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Ashvins

January 20, 2023

The Ashvins (Sanskrit: अश्विन्, romanized: Aśvin, lit. 'horse possessors'), also known as the Ashvini Kumaras and Asvinau,[3] are Hindu twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn, and the sciences.[4] In the Rigveda, they are described as youthful divine twin horsemen, travelling in a chariot drawn by horses that are never weary, and portrayed as guardian deities that safeguard and rescue people by aiding them in various situations.[2][5]

Ashvins
Gods of Health and Medicine
Other namesAshvini Kumaras, Ashvinau, Nasatya, Dasra
AffiliationDevas
TextsRigveda, Mahabharata, Puranas
Personal information
Parents
SiblingsRevanta, Yami, Yama, Shraddhadeva Manu, Shani, Karna, Tapati and Savarni Manu
ConsortSūryā[1][2]
ChildrenNakula (spiritual son)
Sahadeva (spiritual son)
Equivalents
Greek equivalentDioskuri
Baltic equivalentAšvieniai, Dieva Dēli

There are varying accounts, but Ashvins are generally mentioned as the sons of the sun god Surya and his wife Sanjna. In the epic Mahabharata, the Pandava twins Nakula and Sahadeva were the children of the Ashvins.

Etymology and epithets

The Sanskrit name Aśvín (अश्विन्) derives from the Indo-Iranian stem *Haćwa- (cf. Avestan aspā), itself from the Indo-European word for the horse, *H1éḱwos, from which also descends the Lithuanian name Ašvieniai.[6]

In the Rigveda, the Ashvins are always referred to in the dual, without individual names,[5] although Vedic texts differentiate between the two Ashvins: "one of you is respected as the victorious lord of Sumakha, and the other as the fortunate son of heaven" (RV 1.181.4). They are called several times divó nápātā, that is 'grandsons of Dyaús (the sky-god)'. This formula is comparable with the Lithuanian Dievo sūneliai, 'sons of Dievas (the sky-god'), attached to the Ašvieniai; the Latvian Dieva Dēli, the 'sons of Dievs (the sky-god)'; and the Greek Diós-kouroi, the 'boys of Zeus', designating Castor and Pollux.[7][8]

The twin gods are also referred to as Nā́satyā (possibly 'saviours'; a derivative of nasatí, 'safe return home'), a name that appears 99 times in the Rigveda.[8] The epithet probably derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *nes- ('to return home [safely]'), with cognates in the Avestan Nā̊ŋhaiθya, the name of a demon – as a result of a Zoroastrian religious reformation that changed the status of prior deities –, and also in the Greek hero Nestor and in the Gothic verb nasjan ('save, heal').[9][10]

In the later Mahabharata, the Ashvins are often called the Nasatyas or Dasras. Sometimes one of them is referred to as Nasatya and one as Dasra.[11]

Origin and equivalents

The Ashvins are an instance of the Indo-European divine horse twins.[12][13][5] Reflexes in other Indo-European religions include the Lithuanian Ašvieniai, the Latvian Dieva Dēli, the Greek Castor and Pollux; and possibly the English Hengist and Horsa, and the Welsh Bran and Manawydan.[12][7] The first mention of the Nasatya twins is from a Mitanni treaty (c.1350 BCE), between Suppiluliuma and Shattiwaza, respectively kings of the Hittites and the Mitanni.[14]

Literature and legends

 
Birth of Ashwinikumar, a folio from the text Harivansha

Vedic texts

The Ashvins are mentioned 398 times in the Rigveda,[3] with more than 50 hymns specifically dedicated to them: 1.3, 1.22, 1.34, 1.46–47, 1.112, 1.116–120, 1.157–158, 1.180–184, 2.20, 3.58, 4.43–45, 5.73–78, 6.62–63, 7.67–74, 8.5, 8.8–10, 8.22, 8.26, 8.35, 8.57, 8.73, 8.85–87, 10.24, 10.39–41, 10.143.[5]

Your chariot, o Aśvins, swifter than mind, drawn by good horses, comes to the clans.
By which (chariot) you go to the home of the good ritual performer, by that, o men, travel your course to us.
You free Atri, the seer of the five peoples, from narrow straits, from the earth cleft along with his band, o men—confounding the wiles of the merciless Dasyu, driving them out, one after another, o bulls.

O Aśvins—you men, you bulls—by the wondrous powers you draw back together the seer Rebha, who bobbed away in the waters, like a horse hidden by those of evil ways. Your ancient deeds do not grow old.

