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 12:2 The Religion of the Veda

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light, earth, and all that is good. He was the ﬁrst progenitor, the ﬁrst father of divine order. He made a way for the sun and the stars. It is he that causes the moon to grow or mane.l As guardian of divine order Ahura is not to be deceived, does not sleep; he sees all human deeds, overt or covert.“

The Veda describes Varuna in the same spirit, at times in almost the same words. He is the salon porter of beings; he has spread the atmosphere over the forests; has put ﬂeetness into the steed, and milk into the cows. He has placed intelligence into the heart, ﬁre into the waters, the sun upon the sky, the sozrzzzuplant upon the mountains. He has opened a path for the sun; the ﬂoods of the rivers hasten seaward like racers obeying the divine (:za‘der.El Even more pointed than Almra’s is the expression of Varnna’s omniscience and undeceivableness: he sees all the past and all the future; he is present as a third Wherever two men secretly scheme ; his spies do not close their eyes.

The hymn Atharva—Veda 4. 16 presents a rugged picture 0‘ Varuna in his role of omniscient and omnipotent god:

lYasna 37. I; 44. 3.

g‘Siasna 31. 11:3 ; 43. 6 ; 4.5. 4; Vendidad 19-20. Cf. Oldenherg in Journal of Me German Oriental Saris-2y, vol. I, p. 4.8.

3 Rig~Veda 5. 85. 2; 87.. I ; 8. 4L 5.