Devata in Level 13

This is an article series. Please read all previous articles before reading this article. The URLs for all previous articles are located in the in the www.special thoughts.com section.

Continuing on with the hierarchy of Devata-s, let’s look at the venerable Devata in Level 13.

Varuna

As had been explained in an earlier article, in general, Aapa pertains to the liquid properties of primordial matter. In particular, Aapa refers to water. Other synonyms for Aapa in Sanskrit are Salila, Toya, Jala, Vaari, Neera etc. Varuna is Abhimaani Devata for Aapa. Varuna is also referred to by a few other names such as Appa, Vaaridi, Samudra, Sindhu and so on. The most famous and most revered Ganga is the consort of Varuna.

Budha, a Devata in Level 23 and one of the Nava Graha Devata-s, is also an Abhimaani Devata for Jala. Parjanya, a Devata in Level 20 and whose name has been mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 3, Verse 14), is also an Abhimaani Devata for Jala (especially the rain). But Varuna is superior to both Parjanya and Budha.

Let’s take a moment to look at some properties of a liquid that is most abundant i.e., water. As we all know, Water is essential for all living beings. Every living being, ranging from a small microbe to the great big Blue Whale need water for their survival. 60-70% of body mass is made of water. Scientists and Space Explorers are all after water in Moon, Mars, and anywhere they can find it… because the presence of water is indicative of the presence of life in that space. We’ve all studied in primary school that most things are soluble in water. The Abhimaani Devata for all these properties of water in particular and liquids in general is Varuna.

As had been explained in an earlier article, the Tanmaatra (Sense) associated with Aapa is Rasa (Taste). And the Indriya (Sensory Organ) that gives us the experience of Rasa (Taste) is Jihvaa (Tongue). Varuna is also the Abhimaani Devata for Jihvaa (Tongue). There are some things to learn of Jihvaa. There is a connection between the tongue and the mind. The inner voice (Naarada) will be conveying a message about what to eat, and what not to eat… especially when one is not feeling so well physically. Aayurveda clearly states that the root cause of all illnesses is indigestion. Indigestion is directly related to what we eat. And everything we eat has to pass through our mouth which is where the Jihvaa (tongue) is located. So, everything we eat has to first touch our tongue.

The tongue, which identifies the taste in the food we eat, can basically recognize 6 different types of taste (called Shad-Rasa-s or 6 Rasa-s). In other words, the food we eat has a taste that is a combination of 6 unique tastes. These Rasa-s/tastes are: Kadu (Bitter), Swaadu (Sweet), Lavana (Salt), Aamla (Sour), Kshaara (Spice), Tikta (Peppery Hot). These 6 tastes can be somewhat related to something we studied in our chemistry class called the pH. For those who may not remember, water is considered neutral with a pH of 7. Any liquid with a pH > 7 is called “Alkaline” and any liquid with a pH < 7 is called “Acidic”. Now, let’s try to relate what we studied in chemistry with the above-mentioned 6 Rasa-s or tastes, one at a time.

Kadu (Bitter): Most of us will have ended up with some soap in our mouth and thus, we all know that soap tastes bitter, which we found out through our tongues. And chemistry taught us that soap is alkaline and that its pH is > 7, usually between 8 and 10 (based on an internet search).

Swaadu (Sweet): We’ve heard the figure of speech “Bitter Sweet”. I’ve heard my Guru Ji say several times that if we eat too much sugar, then gradually the sugar starts to taste bitter. This hints to us that sweets may have a slightly alkaline pH, though not as high as items that taste bitter. When we think of sweet taste, then fruits come to mind for sure. Here in, we can observe that there may be 2 types of sweets. Those fruits that are bitter when unripe (such as bananas) and those that are sour when unripe (such as oranges). According to the internet, the pH of most fruits is in the slightly acidic range. However, from my personal experience, I think that sweet is in the slightly alkaline range, just above 7. Moreover, Rasa is not the same as pH. It’s only somewhat like pH. The pH range for sweetness is where growth happens. Common observation is that when a woman becomes Garbhavati, there is an embryo growing in her Garbha Kosha (womb). And therefore, the medium in her Garbha Kosha should be conducive for growth. The body naturally prepares for this growth, and this is usually when some women become diabetic. We’ve also heard dentists say that if we eat too many sweets and do not brush at night, then bacteria will grow in the teeth and cause tooth decay and cavities. Observing from the swimming pool in our backyard, sometimes I notice algae growing rapidly. When I have the pool water test, it reveals that the pH is above the 7.6 – 8.0 range. Taking a clue from this, in my opinion, the general pH range that is conducive for growth is the “Sweet” range.

Lavana (Salt): From basic chemistry, we know that Acid + Alkali = Salt + Water. Therefore, the taste Lavana or salt needs to be understood as somewhat neutral i.e., pH of just about 7.

