Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda VII.70 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 divine twins! Born together at the beginning of time! Forever moving together through the heavens!
Ye are never apart; ye are never alone. Ye are the perfect image of friendship and companionship. All who see you know that there is such a thing as perfect union between two beings!
Ye ride forth each day and each night, unchanged and unchanging. Ye are eternal; ye are constant; ye are reliable.
Come to us, O beloved ones! Bring the blessing of your presence! Bring the healing of your touch! Bring the joy of your company!
Ye are swift as eagles; ye are clever as foxes. Ye know all the secrets of the universe. Ye can go anywhere, do anything, accomplish everything!
We call upon you with voices full of hope and longing! Come to us now, O Aśvins! Do not delay! Bring us the gifts that we ask!
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.70
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 viśvavārāśvinā gataṁ naḥ pra tat sthānam avāci vām pṛthivyām |
aśvo na vājī śunapṛṣṭho asthād ā yat sedathur dhruvase na yonim || 1 ||
siṣakti sā vāṁ sumatiś caniṣṭhātāpi gharmo manuṣo duroṇe |
yo vāṁ samudrān saritaḥ piparty etagvā cin na suyujā yujānaḥ || 2 ||
yāni sthānāny aśvinā dadhāthe divo yahvīṣv oṣadhīṣu vikṣu |
ni parvatasya mūrdhani sadanteṣaṁ janāya dāśuṣe vahantā || 3 ||
caniṣṭaṁ devā oṣadhīṣv apsu yad yogyā aśnavaithe ṛṣīṇām |
purūṇi ratnā dadhatau ny a1sme anu pūrvāṇi cakhyathur yugāni || 4 ||
śuśruvāṁsā cid aśvinā purūṇy abhi brahmāṇi cakṣāthe ṛṣīṇām |
prati pra yātaṁ varam ā janāyāsme vām astu sumatiś caniṣṭhā || 5 ||
yo vāṁ yajño nāsatyā haviṣmān kṛtabrahmā samaryo3 bhavāti |
upa pra yātaṁ varam ā vasiṣṭham imā brahmāṇy ṛcyante yuvabhyām || 6 ||
iyam manīṣā iyam aśvinā gīr imāṁ suvṛktiṁ vṛṣaṇā juṣethām |
imā brahmāṇi yuvayūny agman yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 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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