Varuna

Varuna is one of the most ancient Vedic deities, lord of waters and the ocean and guardian of Rta (the moral order of the cosmos). He is depicted holding a noose (pasha), imagined to capture wrongdoers, and he is the guardian of the western direction. The connection of Varuna with Rta in the early Rigveda bears witness to a highly developed ethical conception. Varuna yajnas for rain and worship of Varuna at sea pilgrimages are traditional.