— 1.117.2–4, in The Rigveda, translated by Stephanie W. Jamison (2014)[15]

According to the text, the Ashvins were born after the sun god Vivasvat and his wife Saranyu (Sanjna) engaged in love making in the form of a stallion and a mare respectively.[16] The Ashvins are also called "divó nápātā", which is variously translated as either "sons" or "grandsons" of Dyaush.[7][8][17][18] At one mention, the Indus (Sindhu) River is stated to be their mother.[19] Ashvins were the close companions of the Vedic mother goddess Ushas (dawn) and sometimes they are even mentioned as her sons.[20] The marriage of the Ashvin brothers is narrated in the Sukta 117 of Rigveda. According to the legend, the sun god, Surya-Savitra, had a daughter named Sūryā (with a long ā) and arranged a horse-race to choose her bridegroom. The Ashvins won the race and thus, both of them married Suryā.[21][2][a] Pushan is also stated to have chosen the Ashvins to be his fathers.[17][22]

The Ashvins are depicted as the helpers of mortals in various suktas of Rigveda. The sukta 112 describes that when the sage Dirghashravas prayed to Ashvins for rain, the twins poured sweet water from the sky. According to sukta 16, they also helped the sage Gotama, who was lost in a desert and begged for water. It is described that the gods dug a water well and helped the sage.[21] According to another account, Rebha was bound, stabbed, and cast into the waters for nine days and ten nights before being saved by the twins. He was explicitly described as "dead" when the twins "raised (him) up" to save him (RV 10.39.9). Similarly, Bhujyu was saved after his father or evil companions abandoned him at sea when the twins brought him home from the dead ancestors (RV, 1.119.4).[9]

The Ashvins also raised Vandana, rescued Atri from a fissure in the earth and its heat, found Vishnapu and returned him to his father, restored the youth of Kali, brought Kamadyū as a wife for Vimada, gave a son to Vadhrimatī (whose husband was a steer), restored the eyesight of Rijrashva, replaced the foot of Vishpala with a metal one, made the cow Śayu give milk, gave a horse to Pedu, and put a horse's head on Dadhyañc.[2] According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, Ashvins once tried to seduce Sukanya, the daughter of king Saryati and wife of an old sage named Chyavana. However, she refused and claimed that the twins were imperfect and told them to restore the youth of Chyavana. Desperate to know the reason for her words, they fulfilled her condition and the sage finally revealed that Ashvins were excluded from a yajna (fire sacrifice) performed by the gods, and thus, they were incomplete. Ashvins went to the sacrifice but the gods don't accept, claiming that the Ashvins were spending too much time with the mortals. After many attempts of explanation, they were finally accepted.[23] The Ashvins are sometimes presented as fierce deities. In the sukta 117, they even destroyed an asura Vishvaka as well as his dynasty.[21]

Post-Vedic text

 
Sukanya praying to the Ashvini Kumaras to reveal her husband's identity

In the post-Vedic texts of Hinduism, the Ashvins remain significant, and in these texts, one of them is referred as Nasatya and the another one is known as Darsa. Many of their legends are rewritten in various texts like the epic Mahabharata, Harivamsha, and the Puranas.

According to these texts, Sanjna, daughter of Vishvakarma, was married to Surya, but she was unable to bear his heat and decided to abandon him. She ran away and roamed in the forest of northern Kuru kingdom in the form of a mare. The Vishnu Purana adds that she performed austerities in the forest to gain control over Surya's heat. After Surya discovered Sanjna's disappearance, he located her and made love with her in a form of stallion. Sanjna gave birth to the twins.[24] Rarely, in some Puranas, Ashvins are mentioned as the sons (creation) of the god Brahma.[25]

These texts also elaborate the story of Chyavana, which was first narrated in Brahmanas.[26] In this version, Sukanya—the beautiful daughter of the king Saryati— accidentally blinded the old Chyavana, who was performing austerities. She married him to save her kingdom from his wrath and served him dutifully.[24] While traveling on their chariot, the Ashvins saw Sukanya in a forest and tried to seduce her. They asked her to choose one of them as her new husband, but she refused and remained faithful to Chyavana. The twins were impressed by her chastity and asked her to wish anything. Upon their request, she told them to restore the youth and sight of Chyavana. Ashvins agreed but they had a condition. After curing Chyavana, they would also take similar form and she would have to identify Chyavana. Sukanya showed her consent after getting permission from her husband. Ashvins took Chyavana into a lake and cured him. When a young Chyavana emerged from the lake, Ashvins also took forms similar to him and Sukanya successfully identified her husband.[27][28]

