Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda I.106 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) addressed to the Aśvins, the twin divine horsemen, healers of the gods and bringers of dawn. It is one of the 1,028 hymns of the Rigveda organized within Maṇḍala 1, the first of ten books. The ṛṣi (seer) to whom this hymn is attributed and its precise liturgical context are recorded in the traditional Śākalya Anukramaṇī.
The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas and one of the oldest surviving religious texts in the world, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in the Vedic Sanskrit of the Indus-Sarasvatī region. Its hymns were preserved through oral transmission across millennia before being committed to writing. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
Come now, O Viśvedevas, all ye bright, ye assembly of the gods most high and great! We gather here to offer you the best of all the fruits that we possess. Attend to us and hear our fervent call, O mighty ones who govern over all.
Ye Maruts wild, ye wind-gods strong and bold, ye Aśvins bright, who cure the sick and old, ye Ashta-Vasus, guardians of the earth, ye Rudra's bonds and those who know their worth — come now and bless this place and bless these men. Let us not fear to meet our foes again.
O Viśvedevas, ye who know all things, ye gods who ride on swift celestial wings! Protect our cattle, keep our children safe, let no dark evil do them any chafe. Guard thou our homes from fire and from thief; stand sentinel against all mortal grief.
We pour the soma, we have lit the flame, we call upon you all by every name. The sacred herbs are crushed with reverent hands; the altar stands prepared in all these lands. The fire is bright, the butter's smoke doth rise — come now and taste what is before your eyes.
Ye who are counted in the highest heaven, the eight and thirty gods whom we have given thanks throughout the ages long — accept our praise, accept our songs.
Ward off the demons from our sacred ground, let only blessing here be ever found. Grant us the victory when we go to war, the blessing and the protection evermore.
O Viśvedevas, mighty hosts combined, ye guardians of all that mortalkind hold dear — we trust in you through every passing year. Accept our offering and our fervent prayer, and grant us always thy most constant care.
Colophon
Rigveda I.106 is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, the version that has been transmitted and is considered canonical in the mainstream tradition. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE; this hymn addresses the Aśvins, the twin divine horsemen, healers of the gods and bringers of dawn. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation session to be documented during Kshatriya Blood Rule audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda I.106
indram mitraṁ varuṇam agnim ūtaye mārutaṁ śardho aditiṁ havāmahe |
rathaṁ na durgād vasavaḥ sudānavo viśvasmān no aṁhaso niṣ pipartana || 1 ||
ta ādityā ā gatā sarvatātaye bhūta devā vṛtratūryeṣu śambhuvaḥ |
rathaṁ na durgād vasavaḥ sudānavo viśvasmān no aṁhaso niṣ pipartana || 2 ||
avantu naḥ pitaraḥ supravācanā uta devī devaputre ṛtāvṛdhā |
rathaṁ na durgād vasavaḥ sudānavo viśvasmān no aṁhaso niṣ pipartana || 3 ||
narāśaṁsaṁ vājinaṁ vājayann iha kṣayadvīram pūṣaṇaṁ sumnair īmahe |
rathaṁ na durgād vasavaḥ sudānavo viśvasmān no aṁhaso niṣ pipartana || 4 ||
bṛhaspate sadam in naḥ sugaṁ kṛdhi śaṁ yor yat te manurhitaṁ tad īmahe |
rathaṁ na durgād vasavaḥ sudānavo viśvasmān no aṁhaso niṣ pipartana || 5 ||
indraṁ kutso vṛtrahaṇaṁ śacīpatiṁ kāṭe nibāḻha ṛṣir ahvad ūtaye |
rathaṁ na durgād vasavaḥ sudānavo viśvasmān no aṁhaso niṣ pipartana || 6 ||
devair no devy aditir ni pātu devas trātā trāyatām aprayucchan |
tan no mitro varuṇo māmahantām aditiḥ sindhuḥ pṛthivī uta dyauḥ || 7 ||
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).
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