ཆུ་ལྷ། | Glossary of Terms

A god.

In the Vedas, Varuṇa is an important deity and in particular the deity of the sky, but in later Indian tradition only of the water and the underworld. The Tibetan does not attempt to translate his name but instead says “god of water.” The Sanskrit name has ancient pre-Sanskrit origins, and as he was originally the god of the sky is related to the root vṛ, meaning “enveloping” or “covering.” He has the same ancient origins as the ancient Greek sky deity Uranus and the Zoroastrian supreme deity Mazda.

The principal nāga king; also the god of the sea in the Vedas. In this sūtra Sāgara is an alternative name and not another nāga.

The Vedic deity understood in later periods to be the lord of waters; thus the Tibetans translate his name as “God of Water” (chu’i lha). In The Question of Mañjuśrī his image is the fiftieth of the eighty designs on the palms of the hand and feet of the Tathāgata.

One of the guardian deities.

Vedic deity of the sky, water, and ocean.

The name of one of the oldest of the Vedic gods, associated with the waters.

The god of waters.

One of the eight guardians of the directions, Varuṇa guards the northeast quarter.