Hymns on Varuna in the Rig Veda are amongst the loftiest and most inspired poems. Though there are not too many of them, Varuna, however, is the only one amongst the Vedic gods, who stands nobly elevated above mortals, whom the poet ventures to approach only with trembling and fear, and in humble reverence. Varuna it is, too, who concerns himself more than any other god of the Vedic pantheon with the moral ways of men and punishes the sinners. Contritely, therefore, the poet approaches him and pleads for forgiveness of his sins. The hymns on Varuna narrate that the Vedic god should protect his worshipper not only from his avenging wrath but also from all dangers and hatreds. This Rig Vedic hymn describes the great deeds of Varuna and closes with a wish that he will pardon the mistakes of the worshipper.

The hymn on Varuna states that the lord struck apart the earth and spread it beneath the sun as the priest who performs the slaughter spreads out the victim`s skin. Lord Varuna stretched out the middle realm of space in the trees. He laid victory in swift horses and milk in the dawn cows, intelligence in hearts and fire in the waters. Varuna placed the sun in the sky and Soma on the mountain. Over the two worlds-halves and the realm of space between them Varuna has poured out the cask, turning its mouth downward. It is Lord Varuna who waters the soil, the earth, and the sky. Whenever Varuna wishes for milk, the mountains dress themselves in cloud and the heroes brandishing their power, let them loose. The hymn on Varuna says generations have become wise by the power of him who has propped apart the two world-halves even though they are so vast. He has pushed away the dome of the sky to make it high and wide, he has set the sun on its double journey and spread out the earth.

In the hymn the worshipper has asked Varuna to shower them with his blessings and to protect them from his own wrath as well as from the wrath of others. The Lord has been asked to free them from the harmful deeds of their fathers, and from those that they have committed with their own bodies. The hymns of Rig Veda also say that it is Varuna who set Vasistha right in the boat. Varuna is the god of the sea, a god of the waters, and therefore he punishes people who have sinned, particularly with dropsy. While he snares upon the offending worshipper, he satisfies by the grace of his own nature the thirst of the man who suffers from physical or spiritual fever. It has been asked that by the worshippers that through carelessness if a worshipper violates the law let not the Lord injure him with his wrath.

The hymns on Varuna in the Rig Veda say that Varuna is the leader and it is his words which reach far and wide. Varuna is brought out of strength and has the capacity to keep away his worshippers from all evils and failures. Varuna cannot be deceived by any chance and his worshippers has a strong belief that Varuna will not let his worshippers know the pain of any loss and he has the power to bless his worshippers with riches that will allow them to have a happy living. Thus discussed is the basic content of the hymns to Varuna in the Rig Veda.