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Rig Veda · 662 of 1027
Mandala 8: HYMN XLII. Varuṇa.
1.LORD of all wealth, the Asura propped the heavens, and measured out the broad earth’s wide expanses. He, King supreme, approached all living creatures. All these are Varuṇa’s holy operations.
2.So humbly worship Varuṇa the Mighty revere the wise Guard of World Immortal. May he vouchsafe us triply-barred protection. O Earth and Heaven, within your lap preserve us.
3.Sharpen this song of him who strives his utmost, sharpen, God Varuṇa, his strength and insight; May we ascend the ship that bears us safely, whereby we may pass over all misfortune.
4.Aśvins, with songs the singer stones have made you hasten hitherward, Nāsatyas, to the Soma-draught. Let all the others die away.
5.As the sage Atri with his hymns, O Aśvins, called you eagerly, Nāsatyas, to the Soma-draught. Let all the others die away.
6.So have I called you to our aid, even as the wise have called of old, Nāsatyas, to the Soma-draught. Let all the others die away.
Asked of Guide
Why does the hymn repeat 'Let all the others die away' after calling the Aśvins and Nāsatyas?
The refrain narrows attention: the poet summons the Aśvins and Nāsatyas as the specific divine helpers for the Soma-draught and asks other voices or powers to fall silent so their arrival can be effective. The line frames ritual focus, making the gods’ intervention the sole audible presence during sacrifice.
This pattern echoes earlier Vedic hymns that isolate a deity with repeated summonses to secure ‘triply-barred protection’ and a safe passage — compare Mandala 1 where repeated pleas concentrate the ritual will. The repetition also models how a community reorients itself in worship, sharpening strength and insight toward the invoked deities.
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