The Mahabharata also narrates about the birth of Nakula and Sahadeva, who were the “spiritual sons” of the Ashvins. According to the epic, a king named Pandu was unable to make love due to a curse and didn't have any heir. However, he advised his wives, Kunti and Madri, to invoke various gods and ask for sons. Ashvins Nasatya and Darsa blessed Madri with Nakula and Sahadeva respectively.[21][29]

Associations

 
Thai depiction of the Horse-faced Ashvins on a chariot

The Ashvins are often associated with rescuing mortals and bringing them back to life.[30][b] The Rigveda also describes the Ashvins as "bringing light": they gave "light-bringing help" (svàrvatīr…ūtī́r, 1.119.8) to Bhujyu, and "raised (Rebha) up to see the sun" (úd…aírayataṃ svàr dṛśé, 1.112.5).[31][5]

The Ashvins are associated with honey, which was likely offered to them in a sacrifice. They are the chief deities in the Pravargya rite, in which they are offered hot milk. They are also associated with the morning pressing of Soma, because they are dual deities, along with Indra-Vāyu and Mitra-Varuṇa. They also are the last deities to receive Soma in the Atirātra, or Overnight Soma Ritual.[32]

The Ashvins are invoked at dawn, the time of their principal sacrifice, and have a close connection with the dawn goddess, Uṣas: she is bidden to awaken them (8.9.17), they follow her in their chariot (8.5.2), she is born when they hitch their steeds (10.39.12), and their chariot is once said to arrive before her (1.34.10). They are consequently associated with the "return from darkness": the twins are called “darkness slayers” (tamohánā, 3.39.3), they are invoked with the formula "you who have made light for mankind" (yā́v…jyótir jánāya cakráthuḥ, 1.92.17), and their horses and chariot are described as "uncovering the covered darkness" (aporṇuvántas táma ā́ párīvṛtam, 4.45.2).[33]

The chariot of the Ashvins is repeatedly mentioned in the Rigveda. Their chariot has three chariot-boxes, three wheels, three turnings, and three wheel rims. The emphasis on the number 3 is symbolized in the sacrifice with its three soma pressings. The chariot is pulled by bulls, buffaloes, horses, birds, geese, and falcons. The chariot allows the Ashvins to be quick and mobile and travel to a number of places, which is necessary to fulfill their role of rescuing people. Sūryā, the daughter of the Sun, is sometimes mentioned as the wife of the Ashvins, and she rides with them in their chariot.[2]

It is also believed that the Ashvins were the first one to prepare the Chyawanprash formulation for Rishi Chyavana at his Ashram on Dhosi Hill near Narnaul, Haryana, India, hence the name Chyawanprash.[34]

See also

Ašvieniai, counterparts in Lithuanian mythology

Notes

  1. ^ Contradictory to this, some chapters of Rigveda suggest that Sūryā's bridegroom was the god Soma and the Ashvins were his friends.[1]
  2. ^ See #Vedic texts section of Literature and legends

