su-matiḥ asti vidhataḥ
Even out of our narrow existence Mitra conquers for us the vastness, he conquers the path to our home; for the perfect mind3 is of Mitra when he harmonises all and hastens forward through to the goal.
5.65.5
व॒यं मि॒त्रस्याव॑सि॒ स्याम॑ स॒प्रथ॑स्तमे ।
अ॒ने॒हस॒स्त्वोत॑यः स॒त्रा वरु॑णशेषसः ॥५॥
vayam mitrasya avasi syāma saprathaḥ-tame
anehasaḥ tvā-ūtayaḥ satrā varuṇa-śeṣasaḥ
May we abide in the increasing of Mitra which gives us our perfect breadth; then are we free from hurt and sin, fostered by thee, children of the Lord of Wideness.
5.65.6
यु॒वं मि॑त्रे॒मं जनं॒ यत॑थ॒: सं च॑ नयथः ।
मा म॒घोन॒: परि॑ ख्यतं॒ मो अ॒स्माक॒मृषी॑णां गोपी॒थे न॑ उरुष्यतम् ॥६॥
yuvam mitrā imam janam yatathaḥ sam ca nayathaḥ
mā maghonaḥ pari khyatam mo iti asmākam ṛṣīṇām go-pīthe naḥ uruṣyatam
You twain, O Mitra, set this human creature travelling on your path and wholly you lead him. Set not your hedge around our lords of plenitude and our seers of the truth. Guard us in our drinking of the light.4
1 They have the divine sight and the divine hearing, the Light and the Word.
2 As usual, the symbol of the dynamic energies, life-powers, etc., by which our will and works and aspiration proceed.
3 Aṃhoḥ, the narrowness full of suffering and evil, is the unenlightened state of our limited mentality; the perfect mentality, sumati, given by the grace of Mitra admits us to the wideness.
4 Go, the Light or the Cow, meaning here the “milk” or yield of the Mother of Light.