Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda VII.73 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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. We have crossed to the far shore of this darkness, devoted to the gods, offering our praise-song. Our song calls to the Aśvins — immortal, rich in wonders, most bountiful, most ancient.
2. Now the beloved priest of mankind has taken his seat, who worships and praises the Nāsatyas. O Aśvins, drink of the honeyed draught, being near at hand — I, bringing the offering, have spoken to you at the gatherings of the rite.
3. We have driven the sacrifice forward, choosing among the paths; O bulls, may the two of you delight in this well-wrought hymn. Like one dispatched swiftly at your summons, Vasiṣṭha has roused himself, singing with praise-songs.
4. May those two bearers come to our people — slayers of demons, well-equipped, firm-handed. The intoxicating draughts have been gathered together; do not neglect us — come to us with your kindness.
5. Come from behind, O Nāsatyas, from before, O Aśvins; come from below, from above; come from every side, with the wealth of the five peoples. Protect us always with your blessings of well-being.
Translator's note: "jaramāṇaḥ" in verse 3 carries a double sense in Vedic — "growing old" and "singing/praising" — rendered here as "singing" to fit the ritual context. "pāñcajanyena" in verse 5, "belonging to the five peoples," is a standing epithet for the whole of the Vedic human community; rendered literally rather than expanded.
Colophon
Rigveda VII.73 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.
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Source Text: ṛgveda VII.73
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.
atāriṣma tamasas pāram asya prati stomaṁ devayanto dadhānāḥ |
purudaṁsā purutamā purājāmartyā havate aśvinā gīḥ || 1 ||
ny u priyo manuṣaḥ sādi hotā nāsatyā yo yajate vandate ca |
aśnītam madhvo aśvinā upāka ā vāṁ voce vidatheṣu prayasvān || 2 ||
ahema yajñam pathām urāṇā imāṁ suvṛktiṁ vṛṣaṇā juṣethām |
śruṣṭīveva preṣito vām abodhi prati stomair jaramāṇo vasiṣṭhaḥ || 3 ||
upa tyā vahnī gamato viśaṁ no rakṣohaṇā sambhṛtā vīḻupāṇī |
sam andhāṁsy agmata matsarāṇi mā no mardhiṣṭam ā gataṁ śivena || 4 ||
ā paścātān nāsatyā purastād āśvinā yātam adharād udaktāt |
ā viśvataḥ pāñcajanyena rāyā yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 5 ||
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).