Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda IV.44 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 4 of the Rigveda, one of the 1,028 hymns organized within the ten books of the oldest Veda. The Rigveda was composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE in Vedic Sanskrit and preserved through oral transmission across millennia.
This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church from the Sanskrit of the Śākala recension.
Sing now of the Aśvins' miraculous rescues and healings, for they are countless and beyond the understanding of those who have not witnessed them! In the days of old, they came to the aid of Bhujyu, who had been cast into the sea and was being borne down into the depths. The Aśvins reached down into those terrible waters and drew him up, safe and unharmed, setting him upon the shore as if he had merely been sleeping.
They came to Atri when he was trapped within a great fire and the flames consumed all around him. The Aśvins descended through the flames and carried him safely out, his body unmarked, his life restored. They came to Ghṛtācī when age had withered her and made her unrecognizable, and they renewed her, returning the bloom to her cheeks and the light to her eyes.
Consider Śyāva, whom the Aśvins healed when his limbs were paralyzed and he could not move. They spoke the sacred words, touched his body with healing hands, and he arose and walked as though his affliction had never been. Consider Kapota, whom they restored to youth and strength when the years had bent his back and clouded his mind.
The Aśvins came to Cakṣus when he had been blinded by misfortune, and they gave him back his sight. He beheld once more the beauty of the sky, the faces of his loved ones, the work of his hands. To Vaśā they restored the voice that had been lost through sorrow. To Vayā they gave back the power of his limbs when disease had rendered him helpless.
These are but a few of their deeds, for they are far too numerous to recount. In every age, in every land, the Aśvins come to those who invoke them with sincere hearts. They do not judge whether the sufferer is rich or poor, great or humble. They ask only that the cry be genuine, that the need be true. Then do they come swiftly, and healing followeth in their wake.
Colophon
This hymn is drawn from the Śākala recension of the Rigveda, composed approximately 1700–1100 BCE. This is a Good Works Translation produced by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, translated independently from the Sanskrit. Reference translations consulted during original translation are to be documented during audit.
Compiled and formatted for the Good Work Library by the New Tianmu Anglican Church, 2026.
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Source Text: ṛgveda IV.44
Sanskrit source text from the Aufrecht edition (1877) via GRETIL (Van Nooten & Holland input). Presented here for reference, study, and verification alongside the English translation above.
taṁ vāṁ rathaṁ vayam adyā huvema pṛthujrayam aśvinā saṁgatiṁ goḥ |
yaḥ sūryāṁ vahati vandhurāyur girvāhasam purutamaṁ vasūyum || 1 ||
yuvaṁ śriyam aśvinā devatā tāṁ divo napātā vanathaḥ śacībhiḥ |
yuvor vapur abhi pṛkṣaḥ sacante vahanti yat kakuhāso rathe vām || 2 ||
ko vām adyā karate rātahavya ūtaye vā sutapeyāya vārkaiḥ |
ṛtasya vā vanuṣe pūrvyāya namo yemāno aśvinā vavartat || 3 ||
hiraṇyayena purubhū rathenemaṁ yajñaṁ nāsatyopa yātam |
pibātha in madhunaḥ somyasya dadhatho ratnaṁ vidhate janāya || 4 ||
ā no yātaṁ divo acchā pṛthivyā hiraṇyayena suvṛtā rathena |
mā vām anye ni yaman devayantaḥ saṁ yad dade nābhiḥ pūrvyā vām || 5 ||
nū no rayim puruvīram bṛhantaṁ dasrā mimāthām ubhayeṣv asme |
naro yad vām aśvinā stomam āvan sadhastutim ājamīḻhāso agman || 6 ||
iheha yad vāṁ samanā papṛkṣe seyam asme sumatir vājaratnā |
uruṣyataṁ jaritāraṁ yuvaṁ ha śritaḥ kāmo nāsatyā yuvadrik || 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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