Attributes of God

शन्नो मित्रः शं वरुणः शन्नो भवत्वर्यमा ।

        शन्न इन्द्रो बृहस्पतिः शन्नो विष्णुरुरुक्रमः ॥ यजु० ३६।९ ॥

May Mitra, the dearest of dear Friend, and Varuna, the One who should be accepted by all, give us happiness! May Aryma, the Law Giver, be gentle on us! May Indra, the Supreme Lord, and Brihaspati, the Owner of the greatest words – the Vedas, give us great wealth and knowledge! May Vishnu, the Omnipresent One, and Urukrama, the Speedy Creator of the Universe, be good to us !

The words, Mitra, Varuna, Aryma, Indra, Brihaspati, Vishnu and Urukrama do not refer to separate gods, as is often mistakenly believed, but represent various facets of the one and only God who rules the Universe. We remember Him by His many names in order to remember and appreciate these various facets.