Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda VIII.22 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 8 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. Today I have called that most wondrous chariot here, for help — the one on which the Aśvins, easy to invoke, with paths like Rudra's, mounted for Sūryā.
2. Bhujyu — long-lived, easy to invoke, much desired, foremost in contests, accompanied by our good will, O Sobhari, free from hostility, blameless.
3. Here, with homages, we would turn those two most-manifest gods, the Aśvins, toward us for good help — the two travelers to the house of the pious giver.
4. The wheel of your chariot revolves around; its other part speeds you onward. Let your favor run toward us, O lords of splendor, like a milch-cow running to her calf.
5. The chariot that is yours, three-seated, with golden reins, O Aśvins, renowned, that adorns heaven and earth all around — with that one come, O Nāsatyas!
6. Being gracious to Manu, you plowed the ancient grain in heaven with a plowshare. Today, with good thoughts, O Aśvins, lords of splendor, let us praise you both.
7. Come to us, you rich in steeds, by the paths of truth — the paths by which, O mighty ones, you impel Tṛkṣi, the son of Trasadasyu, to great dominion.
8. This soma, pressed with stones, is for you two, O heroes rich in strength. Come to drink the soma; drink it in the house of the pious giver.
9. Mount up, O Aśvins, onto the golden box of your chariot, you of mighty wealth; yoke your steeds for abundant refreshment.
10. With the aids by which you helped Paktha, by which you helped Adhrigu, by which you helped Babhru who was estranged — with those same aids come to us quickly, swiftly, O Aśvins, and heal whatever is sick.
11. When, O unimpeded ones, at this very time of day, we call upon the Aśvins — we, eager singers, with our songs.
12. With those aids come, O mighty ones, to my call, all-nourishing and containing every boon. With refreshment, O most bountiful, most manifold heroes — with the aids by which you strengthened Krivi, with those come!
13. Those two, even now, day by day — those two Aśvins, praising them, I address; those two indeed we approach with homage.
14. Those two indeed at evening, those two at dawn, lords of splendor; those two on their journey, fierce-pathed. Do not overlook us, O you rich in steeds, you fierce ones — do not pass us by to hand us to the mortal deceiver.
15. For an easy approach, I call the easy-traveling chariot, at dawn, with their chariot, the two companion Aśvins. I call them, like a father calling his children — I, Sobhari.
16. Swift as thought, mighty, exhilarated, with your swiftly-coming aids — even from afar, be present for our help, with your many aids, O you of abundant bounty.
17. Come to us on your circuit rich in horses, O Aśvins, best drinkers of the sweet soma, O heroes — a circuit rich in cattle, O wondrous ones, and rich in gold.
18. A boon readily granted, full of vigor, truly excellent, unassailable — O you protectors: at this your coming, O you rich in steeds, may we obtain all good things.
Translator's note: several words resist certainty. Verse 4's "īrma" (rendered "its other part") is an obscure term for some element of the chariot. Verse 6's "vṛkeṇa" is taken as "plowshare" following the myth of the Aśvins plowing for Manu, though "vṛka" ordinarily means "wolf." Verse 10's "vijoṣasam" (rendered "estranged") could also mean "displeased" or, read the opposite way, "eager." Verse 11's "adhrigāvaḥ/adhrigū" (rendered "unimpeded ones") is a rare epithet of uncertain force. Verse 15's "sugmya" (rendered "easy-traveling/easy approach") is likewise sparsely attested. These renderings are conservative best readings, not confident claims.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.22 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 VIII.22
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.
o tyam ahva ā ratham adyā daṁsiṣṭham ūtaye |
yam aśvinā suhavā rudravartanī ā sūryāyai tasthathuḥ || 1 ||
pūrvāyuṣaṁ suhavam puruspṛham bhujyuṁ vājeṣu pūrvyam |
sacanāvantaṁ sumatibhiḥ sobhare vidveṣasam anehasam || 2 ||
iha tyā purubhūtamā devā namobhir aśvinā |
arvācīnā sv avase karāmahe gantārā dāśuṣo gṛham || 3 ||
yuvo rathasya pari cakram īyata īrmānyad vām iṣaṇyati |
asmām̐ acchā sumatir vāṁ śubhas patī ā dhenur iva dhāvatu || 4 ||
ratho yo vāṁ trivandhuro hiraṇyābhīśur aśvinā |
pari dyāvāpṛthivī bhūṣati śrutas tena nāsatyā gatam || 5 ||
daśasyantā manave pūrvyaṁ divi yavaṁ vṛkeṇa karṣathaḥ |
tā vām adya sumatibhiḥ śubhas patī aśvinā pra stuvīmahi || 6 ||
upa no vājinīvasū yātam ṛtasya pathibhiḥ |
yebhis tṛkṣiṁ vṛṣaṇā trāsadasyavam mahe kṣatrāya jinvathaḥ || 7 ||
ayaṁ vām adribhiḥ sutaḥ somo narā vṛṣaṇvasū |
ā yātaṁ somapītaye pibataṁ dāśuṣo gṛhe || 8 ||
ā hi ruhatam aśvinā rathe kośe hiraṇyaye vṛṣaṇvasū |
yuñjāthām pīvarīr iṣaḥ || 9 ||
yābhiḥ paktham avatho yābhir adhriguṁ yābhir babhruṁ vijoṣasam |
tābhir no makṣū tūyam aśvinā gatam bhiṣajyataṁ yad āturam || 10 ||
yad adhrigāvo adhrigū idā cid ahno aśvinā havāmahe |
vayaṁ gīrbhir vipanyavaḥ || 11 ||
tābhir ā yātaṁ vṛṣaṇopa me havaṁ viśvapsuṁ viśvavāryam |
iṣā maṁhiṣṭhā purubhūtamā narā yābhiḥ kriviṁ vāvṛdhus tābhir ā gatam || 12 ||
tāv idā cid ahānāṁ tāv aśvinā vandamāna upa bruve |
tā u namobhir īmahe || 13 ||
tāv id doṣā tā uṣasi śubhas patī tā yāman rudravartanī |
mā no martāya ripave vājinīvasū paro rudrāv ati khyatam || 14 ||
ā sugmyāya sugmyam prātā rathenāśvinā vā sakṣaṇī |
huve piteva sobharī || 15 ||
manojavasā vṛṣaṇā madacyutā makṣuṁgamābhir ūtibhiḥ |
ārāttāc cid bhūtam asme avase pūrvībhiḥ purubhojasā || 16 ||
ā no aśvāvad aśvinā vartir yāsiṣṭam madhupātamā narā |
gomad dasrā hiraṇyavat || 17 ||
suprāvargaṁ suvīryaṁ suṣṭhu vāryam anādhṛṣṭaṁ rakṣasvinā |
asminn ā vām āyāne vājinīvasū viśvā vāmāni dhīmahi || 18 ||
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).