page_title: Varuna
section_title: Mahayana
hierarchical_section_title: Varuna / Buddhism / Mahayana
caption_attribution_description: 日本語: 水天　部分　十二天の一　絹本　着色　,全寸 縦　144cm、幅127cm　 ACE1127　 English: Sui Ten (Varuna) detail, one of Tweleve devas paintings set, Hanging scroll, colour on silk, whole size 144x127cm ,Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan, ACE1127
context_page_description: Varuna is a Vedic deity associated initially with the sky, later also with the seas as well as Ṛta and Satya. He is found in the oldest layer of Vedic literature of Hinduism, such as hymn 7.86 of the Rigveda. He is also mentioned in the Tamil grammar work Tolkāppiyam, as the god of sea and rain. He is said to be the son of Kashyapa.
  In the Hindu Puranas, Varuna is the god of oceans, his vehicle is a Makara and his weapon is a Pasha. He is the guardian deity of the western direction. In some texts, he is the father of the Vedic sage Vasishtha.
  Varuna is found in Japanese Buddhist mythology as Suiten. He is also found in Jainism.
context_section_description: In East Asian Buddhism, Varuna is a dharmapāla and often classed as one of the Twelve Devas (Japanese: Jūniten, 十二天). He presides over the western direction.
  In Japan, he is called "Suiten" (水天 lit. "water deva"). He is included with the other eleven devas, which include Taishakuten (Śakra/Indra), Fūten(Vāyu), Emmaten (Yama), Rasetsuten (Nirṛti/Rākṣasa), Ishanaten (Īśāna), Bishamonten (Vaiśravaṇa/Kubera), Katen (Agni), Bonten (Brahmā), Jiten (Pṛthivī), Nitten (Sūrya/Āditya), and Gatten (Candra).
caption: Painting of Varuna (Kyoto, Japan)
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