Lord Varuna, according to the Indian Puranas, is said to be the son of sage Kashyapa. He is one of the twelve gods acknowledged as Adityas because of their origin from Aditi, the mother of gods. Varuna is correlated to possess the lordship of the waters. According to mythologies, the gods went to Lord Varuna and prayed him to look after the clouds and rains. Thus he came to be known as the king of waters. Lord Varuna took under his control all rivers, streams, lakes, oceans and other reservoirs of water.

Lord Varuna is considered to be present in the whole world. He is among one of the oldest Vedic deities. The lord is embodiment of the sky and he is associated with clouds, water, rivers, and ocean. In addition to that he is considered to be the sustainer of live by providing rain and crops. According to the Puranas he has thousand eyes and oversees the whole world. Hindus worship the lord in different forms. A few temples of the Indian subcontinent depicted him as riding on a crocodile. However, he is pictured as riding in a chariot drawn by seven swans and holding the lotus, noose, conch and a vessel of gems as well as with an umbrella held over his head. Certain Hindus associate him as a God carrying a serpent.

Lord Varuna is also considered as a god of law and the underworld. He possesses the aspects of a solar deity. However he is rather associated with night. He is concerned with moral and community affairs than being a deity of adoration. In the Vedas Lord Varuna is portrayed as omniscient and omnipotent. Varuna can also capable of granting immortality. He is the guardian of the western direction. Lord Varuna`s worship is considered as the vital part of the ritual of Sandhyavandanam. He is also associated with the moon planet too.

A legend associated with the festival of Rakhi is that of the worship offered to the sea god, Lord Varuna in Western India. On the Raksha Bandhan day devotees make offers coconut to him. Varuna is considered as one of the Adityas.