Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda VIII.9 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. Now indeed, O Aśvins, come you two for the protection of the child; grant him a wide shelter free of wolves; keep away whatever hostile forces there are.
2. Whatever strength exists in the mid-air, in heaven, or among the five tribes of men — that strength, O Aśvins, bestow.
3. The wondrous deeds of you two, O Aśvins, which the inspired poets have pondered and told — take notice, even so, of Kaṇva.
4. This gharma-offering, O Aśvins, is poured around for you with praise; this soma is sweet, O you rich in strength, by which you two perceive the enemy.
5. Whatever has been wrought, O doers of many wonders, in the waters, in the forest tree, in the plants — with that, help me, O Aśvins.
6. Whatever, O Nāsatyas, you hasten to do, or whatever healing you perform, O gods — this child of yours is not to be reached by mere words alone; for you two go to the one who holds the oblation.
7. Now indeed the seer has perceived the praise-hymn of the two Aśvins with a pleasing song; let him pour the sweetest soma, the gharma-offering, for Atharvan.
8. Now indeed mount your swift-coursing chariot, O Aśvins; may these praise-songs of mine stir you, as the wind stirs the cloud.
9. If today we might stir you two, O Nāsatyas, with recited hymns, or with songs, O Aśvins — take notice, even so, of Kaṇva.
10. That for which Kakṣīvant, and the seer Vyaśva, and Dīrghatamas called upon you two, that for which Pṛthi son of Vena called upon you at the seats of sacrifice — from that, O Aśvins, take heed.
11. Come as protectors of our shelter, and be our protectors from afar; be protectors of what moves, and protectors of our own bodies; come on your circling course for the sake of our offspring and their offspring.
12. Whether you two ride in the same chariot as Indra, O Aśvins, or share a dwelling with Vāyu, or are of one accord with the Ādityas and the Ṛbhus, or stand at Viṣṇu's strides —
13. If today I should call upon the Aśvins for the winning of strength, or for overcoming foes with might in battle — that is the best help the two Aśvins give.
14. Now indeed come, O Aśvins; these oblations are set out for you; these soma-drinks are among the Turvaśa and the Yadu; these here among the Kaṇvas are also yours.
15. Whatever remedy there is, O Nāsatyas, far off or near — with that, O wise ones, grant shelter now to Vimada, and to the child.
16. I have awakened together with the divine speech of the two Aśvins; the goddess has revealed her thought, her gift, to mortals.
17. Awaken the Aśvins, O Dawn; awaken them, O great and bountiful goddess; awaken them in due order, O invoking priest of the sacrifice, for our exhilaration, and awaken far-reaching fame.
18. When you go forth, O Dawn, with your light, and shine together with the sun — then indeed this chariot of the Aśvins comes on its circling course, bringing protection for men.
19. When the soma-stalks, once soaked, yield their juice like cows with their udders, or when the songs of those devoted to the gods resound forth for the Aśvins —
20. Forth for splendor, forth for power, forth for the shelter that overcomes men, forth for skill, O wise ones.
21. That now, O Aśvins, by our devotions you two take your seat in the father's dwelling, or come, worthy of praise, with your favors.
Translator's note: This hymn is elliptical in the Vedic manner — several verses (12, 19–21 especially) are lists of clauses without a stated main verb, and the intended sense must be supplied from context, as in the standard editions. "Gharma" (vv. 4, 7) is the technical name for the heated milk-offering of the Pravargya rite and has been left untranslated. "Vatsa" (vv. 1, 6, 15) may be either the common noun "child/calf" or a personal name belonging to the Kaṇva family of poets named later in the hymn (v. 3, 9); both readings are attested, and the ambiguity is preserved here rather than resolved by guesswork.
Colophon
Rigveda VIII.9 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.9
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.
ā nūnam aśvinā yuvaṁ vatsasya gantam avase |
prāsmai yacchatam avṛkam pṛthu cchardir yuyutaṁ yā arātayaḥ || 1 ||
yad antarikṣe yad divi yat pañca mānuṣām̐ anu |
nṛmṇaṁ tad dhattam aśvinā || 2 ||
ye vāṁ daṁsāṁsy aśvinā viprāsaḥ parimāmṛśuḥ |
evet kāṇvasya bodhatam || 3 ||
ayaṁ vāṁ gharmo aśvinā stomena pari ṣicyate |
ayaṁ somo madhumān vājinīvasū yena vṛtraṁ ciketathaḥ || 4 ||
yad apsu yad vanaspatau yad oṣadhīṣu purudaṁsasā kṛtam |
tena māviṣṭam aśvinā || 5 ||
yan nāsatyā bhuraṇyatho yad vā deva bhiṣajyathaḥ |
ayaṁ vāṁ vatso matibhir na vindhate haviṣmantaṁ hi gacchathaḥ || 6 ||
ā nūnam aśvinor ṛṣiḥ stomaṁ ciketa vāmayā |
ā somam madhumattamaṁ gharmaṁ siñcād atharvaṇi || 7 ||
ā nūnaṁ raghuvartaniṁ rathaṁ tiṣṭhātho aśvinā |
ā vāṁ stomā ime mama nabho na cucyavīrata || 8 ||
yad adya vāṁ nāsatyokthair ācucyuvīmahi |
yad vā vāṇībhir aśvinevet kāṇvasya bodhatam || 9 ||
yad vāṁ kakṣīvām̐ uta yad vyaśva ṛṣir yad vāṁ dīrghatamā juhāva |
pṛthī yad vāṁ vainyaḥ sādaneṣv eved ato aśvinā cetayethām || 10 ||
yātaṁ chardiṣpā uta naḥ paraspā bhūtaṁ jagatpā uta nas tanūpā |
vartis tokāya tanayāya yātam || 11 ||
yad indreṇa sarathaṁ yātho aśvinā yad vā vāyunā bhavathaḥ samokasā |
yad ādityebhir ṛbhubhiḥ sajoṣasā yad vā viṣṇor vikramaṇeṣu tiṣṭhathaḥ || 12 ||
yad adyāśvināv ahaṁ huveya vājasātaye |
yat pṛtsu turvaṇe sahas tac chreṣṭham aśvinor avaḥ || 13 ||
ā nūnaṁ yātam aśvinemā havyāni vāṁ hitā |
ime somāso adhi turvaśe yadāv ime kaṇveṣu vām atha || 14 ||
yan nāsatyā parāke arvāke asti bheṣajam |
tena nūnaṁ vimadāya pracetasā chardir vatsāya yacchatam || 15 ||
abhutsy u pra devyā sākaṁ vācāham aśvinoḥ |
vy āvar devy ā matiṁ vi rātim martyebhyaḥ || 16 ||
pra bodhayoṣo aśvinā pra devi sūnṛte mahi |
pra yajñahotar ānuṣak pra madāya śravo bṛhat || 17 ||
yad uṣo yāsi bhānunā saṁ sūryeṇa rocase |
ā hāyam aśvino ratho vartir yāti nṛpāyyam || 18 ||
yad āpītāso aṁśavo gāvo na duhra ūdhabhiḥ |
yad vā vāṇīr anūṣata pra devayanto aśvinā || 19 ||
pra dyumnāya pra śavase pra nṛṣāhyāya śarmaṇe |
pra dakṣāya pracetasā || 20 ||
yan nūnaṁ dhībhir aśvinā pitur yonā niṣīdathaḥ |
yad vā sumnebhir ukthyā || 21 ||
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).