Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda I.117 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.
O Aśvins merciful, O healers true! We call upon you and we run to you. Ye are the gods who succor those in need, who come at once to hear the crying plead.
A man lay dying in the waters deep, below the waves where darkness ever creep. His enemies had cast him there to die, and all his friends did lift their voices high.
Then lo! the Aśvins heard the mortal cry, and came descending from the starlit sky. They dove beneath the waves so dark and cold, and brought him up with gentleness untold.
They set his feet upon the solid ground, and all his pain and anguish lost its sound. His vision cleared, his strength did come again, and he rejoiced to walk among the men.
O Aśvins swift, ye are the friends of those who suffer much and carry heavy woes. The blind man calls, and ye restore his sight; the deaf man cries, and ye give back his might.
The widow weeping calls upon your name, and ye do dry her tears and end her shame. The orphan child who wanders cold and lone, finds in your care a warm and loving home.
Ye are the gods of mercy and of grace, who wear forever bright and shining face. Ye heal the body, ye do heal the soul, and make the broken spirit ever whole.
We praise you now for all that ye have done, for all the saving deeds since time begun. Accept our offerings of butter, milk, and song, and grant to us thy blessing ever strong.
O Aśvins blessed, ye most kind and true, forever shall our grateful hearts cleave unto you.
Colophon
Rigveda I.117 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.117
madhvaḥ somasyāśvinā madāya pratno hotā vivāsate vām |
barhiṣmatī rātir viśritā gīr iṣā yātaṁ nāsatyopa vājaiḥ || 1 ||
yo vām aśvinā manaso javīyān rathaḥ svaśvo viśa ājigāti |
yena gacchathaḥ sukṛto duroṇaṁ tena narā vartir asmabhyaṁ yātam || 2 ||
ṛṣiṁ narāv aṁhasaḥ pāñcajanyam ṛbīsād atrim muñcatho gaṇena |
minantā dasyor aśivasya māyā anupūrvaṁ vṛṣaṇā codayantā || 3 ||
aśvaṁ na gūḻham aśvinā durevair ṛṣiṁ narā vṛṣaṇā rebham apsu |
saṁ taṁ riṇītho viprutaṁ daṁsobhir na vāṁ jūryanti pūrvyā kṛtāni || 4 ||
suṣupvāṁsaṁ na nirṛter upasthe sūryaṁ na dasrā tamasi kṣiyantam |
śubhe rukmaṁ na darśataṁ nikhātam ud ūpathur aśvinā vandanāya || 5 ||
tad vāṁ narā śaṁsyam pajriyeṇa kakṣīvatā nāsatyā parijman |
śaphād aśvasya vājino janāya śataṁ kumbhām̐ asiñcatam madhūnām || 6 ||
yuvaṁ narā stuvate kṛṣṇiyāya viṣṇāpvaṁ dadathur viśvakāya |
ghoṣāyai cit pitṛṣade duroṇe patiṁ jūryantyā aśvināv adattam || 7 ||
yuvaṁ śyāvāya ruśatīm adattam mahaḥ kṣoṇasyāśvinā kaṇvāya |
pravācyaṁ tad vṛṣaṇā kṛtaṁ vāṁ yan nārṣadāya śravo adhyadhattam || 8 ||
purū varpāṁsy aśvinā dadhānā ni pedava ūhathur āśum aśvam |
sahasrasāṁ vājinam apratītam ahihanaṁ śravasya1ṁ tarutram || 9 ||
etāni vāṁ śravasyā sudānū brahmāṅgūṣaṁ sadanaṁ rodasyoḥ |
yad vām pajrāso aśvinā havante yātam iṣā ca viduṣe ca vājam || 10 ||
sūnor mānenāśvinā gṛṇānā vājaṁ viprāya bhuraṇā radantā |
agastye brahmaṇā vāvṛdhānā saṁ viśpalāṁ nāsatyāriṇītam || 11 ||
kuha yāntā suṣṭutiṁ kāvyasya divo napātā vṛṣaṇā śayutrā |
hiraṇyasyeva kalaśaṁ nikhātam ud ūpathur daśame aśvināhan || 12 ||
yuvaṁ cyavānam aśvinā jarantam punar yuvānaṁ cakrathuḥ śacībhiḥ |
yuvo rathaṁ duhitā sūryasya saha śriyā nāsatyāvṛṇīta || 13 ||
yuvaṁ tugrāya pūrvyebhir evaiḥ punarmanyāv abhavataṁ yuvānā |
yuvam bhujyum arṇaso niḥ samudrād vibhir ūhathur ṛjrebhir aśvaiḥ || 14 ||
ajohavīd aśvinā taugryo vām proḻhaḥ samudram avyathir jaganvān |
niṣ ṭam ūhathuḥ suyujā rathena manojavasā vṛṣaṇā svasti || 15 ||
ajohavīd aśvinā vartikā vām āsno yat sīm amuñcataṁ vṛkasya |
vi jayuṣā yayathuḥ sānv adrer jātaṁ viṣvāco ahataṁ viṣeṇa || 16 ||
śatam meṣān vṛkye māmahānaṁ tamaḥ praṇītam aśivena pitrā |
ākṣī ṛjrāśve aśvināv adhattaṁ jyotir andhāya cakrathur vicakṣe || 17 ||
śunam andhāya bharam ahvayat sā vṛkīr aśvinā vṛṣaṇā nareti |
jāraḥ kanīna iva cakṣadāna ṛjrāśvaḥ śatam ekaṁ ca meṣān || 18 ||
mahī vām ūtir aśvinā mayobhūr uta srāmaṁ dhiṣṇyā saṁ riṇīthaḥ |
athā yuvām id ahvayat puraṁdhir āgacchataṁ sīṁ vṛṣaṇāv avobhiḥ || 19 ||
adhenuṁ dasrā starya1ṁ viṣaktām apinvataṁ śayave aśvinā gām |
yuvaṁ śacībhir vimadāya jāyāṁ ny ūhathuḥ purumitrasya yoṣām || 20 ||
yavaṁ vṛkeṇāśvinā vapanteṣaṁ duhantā manuṣāya dasrā |
abhi dasyum bakureṇā dhamantoru jyotiś cakrathur āryāya || 21 ||
ātharvaṇāyāśvinā dadhīce 'śvyaṁ śiraḥ praty airayatam |
sa vām madhu pra vocad ṛtāyan tvāṣṭraṁ yad dasrāv apikakṣyaṁ vām || 22 ||
sadā kavī sumatim ā cake vāṁ viśvā dhiyo aśvinā prāvatam me |
asme rayiṁ nāsatyā bṛhantam apatyasācaṁ śrutyaṁ rarāthām || 23 ||
hiraṇyahastam aśvinā rarāṇā putraṁ narā vadhrimatyā adattam |
tridhā ha śyāvam aśvinā vikastam uj jīvasa airayataṁ sudānū || 24 ||
etāni vām aśvinā vīryāṇi pra pūrvyāṇy āyavo 'vocan |
brahma kṛṇvanto vṛṣaṇā yuvabhyāṁ suvīrāso vidatham ā vadema || 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).
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