Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda I.158 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! Ye of the swift-moving chariot! How many have ye rescued from the depths of calamity? How many tales do the poets sing of thy intervention?
There was one cast into the sea by cruel kinsmen, drowning in the salt waters, certain of death. Thou heardest his cries and didst rescue him, bearing him up from the abyss and returning him to his kindred.
There was one imprisoned in a well, abandoned and hopeless, with naught but darkness and cold stone surrounding him. Thou didst descend into that pit and raise him up to the light.
There was one pursued by foes with no refuge remaining, the hunter closing in for the kill. Thou didst provide swift passage and swift horses, so that the fugitive escaped to safety.
There was one whom age had bent and weakened, whose body was failing and whose strength was nearly gone. Thou didst renew him, making him young again in strength and vigor, so that he might again take joy in living.
There was one whose wife had been taken captive by demons. Thou didst ride into the demon's realm and rescue her, returning her safe to her beloved's arms.
These are but a few of the many rescues thou hast performed! Ye are the rescuers, the saviours, the ones who never abandon those who cry out in desperation!
O swift ones! Ye who cannot be delayed, whom no distance can discourage! When our hour of greatest need cometh, will ye hear our voice? Will ye come to us in our desperation?
We know not the day of our trial, but we know that thou art vigilant. We know not when we shall require thy aid, but we know that thou art ready. We trust in thee, O Aśvins! Be thou our hope in the hour of darkness!
Colophon
Rigveda I.158 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.158
vasū rudrā purumantū vṛdhantā daśasyataṁ no vṛṣaṇāv abhiṣṭau |
dasrā ha yad rekṇa aucathyo vām pra yat sasrāthe akavābhir ūtī || 1 ||
ko vāṁ dāśat sumataye cid asyai vasū yad dhethe namasā pade goḥ |
jigṛtam asme revatīḥ puraṁdhīḥ kāmapreṇeva manasā carantā || 2 ||
yukto ha yad vāṁ taugryāya perur vi madhye arṇaso dhāyi pajraḥ |
upa vām avaḥ śaraṇaṁ gameyaṁ śūro nājma patayadbhir evaiḥ || 3 ||
upastutir aucathyam uruṣyen mā mām ime patatriṇī vi dugdhām |
mā mām edho daśatayaś cito dhāk pra yad vām baddhas tmani khādati kṣām || 4 ||
na mā garan nadyo mātṛtamā dāsā yad īṁ susamubdham avādhuḥ |
śiro yad asya traitano vitakṣat svayaṁ dāsa uro aṁsāv api gdha || 5 ||
dīrghatamā māmateyo jujurvān daśame yuge |
apām arthaṁ yatīnām brahmā bhavati sārathiḥ || 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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