Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda V.76 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 5 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.
Come to us, O Aśvins, at the break of dawn, ye swift ones who ride across the sky in your golden car. At the first light, when the rooster calleth and the world stirs from sleep, be thou our companions. Bring healing in thy hands—balm for the weary, strength for the weak.
We have waited through the dark hours. The night held us in shadow; the stars are dimming now. But thou, O noble pair, art ever watchful, ever moving toward the light. Thy steeds know no weariness; thy wheels turn without ceasing. Come swift as thought itself, swifter than the wind that scattereth the clouds.
To thee, Aśvins, we cry at dawn: bestow upon us vigor unmatched. Heal the wounds we carry—those of the body and those hidden in the heart. Thou hast gathered the scattered limbs of Dadhyañc; thou hast restored sight to the blind. Thy power is without limit.
Let thy chariot arrive before the sun hath fully risen. Let the dew still cling to the grass when ye come to bless us. We offer the soma, sweet and golden, in gratitude for thy merciful attention. Visit us as thou visitest all creatures that invoke thy name.
Aśvins, O Aśvins, twin lords of dawn and healing—be thou our guardians this day and all days. Make us whole. Make us pure. Make us ready for the light.
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 V.76
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.
ā bhāty agnir uṣasām anīkam ud viprāṇāṁ devayā vāco asthuḥ |
arvāñcā nūnaṁ rathyeha yātam pīpivāṁsam aśvinā gharmam accha || 1 ||
na saṁskṛtam pra mimīto gamiṣṭhānti nūnam aśvinopastuteha |
divābhipitve 'vasāgamiṣṭhā praty avartiṁ dāśuṣe śambhaviṣṭhā || 2 ||
utā yātaṁ saṁgave prātar ahno madhyaṁdina uditā sūryasya |
divā naktam avasā śaṁtamena nedānīm pītir aśvinā tatāna || 3 ||
idaṁ hi vām pradivi sthānam oka ime gṛhā aśvinedaṁ duroṇam |
ā no divo bṛhataḥ parvatād ādbhyo yātam iṣam ūrjaṁ vahantā || 4 ||
sam aśvinor avasā nūtanena mayobhuvā supraṇītī gamema |
ā no rayiṁ vahatam ota vīrān ā viśvāny amṛtā saubhagāni || 5 ||
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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