Hymn to the Aśvins and Vāyu
Rigveda VIII.26 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. I call your chariot indeed, for joint praise among the patrons — you two of unconquered strength, O mighty ones, rich in wealth.
2. You two, O Nāsatyas, are the boon for one of good praise, for great lineage; with your favors you come, mighty ones, rich in wealth.
3. We call you two today with oblations, O rich in strength — bestowing many refreshments through the nights.
4. May your best-carrying, famed chariot come here, O Aśvins, O leaders; look upon the hymns of the eager singer, for glory.
5. Even when wandering afar, O Aśvins rich in wealth, think of us — for you two, O vehement ones, carry us safely past our foes.
6. Wondrous ones, with your swift steeds you fly around the whole world in order — quickeners of prayer, honey-colored, lords of splendor.
7. Come to us, O Aśvins, with all-nourishing wealth, O bounteous ones rich in good heroes, unfailing ones.
8. Come to this offering of mine, O Indra and Nāsatyas; O gods, today, most closely joined with the gods.
9. We indeed call you two, longing for you as Vyaśva once did; come here with your favor, O wise ones.
10. O sage, praise the Aśvins well — will they not hear your call, drawing near, and even the Paṇis too?
11. Hear the prayer of Vyaśva's descendant, O leaders, and know this of mine — Varuṇa, Mitra, and Aryaman being of one accord with you.
12. Of what is given by you, O devout ones, of what is brought by you together with the patrons — day by day, O mighty ones, grant it to me.
13. The sacrifice which is wrapped round with offerings for you, like a bride clothed in her garments — honoring you, the two Aśvins have made it for their splendor.
14. He who perceives your most far-reaching, man-protecting course — O Aśvins, travel your circuit around, favoring us.
15. For us, O rich in wealth, travel well your man-protecting circuit; you have carried the sacrifice along with song, as against one who does harm.
16. Let the swiftest-carrying hymn of praise, among your calls, summon you as a messenger, O leaders; let it be for you two, O Aśvins.
17. Whether you two rejoice yonder in heaven's flood, or in the house of plenty — hear indeed my call, O immortals.
18. And that bright-moving one, swiftest of your rivers — the Sindhu, with its golden track —
19. together with this, with good renown, O Aśvins, with a bright hymn, you two, O pure-moving ones, are carried along.
20. Yoke indeed your chariot-bearing steeds; harness the thriving ones, O bountiful one. Then, O Vāyu, drink our sweet draught — come to our pressed offerings.
21. Your favors, O Vāyu, lord of order, wondrous son-in-law of Tvaṣṭṛ, we seek.
22. We ask the son-in-law of Tvaṣṭṛ, lord of wealth — we, the people with pressed soma, ask Vāyu, for glory.
23. Come, O Vāyu, bring kindly things from heaven, bring good horses; bring greatness in your chariot with its broad-flanked steeds.
24. We call you indeed, most gracious one, in the assemblies of men, liberally, like the pressing-stone borne on a horse's back.
25. You, O god Vāyu, being gladdened in mind, the first to partake — make our strengths prevail, our works, our prayers fruitful.
Translator's note: verse 10's "kūḻayātaḥ" and verse 15's "viṣudruheva" are obscure compounds without a settled sense; they are rendered conservatively ("drawing near" and "as against one who does harm"). Verse 8's "pratīvyam" is likewise uncertain and rendered as "this offering of mine." Verses 18–19 form a single sentence in the Sanskrit and are split here only for numbering. Verses 1–19 address the Aśvins (Nāsatyas); verses 20–25 shift to Vāyu, a common pairing in hymns of this Kāṇva family.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.26 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.26
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.
yuvor u ṣū rathaṁ huve sadhastutyāya sūriṣu |
atūrtadakṣā vṛṣaṇā vṛṣaṇvasū || 1 ||
yuvaṁ varo suṣāmṇe mahe tane nāsatyā |
avobhir yātho vṛṣaṇā vṛṣaṇvasū || 2 ||
tā vām adya havāmahe havyebhir vājinīvasū |
pūrvīr iṣa iṣayantāv ati kṣapaḥ || 3 ||
ā vāṁ vāhiṣṭho aśvinā ratho yātu śruto narā |
upa stomān turasya darśathaḥ śriye || 4 ||
juhurāṇā cid aśvinā manyethāṁ vṛṣaṇvasū |
yuvaṁ hi rudrā parṣatho ati dviṣaḥ || 5 ||
dasrā hi viśvam ānuṣaṅ makṣūbhiḥ paridīyathaḥ |
dhiyaṁjinvā madhuvarṇā śubhas patī || 6 ||
upa no yātam aśvinā rāyā viśvapuṣā saha |
maghavānā suvīrāv anapacyutā || 7 ||
ā me asya pratīvya1m indranāsatyā gatam |
devā devebhir adya sacanastamā || 8 ||
vayaṁ hi vāṁ havāmaha ukṣaṇyanto vyaśvavat |
sumatibhir upa viprāv ihā gatam || 9 ||
aśvinā sv ṛṣe stuhi kuvit te śravato havam |
nedīyasaḥ kūḻayātaḥ paṇīm̐r uta || 10 ||
vaiyaśvasya śrutaṁ naroto me asya vedathaḥ |
sajoṣasā varuṇo mitro aryamā || 11 ||
yuvādattasya dhiṣṇyā yuvānītasya sūribhiḥ |
ahar-ahar vṛṣaṇa mahyaṁ śikṣatam || 12 ||
yo vāṁ yajñebhir āvṛto 'dhivastrā vadhūr iva |
saparyantā śubhe cakrāte aśvinā || 13 ||
yo vām uruvyacastamaṁ ciketati nṛpāyyam |
vartir aśvinā pari yātam asmayū || 14 ||
asmabhyaṁ su vṛṣaṇvasū yātaṁ vartir nṛpāyyam |
viṣudruheva yajñam ūhathur girā || 15 ||
vāhiṣṭho vāṁ havānāṁ stomo dūto huvan narā |
yuvābhyām bhūtv aśvinā || 16 ||
yad ado divo arṇava iṣo vā madatho gṛhe |
śrutam in me amartyā || 17 ||
uta syā śvetayāvarī vāhiṣṭhā vāṁ nadīnām |
sindhur hiraṇyavartaniḥ || 18 ||
smad etayā sukīrtyāśvinā śvetayā dhiyā |
vahethe śubhrayāvānā || 19 ||
yukṣvā hi tvaṁ rathāsahā yuvasva poṣyā vaso |
ān no vāyo madhu pibāsmākaṁ savanā gahi || 20 ||
tava vāyav ṛtaspate tvaṣṭur jāmātar adbhuta |
avāṁsy ā vṛṇīmahe || 21 ||
tvaṣṭur jāmātaraṁ vayam īśānaṁ rāya īmahe |
sutāvanto vāyuṁ dyumnā janāsaḥ || 22 ||
vāyo yāhi śivā divo vahasvā su svaśvyam |
vahasva mahaḥ pṛthupakṣasā rathe || 23 ||
tvāṁ hi supsarastamaṁ nṛṣadaneṣu hūmahe |
grāvāṇaṁ nāśvapṛṣṭham maṁhanā || 24 ||
sa tvaṁ no deva manasā vāyo mandāno agriyaḥ |
kṛdhi vājām̐ apo dhiyaḥ || 25 ||
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).