Aamla (Sour): Basic chemistry teaches us that all acids are sour to taste. We’ve tasted Lemon Juice, Tamarind Juice, Sour Mango Juice etc. which are sour to taste. Lemon is said to contain Citric Acid, Tamarind is said to contain Tartaric Acid and so on. The pH of these acids is progressively below 7.

Kshaara (Spice): There are certain spices such as cinnamon, cloves, ground mustard seeds, wasabi etc. which don’t give us a burning sensation when it comes in contact with our tongue or skin. But if you keep it at the same spot on the tongue or skin for a few minutes, it will start to burn. This taste is somewhat like more acidic in pH.

Tikta (Peppery Hot): These are items such as red peppers, green peppers, black peppers and so on. These are perhaps somewhat like pretty low in pH, as low as our stomach can handle. Anything lower will cause burns, such as some other acids like Hydrochloric Acid, Sulphuric Acid, Nitric Acid etc. They are inedible and if such strong acids ever fall on our skin, they immediately burn the skin.

It should be noted that in some languages and cultures, they don’t quite recognize 6 Rasa-s, but take only 5 Rasa-s instead. In such cases, what needs to be understood is that Kshaara (Spice) and Tikta (Peppery Hot) are somewhat spoken as one, since they basically vary in their degree of “hotness”. And the two together are referred to as “Khaara.”

With the above basic understanding of the 6 Rasa-s, we can gather some basic understanding about our health. Generally speaking, anytime we experience a fever, it is associated with some undesirable increase in the number of bacteria or microbes, commonly referred to as “Infection”. In some extreme cases, fever may be because of a cancerous growth too. While doctors and Western medicine recommend taking antibiotics (which have a lot of side effects), Eastern health sciences advise that one can simply have some spicy liquid to curb the infection. Spicy liquids basically cause the pH in the body to go down momentarily, thus making the medium non-conducive for malignant growth. I’ve recommended this to 5 people who were cancer patients, and it has succeeded all 5 times. And it has almost no detrimental side effect unlike chemotherapy.

On the other hand, one of the common problems these days is couples experiencing difficulty conceiving children, and in some cases, women end up with miscarriages. My take is that difficulty conceiving could be because the medium in the Garbha Kosha (Uterus) may be a bit too much to the acidic side, thus causing the embryo to not withstand the burning sensation and hence resulting in miscarriage. In such cases, my advise would be that women interested in conceiving children should eat more sweets and almost completely give up on sour, spicy and peppery hot foods.

All of the above said experiences about the 6 Rasa-s experienced by the Jihvaa come to us because of the kindness and compassion of Varuna.

Shree Krishna refers to Varuna in a very unique way in the Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 2, Verse 59) as below:

rasa varjyam rasopyasya param drushtvaa nivartate

The above has been explained thus: A spiritual seeker will still be consuming some food. And any food has a certain taste and the seeker will most certainly experience the taste as long as it touches the tongue. The yearning for taste is extremely addictive. This has been referred to as Jihvaa and Upastha Jaya or “gaining control” / “winning” over the urge for taste and the urge for sexual pleasure, respectively. These 2 are the most difficult to accomplish since both of the above are perhaps the most addictive. In other words, we can’t hope to liberate ourselves from this eternal cycle of birth/death without abundant Anugraha from Varuna Devata.

Shree Madhwaachaarya has clarified that Maandooka Upanishat was spoken by Varuna when he was in the Mandooka (Frog) form. Mandooka i.e., Frog, is Ubhayavaasi (Amphibian). It can survive both in the water and outside of it. Symbolically speaking, the 3 states of matter namely Gas, Liquid and Solid represent Satva, Raja and Tama qualities respectively (though Gas can represent both Satva and/or Raja, based on context). So, liquid in general and water in particular represents Raja quality, whose basic characteristic is to spread and distribute evenly. As had been mentioned earlier, Raajasik Jeevaatma-s are circling through the cycle of birth/death. So, symbolically… being in the water is like living in this Samsaara i.e., the cycle of birth/death. And getting out of it to come on to the dry land is like Moksha (liberation from the cycle of birth/death). Fish can’t live out of water. But Ubhayavaasi (Amphibians) can. We, the ones who haven’t found our way to get out of the cycle of birth/death, are like Fish stuck in water. Varuna, the above seems to have been shown symbolically by Varuna taking the amphibious Mandooka (Frog) form and giving us the great Maandooka Upanishat. One ought to embody the values taught through the spiritually uplifting Upanishat-s while in this Samsaara to find his/her way out of it.

