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VARUNA

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Originally appearing in Volume V27, Page 925 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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VARUNA , in See also:

early See also:Hindu See also:mythology, the greatest, with See also:Indra, of the gods of the Rig Veda. He is invoked with his See also:double See also:Mitra in some dozen See also:hymns. As contrasted with Indra the See also:war See also:god, Varuna is the See also:lord of the natural See also:laws, the up-holder of the See also:physical and moral See also:order of the universe. His See also:power is limitless, his anger at wrong-doing unassuageable, and he is omniscient. He makes the See also:sunshine; the See also:wind is his breath; See also:river valleys are hollowed out at his command. Unlike Indra, Varuna has no myths related of him. In the later Vedic See also:period he is specially connected with the nocturnal heavens. Ultimately in See also:post-Vedic mythology he becomes the Hindu See also:Neptune. The earlier conception of Varuna is singularly similar to that of Ahuramazda, of the Avesta. The name Varuna may be Indo-See also:European, identifiable, some believe, with the See also:Greek ovpavos (See also:Uranus), and ultimately referable to a See also:root See also:var, "to See also:cover," Varuna thus meaning "the Encompasser." Among Varuna's aliases are Jalapati, " Lord of See also:Water," and and See also:Berbera in See also:Somaliland; he then (early in 1 504 ?) ran across to the See also:Indian See also:port of See also:Diu in See also:Gujarat, afterwards famous as a Portuguese fortress. From Diu he sailed up the Gulf of See also:Cambay to See also:Gogo, and thence turning back towards the See also:Persian Gulf made Julfar (just within the entrance of the gulf), See also:Muscat and Ormuz. From Ormuz he seems to have journeyed across See also:Persia to See also:Herat, returning thence See also:south-See also:west to See also:Shiraz, where he entered into See also:partnership with a Persian See also:merchant, who accompanied him during nearly all his travels in South See also:Asia.

After an unsuccessful See also:

attempt to reach See also:Samarkand, the two returned to Shiraz, came down to Ormuz, and took See also:ship for See also:India. From the mouth of the See also:Indus See also:Varthema coasted down the whole west See also:coast of India, touching at Cambay and See also:Chard; at See also:Goa, whence he made an excursion inland to See also:Bijapur; at See also:Cannanore, from which he again struck into the interior to visit See also:Vijayanagar on the Tungabudra; and at See also:Calicut (1505?), where he stops to describe the society, See also:manners and customs of See also:Malabar, as well as the See also:topography and See also:trade of the See also:city, the See also:court and See also:government of its See also:sovereign (the Zamorin), its See also:justice, See also:religion, See also:navigation and military organization. No-where do Varthema's accuracy and observing power show themselves more strikingly. Passing on by the " backwater of See also:Cochin," and calling at Kulam (See also:Quilon), he rounded Cape See also:Comorin, and passed over to See also:Ceylon (1506?). Though his stay here was brief (at See also:Colombo?), he learnt a See also:good See also:deal about the See also:island, from which he sailed to See also:Pulicat, slightly See also:north of See also:Madras, then subject to Vijayanagar. Thence he crossed over to See also:Tenasserim in the See also:Malay See also:Peninsula, to Banghella, perhaps near See also:Chittagong, at the See also:head of the See also:Bay of See also:Bengal, and to See also:Pegu, in the See also:company of his Persian friend and of two See also:Chinese Christians (Nestorian?) whom he met at Banghella. After some successful trading with the See also:king of Pegu, Varthema and his party sailed on to Malacca, crossed over to Pider (Pedir) in See also:Sumatra, and thence proceeded to Bandan (See also:Banda) and Monoch (one of the See also:Moluccas), the farthest eastward points reached by the See also:Italian traveller. From the Moluccas he returned westward, touched at See also:Borneo, and there chartered a See also:vessel for See also:Java, the " largest of islands," as his See also:Christian companions reckoned it. He notes the use of See also:compass and See also:chart by the native See also:captain on the transit from Bornei to Giava, and preserves a curious, more than See also:half-mythical, reference to supposed Far See also:Southern lands. From Java he crossed over to Malacca, where he and his Persian ally parted from the Chinese Christians; from Malacca he returned to the Coromandel coast, and from See also:Negapatam (?) in Coromandel he voyaged back, See also:round Cape Comorin, to Kulam and Calicut. Varthema was now anxious to resume See also:Christianity and return to See also:Europe; after some See also:time he succeeded in deserting to the Portuguese See also:garrison at Cannanore (early in 15o6?). He fought for the Portuguese in various engagements, and was knighted by the See also:viceroy Francisco d'See also:Almeida, the navigator See also:Tristan da Cunha being his " See also:sponsor." For a See also:year and a half he acted as Portuguese See also:factor at Cochin, and on the 6th of See also:December 1507 (?) he finally See also:left India for Europe by the Cape route.

Sailing from Cannanore, Varthema apparently struck See also:

Africa about Malindi, and (probably) See also:coasting by See also:Mombasa and See also:Kilwa arrived at See also:Mozambique, where he notices the Portuguese fortress then See also:building, and describes with his usual accuracy the negroes of the mainland. Beyond the Cape of Good See also:Hope he encountered furious storms, but arrived safely in See also:Lisbon after sighting St See also:Helena and See also:Ascension, and touching at the See also:Azores. In See also:Portugal the king received him cordially, kept him some days at court " to learn about India," and confirmed the See also:knighthood conferred by d'Almeida. His narrative finally brings him to See also:Rome, where he takes leave of the reader. As See also:Richard See also:Burton says (See also:Pilgrimage to . . . -Meccah, 1855, vol. ii. p. 352): "For correctness of observation and readiness of wit " Varthema " stands in the foremost See also:rank of the old See also:Oriental travellers." In See also:Arabia and in the Indian See also:archipelago See also:east of Java he is (for Europe and Christendom) a real discoverer. Even where passing over ground traversed by earlier European explorers, his keen intelligence frequently adds valuable See also:original notes on peoples, manners, customs, laws, religions, products, trade, methods of war, &c. Amburaja, " King of Water." See A. A. See also:Macdonell, Vedic Mythology (See also:Strassburg, 1897).

End of Article: VARUNA

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