Hymn to the Aśvins
Rigveda VII.73 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 are the friends of all who are suffering! Ye have healed the cripple and made him whole! Ye have restored sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf!
Ye are givers of gifts beyond measure! Ye are doers of deeds beyond counting! Ye are known for your compassion and your kindness!
We celebrate you, O divine ones! We sing of your glory! We tell of your mighty deeds!
In ages long past, ye came to the aid of mortals who were in desperate need. Ye have never ceased in your work of healing and helping. Ye remain our constant companions on the journey of life!
Come to us now, O Aśvins! Help us in our time of need! Heal what is sick within us! Make whole what is broken! Bring light into our darkness!
We trust in you; we believe in you; we call upon you with all the faith of our hearts! Grant us your blessings; grant us your protection; grant us your help!
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.73
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.
atāriṣma tamasas pāram asya prati stomaṁ devayanto dadhānāḥ |
purudaṁsā purutamā purājāmartyā havate aśvinā gīḥ || 1 ||
ny u priyo manuṣaḥ sādi hotā nāsatyā yo yajate vandate ca |
aśnītam madhvo aśvinā upāka ā vāṁ voce vidatheṣu prayasvān || 2 ||
ahema yajñam pathām urāṇā imāṁ suvṛktiṁ vṛṣaṇā juṣethām |
śruṣṭīveva preṣito vām abodhi prati stomair jaramāṇo vasiṣṭhaḥ || 3 ||
upa tyā vahnī gamato viśaṁ no rakṣohaṇā sambhṛtā vīḻupāṇī |
sam andhāṁsy agmata matsarāṇi mā no mardhiṣṭam ā gataṁ śivena || 4 ||
ā paścātān nāsatyā purastād āśvinā yātam adharād udaktāt |
ā viśvataḥ pāñcajanyena rāyā yūyam pāta svastibhiḥ sadā naḥ || 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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