Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda I.22 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.
Aśvins, golden-handed, swift as thought, ye chariot-lords of heaven's dawn,
Come forth to us with healing gifts and blessings manifold upon your way.
Your chariot flies from far beyond the sun; ye touch not mortal ruin here.
The sick are made whole by your sacred hand; the blind behold the light once more.
Ye gift the aged with their youth renewed; the barren woman bears the son.
O twin physicians of the sky, accept our praise and sacrifice this day.
Now do we call upon Savitṛ, the sun-god golden-handed, strong.
He bindeth fast the heaven and earth; he drinketh from the sacred cup.
All creatures wake when Savitṛ ariseth; all rest when he descendeth down.
His rays fall thick upon the land like butter poured in the sacrifice.
And Viṣṇu, mightiest of all the gods—who took his three great strides across the world!
He strode across in three great strides the breadth of all the earth and sky.
In his first stride he stepped upon this earth; his second stride embraced the air.
The third stride—lo, that hidden realm where mortals cannot ever tread.
Yet Viṣṇu grants the waters flow; he giveth food to all who call.
In three strides Viṣṇu measured out the cosmos, from the depths below unto the highest peak.
As he stepped forward on the earth, the rivers rushed to follow in his wake.
The wind itself bent down to greet him; light eternal flows from his divine footfall.
We honor all of you this day—ye Aśvins, Savitṛ most wise, and Viṣṇu great.
Grant us long life, prosperity, and sons to carry on our noble line.
Protect our cattle from the wolf; preserve our homes from calamity.
Accept our praise, ye gods of light, and dwell forever in our hearts.
Colophon
Rigveda I.22 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.22
prātaryujā vi bodhayāśvināv eha gacchatām |
asya somasya pītaye || 1 ||
yā surathā rathītamobhā devā divispṛśā |
aśvinā tā havāmahe || 2 ||
yā vāṁ kaśā madhumaty aśvinā sūnṛtāvatī |
tayā yajñam mimikṣatam || 3 ||
nahi vām asti dūrake yatrā rathena gacchathaḥ |
aśvinā somino gṛham || 4 ||
hiraṇyapāṇim ūtaye savitāram upa hvaye |
sa cettā devatā padam || 5 ||
apāṁ napātam avase savitāram upa stuhi |
tasya vratāny uśmasi || 6 ||
vibhaktāraṁ havāmahe vasoś citrasya rādhasaḥ |
savitāraṁ nṛcakṣasam || 7 ||
sakhāya ā ni ṣīdata savitā stomyo nu naḥ |
dātā rādhāṁsi śumbhati || 8 ||
agne patnīr ihā vaha devānām uśatīr upa |
tvaṣṭāraṁ somapītaye || 9 ||
ā gnā agna ihāvase hotrāṁ yaviṣṭha bhāratīm |
varūtrīṁ dhiṣaṇāṁ vaha || 10 ||
abhi no devīr avasā mahaḥ śarmaṇā nṛpatnīḥ |
acchinnapatrāḥ sacantām || 11 ||
ihendrāṇīm upa hvaye varuṇānīṁ svastaye |
agnāyīṁ somapītaye || 12 ||
mahī dyauḥ pṛthivī ca na imaṁ yajñam mimikṣatām |
pipṛtāṁ no bharīmabhiḥ || 13 ||
tayor id ghṛtavat payo viprā rihanti dhītibhiḥ |
gandharvasya dhruve pade || 14 ||
syonā pṛthivi bhavānṛkṣarā niveśanī |
yacchā naḥ śarma saprathaḥ || 15 ||
ato devā avantu no yato viṣṇur vicakrame |
pṛthivyāḥ sapta dhāmabhiḥ || 16 ||
idaṁ viṣṇur vi cakrame tredhā ni dadhe padam |
samūḻham asya pāṁsure || 17 ||
trīṇi padā vi cakrame viṣṇur gopā adābhyaḥ |
ato dharmāṇi dhārayan || 18 ||
viṣṇoḥ karmāṇi paśyata yato vratāni paspaśe |
indrasya yujyaḥ sakhā || 19 ||
tad viṣṇoḥ paramam padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ |
divīva cakṣur ātatam || 20 ||
tad viprāso vipanyavo jāgṛvāṁsaḥ sam indhate |
viṣṇor yat paramam padam || 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).
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