ajIjano hi varuNa svadhAvan-natharvANaM pitaraM deva-bandhuM |
tasmA u rAdhaH kR^iNuhi suprashastaM sakhA no asi paramaM cha bandhuH || AV-S 5.11
From father bhR^igu we have acquired that connection to the great asura medhira. As kavi atharvA had said to varuNa: we have walked the 7 steps of friendship and thus become connected. When atharvan desired to know that which lay beyond the rajas he asked varuNa, for the asura is the knower of that which is “paro rajasi” (kavi atharvan asks: “kiM rajasa enA paraH ?). When bhR^igu desired to acquire supreme knowledge he went to father varuNa (bhR^igur vai vAruNiH | varuNaM pitaram upasasAra |). The wise asura answered : “annaM prANaM cakShuH shrotraM mano vAcha miti | tagM ho vAcha | yato vA imAni bhUtAni jAyante | yena jAtAni jIvanti | yat-prayanty-abhi-saMvishanti | tad-vijij~nAsasva |…”
These words inspired the founder of our clan in the quest for knowledge and they are what we continue to seek. These words of the Aditya are the ones that set us on the path of knowledge. When our ancient clansman shunaHshepa stood bound at the stake, facing certain death, with harishchandra dying in pain from the jalodara, he invoked the all-seeing Aditya:
“ava te heLo varuNa namobhir ava yaj~nebhir Imahe havirbhiH |
kShayan-nasmabhyam asura prachetA rAjan-nenAMsi shishrathaH kR^itAni ||”
We have this bond (paramam cha bandhuH of atharvan) with varuNa to which we turn. When over-powered by the abhichAra of the foemen, with our enchanting yakShiNi-s all dispersed, struck down by roga like harishchandra, we turned to rajan varuNa. We sought him like our ancestors who knew the veda did. We besought him of a 1000 snares to release us from the grip of the pAsha in which we were. The great god has bore us aid when we invoked him with his great mantra from the pit of suffering in which we were.
” bibhrad drApiM hiraNyayaM varuNo vasta nirNijam | pari spasho ni Shedire ||”
mAnasa-taraMgiNI 