Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda VII.69 is a sūkta (hymn of praise) from Maṇḍala 7 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.
O Aśvins, ye swift riders of the dawn! Your golden chariot raceth across the heavens, and nothing can keep pace with you!
Ye bring the light of dawn to the world. Ye drive away the darkness. Ye awaken the sleeping creatures. Ye herald the coming of the sun!
Ye are young and beautiful; ye are strong and mighty. Ye are the friends of all who are righteous and good.
Come to the aid of the poor man who is oppressed by the rich! Come to the help of the weak one who is bullied by the strong! Come to the rescue of the innocent one who is persecuted by the wicked!
Ye have the power to overturn all things! Ye have the strength to defeat all enemies! Ye have the wisdom to judge all disputes justly!
Accept our prayer, O Aśvins! Grant us your protection! Guide us along the righteous path! Lead us to prosperity and peace!
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 VII.69
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 vāṁ ratho rodasī badbadhāno hiraṇyayo vṛṣabhir yātv aśvaiḥ |
ghṛtavartaniḥ pavibhī rucāna iṣāṁ voḻhā nṛpatir vājinīvān || 1 ||
sa paprathāno abhi pañca bhūmā trivandhuro manasā yātu yuktaḥ |
viśo yena gacchatho devayantīḥ kutrā cid yāmam aśvinā dadhānā || 2 ||
svaśvā yaśasā yātam arvāg dasrā nidhim madhumantam pibāthaḥ |
vi vāṁ ratho vadhvā3 yādamāno 'ntān divo bādhate vartanibhyām || 3 ||
yuvoḥ śriyam pari yoṣāvṛṇīta sūro duhitā paritakmyāyām |
yad devayantam avathaḥ śacībhiḥ pari ghraṁsam omanā vāṁ vayo gāt || 4 ||
yo ha sya vāṁ rathirā vasta usrā ratho yujānaḥ pariyāti vartiḥ |
tena naḥ śaṁ yor uṣaso vyuṣṭau ny aśvinā vahataṁ yajñe asmin || 5 ||
narā gaureva vidyutaṁ tṛṣāṇāsmākam adya savanopa yātam |
purutrā hi vām matibhir havante mā vām anye ni yaman devayantaḥ || 6 ||
yuvam bhujyum avaviddhaṁ samudra ud ūhathur arṇaso asridhānaiḥ |
patatribhir aśramair avyathibhir daṁsanābhir aśvinā pārayantā || 7 ||
nū me havam ā śṛṇutaṁ yuvānā yāsiṣṭaṁ vartir aśvināv irāvat |
dhattaṁ ratnāni jarataṁ ca sūrīn yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 8 ||
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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