Varuna is one of the Dik Devata-s. He is the Abhimaani Devata for our West direction and protects us from all dangers coming towards us from the west direction. And thus, he is also one of the Abhimaani Devata-s for our ears helping us grasp sounds originating from our west. With this… so far, we’ve covered information about the Abhimaani Devata-s for East (Mitra, and Indra about whom we’ll learn in the future), South East (Agni), South West (Nirruti), West (Varuna), and North (Kubera)

Varuna is also the Abhimaani for night and the darkness associated with night. What does this mean? As had been mentioned earlier, East is where we see the Sun rise and the day begins with it. Mitra is one of the Abhimaani Devata-s for East and also the day. Likewise, the West is where the Sun sets and the night begins. With night comes darkness and along with it comes fear. Darkness also symbolizes both ignorance and incorrect knowledge (Ajnyaana). We don’t feel like doing many of the activities that we happily jump to do during the day. Most predatory animals are nocturnal and hunt during the night. The prey animals have a higher chance of escape during the day and can see the predator and run to save themselves. So, the point I’m trying to make is that we all need a higher level of protection at night than during the day. And this higher level of protection during the night comes to us from Varuna, who is 4 steps higher than Mitra, the Abhimaani Devata for the day. In general, Mitra and Varuna are a pair who protect us during the day and the night, respectively.

As Varuna is also the Abhimaani Devata for all liquids in general, my take is that Varuna is naturally the Abhimaani Devata for the Blood and Kidneys, which remove liquid waste from the body of all living beings. The philosophy pertaining to colors is a very elaborate topic in itself, which I don’t claim any expertise on. But at a high level, the colors White, Red, and Black symbolize the three Guna-s namely Satva, Raja and Tama respectively. As mentioned above, water pertains to Raja in many ways. An important characteristic of Water in particular, and Raja in general, is to spread evenly. To think of it, Blood does the same thing as well. And blood is Red in color. Blood absorbs the essential oxygen from the lungs and distributes to the rest of the body, absorbs the nutrients from the digestive system and distributes to the rest of the body. While the digestive system has a separate track and process for eliminating solid waste, the liquid waste is in the blood and needs to be filtered out by the Kidneys. We need to be grateful to Varuna for all these functionalities in our body, which are critical for our well-being.

Almost all aspects explained above about Varuna refer to cycling, recycling, spreading, and distribution. The water from the sea rises up to form the clouds, which rains on the great heights of mountains, and flows through the plains to reach the sea, thus completing a cycle. Similarly, blood that leaves the heart carries essential oxygen and nutrients to all other parts of the body, eliminates liquid waste, and returns to the heart. Varuna is also invoked early in any Pooja for cleansing all items gathered up for offering to the ones above and for spreading good energies in our spaces. Thus, Varuna plays an extremely important role in our lives.

I work as a Software Engineer for the “Water Authority” in the geographical area I live in. It is a government entity that serves water to 6 counties in Upstate New York. In this horrific Kali Yuga, when people end up getting involved in gross, cruel, and Adharmik activities just to earn a living… I’ve been recruited to work for a governmental agency that is involved in distributing to people what is a basic necessity for their lives. So, I view myself as a servant of Varuna tasked with ensuring an uninterrupted water supply, and through it a supply of good Saatvik energies to every household across 6 counties in Upstate New York. I am profoundly grateful for this special Anugraha by Varuna Deva for keeping me in the path of Dharma. At my age, people talk about retirement. But here I am… thinking “Why would I retire when my CEO is Varuna Deva himself?”

As history tells us, when war breaks out, one of the easiest ways to kill/harm a large population is through poisoning the water. It was shown even in a recent blockbuster movie where a country, neighboring India, had poisoned the water wells to kill its own people. This is what happens when Asura (demonic) elements take over our living spaces (be it our home, or town, or district/county, or state or country). Therefore, it is essential for our survival that our water sources to be guarded by Devata-s in general and Varuna in particular. It so happens that the town I live in, with my family, had its own water distribution system until 2000. But in the year 2000, the town decided to wind up their operations and join the larger water distribution system, which had the infrastructure and manpower to keep up with technical advancements and handle the growing demand for water in a town that was growing. So, the water tank and reservoir the town had built and was using became unnecessary. And therefore, the town decided to destroy the water tank and sell the land to independent parties. Someone bought this land and constructed a house. They also put a swimming pool in place of the reservoir. And we bought this house in 2014. And then I started working for the county’s water authority in 2025. In essence, I live in a place that has had great Anugraha of Varuna Devata, and I’m involved in distributing the most essential water to communities across a very large geographical area and, also involved in spreading the basics pertaining to a Saatvik and spiritual way of life. I’m sharing these with you to give an example for how things fall together when we have the correct basic understanding of the Vedic way of life and align ourselves to it. I certainly could NOT have planned for something like the above. Indeed, I’m extremely grateful to the ones above for this understanding and guidance.

Also, I took a Sankalpa to teach Vishnu Sahasra Naama to 108 people in this Janma. I’ve been doing this since 2001 and so far, nearly 100 people have been taught the chant Vishnu Sahasra Naama. As many of you may know, Vishnu Sahasra Naama was given to us by Shree Bheeshmaachaarya, who was the son of Shantanu and Ganga. Interestingly, Shantanu was an Avataara of Varuna, and Ganga is his Patni in her Moola Roopa too. So, it seems as though this HUGE Anugraha from Varuna is coming to me, to my family, and us all through a very compassionate recommendation from Shree Bheeshmaachaarya to his father Varuna. Doesn’t it? Had not occurred to me until today.