120 
and lit the fire, thence arose He who is the sole life of the bright gods ; — 
Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice ! 
“ 8. He who by His might looked over the water-clouds, the clouds which 
gave strength and lit the sacrifice ; He who alone is God above all gods ; — 
Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice ? 
“9. May He not destroy us — He the creator of the earth; or He the 
righteous, who created the heaven ; He also created the bright and mighty 
waters ; — Who is the God to whom we shall offer our sacrifice ?” * 
According to Mr. Muller, the Aiyans at the beginning thus 
knew Grod. But, although this was before they had given a 
name to the Deity, they had a clear idea of the necessity 
of sacrifice, and of the manner in which, on some occasions 
certainly, and presumably in others, the Lord signified His 
acceptance of sacrifice. There is also a distinct recognition 
of the Creator as the righteous ruler, while several of the 
verses can be best understood by a reference to facts recorded 
in the first book of the Pentateuch, traditions of which were 
preserved by all the ancient nations. The opening sentence, 
as it seems to us, can only be explained by a reference to the 
first promise, which Eve supposed to have been fulfilled when 
she had “ gotten the man from the Lord/’ The prayer of the 
ninth verse also is in harmony with the conditions of a people 
whose fathers had been saved in the ark, and whose less 
remote ancestors had witnessed, and in some sort experienced, 
the chastisement of the dispersion. 
We have another hymn addressed to the Creator under the 
name of Varuna, of which Mr. M filler says : — 
“We should look in vain in late Sanskrit works for hymns like the 
following : — 
“ 1. Wise and mighty are the works of Him who stemmed asunder the 
wide firmaments (heaven and earth). He lifted on high the bright and 
glorious heaven ; He stretched out the starry sky and earth. 
“ 2. Do I say this to my own self } . How can I get unto Varuna ? Will 
He accept my offering without displeasure ■ When shall I, with a quiet 
mind, see Him propitiated ? 
“ 3. I ask, 0 Varuna, wishing to know my sin, I go to ask the wise. The 
sages all tell me the same : Varuna it is who is angry with thee. 
“ 4. Was it an old sin, 0 Varuna, that thou wishest to destroy thy friend, 
who always praises thee ? Tell me, thou unconquerable lord, and I will 
quickly turn to Thee with praise, freed from sin. 
“ 5. Absolve us from the sins of our fathers, and from those which we 
committed with our own bodies.” f 
Of other hymns to Varuna, we are told : — 
“ The poet believes it ; he not only believes, but he knows it, that al 
good things come from above. 
o o 
“ Without thee, 0 Varuna ! I am not master even of a twinkling of the 
' O 
* Chips, i. pp. 29, 30. 
t Ibid. ii. p. 310. 
