Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda I.157 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! Twin healers! Ye who ride in thy golden chariot across the dawn sky! Ye who have rescued so many who were lost or suffering! We call upon you with grateful hearts!
Ye are the physicians of the gods themselves! When the immortals are wounded or afflicted, they call upon thee for healing. Ye who have knowledge of all herbs, all potions, all the secrets of restoration and renewal!
O ye of the swift horses! Ye come at the break of day to those who cry out for aid. A man lost in the wilderness in the dark night—thou hearest his call and guidest him to safety. A woman barren and sorrowful—thou comest and blesseth her with children. A warrior wounded in battle—thou stayeth the flow of blood and healest his wounds.
The poets sing of thy rescues! How many times have ye descended from the heavens to aid those in desperate need? Ye have pulled men from the depths of the ocean. Ye have healed those whom other physicians despaired of saving. Ye have brought back to life those who seemed already departed.
O dawn-riders! Ye are the true friends of mankind! Indra and Varuṇa are mighty and terrible, but you are merciful and gentle. Ye do not punish the sinner nor test the righteous—ye simply heal, ye simply aid, ye simply rescue those who are in need.
When pain racketh the body, we call upon thee. When sickness striketh the household, we remember thy healing power. When despair descendeth upon the spirit, we know that ye are near, ready to help.
O Aśvins! Ride swiftly to us! Bring with you the gifts of healing! Let thy chariots arrive at our dwelling just as dawn breaketh! Restore the strength of the weak! Cure the diseases of the afflicted! Bring hope to those who despair!
We offer thee our gratitude and our praise! Ye are truly the saviours of mankind!
Colophon
Rigveda I.157 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.157
abodhy agnir jma ud eti sūryo vy u1ṣāś candrā mahy āvo arciṣā |
āyukṣātām aśvinā yātave ratham prāsāvīd devaḥ savitā jagat pṛthak || 1 ||
yad yuñjāthe vṛṣaṇam aśvinā rathaṁ ghṛtena no madhunā kṣatram ukṣatam |
asmākam brahma pṛtanāsu jinvataṁ vayaṁ dhanā śūrasātā bhajemahi || 2 ||
arvāṅ tricakro madhuvāhano ratho jīrāśvo aśvinor yātu suṣṭutaḥ |
trivandhuro maghavā viśvasaubhagaḥ śaṁ na ā vakṣad dvipade catuṣpade || 3 ||
ā na ūrjaṁ vahatam aśvinā yuvam madhumatyā naḥ kaśayā mimikṣatam |
prāyus tāriṣṭaṁ nī rapāṁsi mṛkṣataṁ sedhataṁ dveṣo bhavataṁ sacābhuvā || 4 ||
yuvaṁ ha garbhaṁ jagatīṣu dhattho yuvaṁ viśveṣu bhuvaneṣv antaḥ |
yuvam agniṁ ca vṛṣaṇāv apaś ca vanaspatīm̐r aśvināv airayethām || 5 ||
yuvaṁ ha stho bhiṣajā bheṣajebhir atho ha stho rathyā3 rāthyebhiḥ |
atho ha kṣatram adhi dhattha ugrā yo vāṁ haviṣmān manasā dadāśa || 6 ||
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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