The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v2.c39.s4.49

v2.c39.s4.49

Varuṇa is the deity who is constantly ready to punish inaccuracies in the ritual: his cords and his knots make him admirably fit for this purpose, and the errors in the offering are at once seized hold of by him. By sacrificing in the southern fire, the sacrificer secures the seizing by Varuṇa of his rival, but the offering if made on the Āhavanīya would entail the same fate for the sacrificer himself.⁷ Viṣṇu, on the other hand, repairs the errors of the sacrifice, and does not seize on them as the time for assailing the author of the mistakes.⁸ If the rule that a father should not be transgressed against is asserted, and traced to Prajāpati’s offspring being punished by Varuṇa for transgress against him, it is at once found that the transgress was a ritual one.⁹ In Varuṇa’s house when the gods make mutual pledge of loyalty at the Tānūnaptra they deposit their forms: here again the act is a ritual performance.¹⁰