ɪnðə ɹˈɪɡvɛdə, mˈɪtɹə ɐpˈɪɹz pɹaɪmˈɛɹᵻli ɪnðə dˈiːvˈændvə kˈɑːmpaʊnd mˈɪtɹəvɑːɹɹˈuːnə, wˌɪtʃ hɐz ᵻsˈɛnʃəli ðə sˈeɪm ˈætɹɪbjˌuːts æz ðə ɡˈɑːd vɑːɹɹˈuːnə ɐlˈoʊn, ˈiː.dʒˈiː. æz ðə pɹˈɪnsɪpəl ɡˈɑːɹdiən ʌv  "tɹˈuːθ, ˈɔːɹdɚ".
In the Rigveda, Mitra appears primarily in the dvandva compound Mitra-Varuna, which has essentially the same attributes as the god Varuna alone, e.g. as the principal guardian of  "Truth, Order".