Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda X.39 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 10 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced for the Good Works Library from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
1. Your chariot, Aśvins, that travels all around, smooth-rolling, called for by the offering-bearer at dusk and dawn — that chariot of yours we, most constant of callers, now call, easy to call, as one calls a father's name.
2. Set flowing generous gifts, swell our thoughts, stir up abundance — this we desire. Make for us a glorious portion, O Aśvins; make us dear among the generous ones, as soma is dear.
3. You two are fortune itself even for the woman aging unmarried at home; helpers of the one without recourse, even of the lowest. Of the blind, O Nāsatyas, of the wasted too — you indeed they call healers, even of the broken.
4. You fashioned Cyavāna, the old one, young again for moving about, like refitting a chariot. You carried Tugra's son out from the waters. All these deeds of yours are to be proclaimed at the soma-pressings.
5. I will proclaim your ancient mighty deeds before the people; you were healers, bringers of joy. These praises of yours we now make new, for your help, O Nāsatyas, so that this man may place his trust, as a devoted stranger does.
6. This woman called you: "Hear me, O Aśvins! Help me as father and mother help a son. I am kinless, ignorant, without kin, without counsel — save me from this reproach before it falls."
7. You two brought Purumitra's radiant daughter down by chariot to Vimada. You came at the call of Vadhrimatī; you made an easy birth for Puraṃdhi.
8. For the sage Kali, who had reached old age, you made youthful vigor once more. You raised Vandana up out of the pit. You at once made Viśpalā able to walk again.
9. You two, mighty Aśvins, raised up Rebha, who lay hidden away, near death. You made the burning pit gentle for Atri and for Saptavadhri.
10. You gave Pedu a white horse, O Aśvins, strong with nine and ninety prizes, famed, swift-running, a companion who puts foes to flight — to be invoked by men like good fortune itself, a bringer of joy.
11. O twin kings, O Aditi, no distress from anywhere ever reaches that man, no misfortune, no fear — whom you, Aśvins easy to call, who follow the Rudras' path, set at the front with his chariot, together with his wife.
12. Come here with that chariot, swifter than thought, which the Ṛbhus made for you, O Aśvins — at whose yoking the Daughter of Heaven is born, both bright halves of Vivasvant's fair day.
13. On that circuit you traveled, victorious, through the mountains, and made the milk-cow swell for Śayu, O Aśvins. The quail, even from inside the wolf's mouth — though swallowed, you freed her by your powers.
14. This hymn of praise we have made for you, O Aśvins; we have fashioned it as the Bhṛgus fashion a chariot. We have held it close, as a young man embraces a maiden, keeping it like one's own son, an offspring.
Translator's note: verse 9's "ṛbīsam" (a pit or hollow, here rendered "burning pit") and verse 8's "ṛśyadāt" (rendered "the pit," associated with an antelope-trap) are obscure terms whose exact referents are debated; the renderings above are conservative approximations of the images rather than certain identifications.
Colophon
Rigveda X.39 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation rendered verse by verse from the Sanskrit text printed below. Prepared for the Good Work Library by the Tianmu Anglican Church with AI-assisted translation.
🌲
Source Text: ṛgveda X.39
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
yo vām parijmā suvṛd aśvinā ratho doṣām uṣāso havyo haviṣmatā |
śaśvattamāsas tam u vām idaṁ vayam pitur na nāma suhavaṁ havāmahe || 1 ||
codayataṁ sūnṛtāḥ pinvataṁ dhiya ut puraṁdhīr īrayataṁ tad uśmasi |
yaśasam bhāgaṁ kṛṇutaṁ no aśvinā somaṁ na cārum maghavatsu nas kṛtam || 2 ||
amājuraś cid bhavatho yuvam bhago 'nāśoś cid avitārāpamasya cit |
andhasya cin nāsatyā kṛśasya cid yuvām id āhur bhiṣajā rutasya cit || 3 ||
yuvaṁ cyavānaṁ sanayaṁ yathā ratham punar yuvānaṁ carathāya takṣathuḥ |
niṣ ṭaugryam ūhathur adbhyas pari viśvet tā vāṁ savaneṣu pravācyā || 4 ||
purāṇā vāṁ vīryā3 pra bravā jane 'tho hāsathur bhiṣajā mayobhuvā |
tā vāṁ nu navyāv avase karāmahe 'yaṁ nāsatyā śrad arir yathā dadhat || 5 ||
iyaṁ vām ahve śṛṇutam me aśvinā putrāyeva pitarā mahyaṁ śikṣatam |
anāpir ajñā asajātyāmatiḥ purā tasyā abhiśaster ava spṛtam || 6 ||
yuvaṁ rathena vimadāya śundhyuvaṁ ny ūhathuḥ purumitrasya yoṣaṇām |
yuvaṁ havaṁ vadhrimatyā agacchataṁ yuvaṁ suṣutiṁ cakrathuḥ puraṁdhaye || 7 ||
yuvaṁ viprasya jaraṇām upeyuṣaḥ punaḥ kaler akṛṇutaṁ yuvad vayaḥ |
yuvaṁ vandanam ṛśyadād ud ūpathur yuvaṁ sadyo viśpalām etave kṛthaḥ || 8 ||
yuvaṁ ha rebhaṁ vṛṣaṇā guhā hitam ud airayatam mamṛvāṁsam aśvinā |
yuvam ṛbīsam uta taptam atraya omanvantaṁ cakrathuḥ saptavadhraye || 9 ||
yuvaṁ śvetam pedave 'śvināśvaṁ navabhir vājair navatī ca vājinam |
carkṛtyaṁ dadathur drāvayatsakham bhagaṁ na nṛbhyo havyam mayobhuvam || 10 ||
na taṁ rājānāv adite kutaś cana nāṁho aśnoti duritaṁ nakir bhayam |
yam aśvinā suhavā rudravartanī purorathaṁ kṛṇuthaḥ patnyā saha || 11 ||
ā tena yātam manaso javīyasā rathaṁ yaṁ vām ṛbhavaś cakrur aśvinā |
yasya yoge duhitā jāyate diva ubhe ahanī sudine vivasvataḥ || 12 ||
tā vartir yātaṁ jayuṣā vi parvatam apinvataṁ śayave dhenum aśvinā |
vṛkasya cid vartikām antar āsyād yuvaṁ śacībhir grasitām amuñcatam || 13 ||
etaṁ vāṁ stomam aśvināv akarmātakṣāma bhṛgavo na ratham |
ny amṛkṣāma yoṣaṇāṁ na marye nityaṁ na sūnuṁ tanayaṁ dadhānāḥ || 14 ||
Source Colophon
Sanskrit text of the Rigveda, Śākala recension. The standard scholarly edition is the Bombay Oriental (Vishva Bandhu, 5 vols., 1963–66). IAST transliteration available from GRETIL (Göttingen Register of Electronic Texts in Indian Languages) and Vedaweb (University of Cologne). Both sources are open access. IAST transliteration from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).