References

  1. ^ a b Kramisch & Miller 1983, p. 171.
  2. ^ a b c d e Jamison & Brereton 2014, p. 48.
  3. ^ a b Frame 2009, §1.42.
  4. ^ Wise, Thomas (1860). Commentary on the Hindu System of Medicine. Trübner. p. 4.
  5. ^ a b c d e West 2007, p. 187.
  6. ^ Lubotsky, Alexander. "Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon". Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project. Leiden University. s.v. áśva-.
  7. ^ a b c West 2007, p. 187–191.
  8. ^ a b c Parpola 2015a, pp. 109–110.
  9. ^ a b Frame 2009.
  10. ^ Ahmadi, Amir (2015). "Two Chthonic Features of the Daēva Cult in Historical Evidence". History of Religions. 54 (3): 348. doi:10.1086/679000. ISSN 0018-2710. JSTOR 10.1086/679000. S2CID 162230518.
  11. ^ Thadani, N.v. The Mystery of the Mahabharata: Vol. I. India Research Press. p. 362.
  12. ^ a b Mallory & Adams 2006, p. 432.
  13. ^ Puhvel, Jaan (1987). Comparative Mythology. Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 58–61. ISBN 0-8018-3938-6.
  14. ^ KBo 1 1. Gary M. Beckman (1999). Hittite Diplomatic Texts. Scholars Press. p. 53. ISBN 9780788505515.. Excerpt http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/ranghaya/suppiluliuma_shattiwaza_treaty.htm
  15. ^ Jamison & Brereton 2014, pp. 272–273.
  16. ^ Lang 1887.
  17. ^ a b Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1897). Vedic Mythology. Oxford University Press. p. 51.
  18. ^ De Witt Griswold, Harvey; Farquhar, J. N. (1923). The Religion of the Rigveda. Oxford University Press. p. 262.
  19. ^ Jamison & Brereton 2014, p. 157.
  20. ^ Kinsley 1988, p. 6.
  21. ^ a b c d Mani 1975, p. 71.
  22. ^ Jamison & Brereton 2014, p. 1522.
  23. ^ Wilson, Horace H. (1866). ""The" Vishnu Purana ; 3: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition ; Translated from the Original Sanskrit, and Illustrated by Notes Derived Chiefly from Other Puranas".
  24. ^ a b Mani 1975, p. 69.
  25. ^ Dalal 2010, p. 64.
  26. ^ Dalal 2010, p. 100.
  27. ^ Mani 1975, p. 70.
  28. ^ Dalal 2010, p. 101.
  29. ^ Hindu World: An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism. Volume II M-Z. Benjamin Walker. Routledge. 2019. Entry: "Pandava"
  30. ^ Frame 2009, §1.43.
  31. ^ Frame 2009, §1.44.
  32. ^ Jamison & Brereton 2014, p. 47.
  33. ^ Frame 2009, §1.45.
  34. ^ Panda, H; Handbook on Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses, 2004, p10 ISBN 978-81-86623-63-3

Bibliography

  • Dalal, Roshen (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books India. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
  • Frame, Douglas (2009). . Center for Hellenic Studies. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019.
  • Jamison, Stephanie W.; Brereton, Joel P. (2014). The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-937018-4.
  • Kinsley, David (1988). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. University of California Press. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-0-520-90883-3.
  • Kramisch, Stella; Miller, Barbara (1983). Exploring India's Sacred Art. Shri Jainendra Press A-45, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase I, New Delhi-110 028, India: University of Pennsylvania Press, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited. p. 171. ISBN 81-208-1208-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  • Lang, Andrew (1887). Myth, Ritual and Religion. Longmans, Green.
  • Mallory, James P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (2006). The Oxford Introduction to Proto-Indo-European and the Proto-Indo-European World. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-929668-2.
  • Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic encyclopaedia : a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature. Robarts - University of Toronto. Delhi : Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 69.
  • Parpola, Asko (2015a). The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-022693-0.
  • West, Martin L. (2007). Indo-European Poetry and Myth. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-928075-9.

Further reading

  • Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna L. Dallapiccola
  • BOSCH, F. D. K. (1967). "De Aśvin-goden en de epische tweelingen in de oudjavaanse kunst en literatuur" [The Aśvin godlings and the epic twins in old-javanese art and literature]. Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde (in Dutch). 123 (4): 427–441. doi:10.1163/22134379-90002890. JSTOR 27860895. ProQuest 1130862317.
  • Chakravarty, Uma (1989). "The Aśvins: an Incarnation of the Universal Twinship Motif". Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute. 70 (1/4): 137–143. JSTOR 41693465.
  • JAMISON, S. W. (2002). "Review of Les Nāsatya, Volume II". Indo-Iranian Journal. 45 (4): 347–350. doi:10.1163/000000002124994928. JSTOR 24664156.
  • Mitra, Jyotir (1984). "Ashvins, the Twin Celestial Physicians, and Their Medical Skill". Proceedings of the Indian History Congress. 45: 220–228. JSTOR 44140202.
  • Parpola, Asko (2015b). "The Aśvins as Funerary Gods". The Roots of Hinduism. pp. 117–129. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190226909.003.0011. ISBN 978-0-19-022690-9.
  • Parva, Paushya. "Section III (Paushya Parva". Sacred Texts. pp. 32–33. Retrieved 1 November 2013.

External links

 
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January 20, 2023
ashvins, sanskrit, अश, romanized, aśvin, horse, possessors, also, known, ashvini, kumaras, asvinau, hindu, twin, gods, associated, with, medicine, health, dawn, sciences, rigveda, they, described, youthful, divine, twin, horsemen, travelling, chariot, drawn, h. The Ashvins Sanskrit अश व न romanized Asvin lit horse possessors also known as the Ashvini Kumaras and Asvinau 3 are Hindu twin gods associated with medicine health dawn and the sciences 4 In the Rigveda they are described as youthful divine twin horsemen travelling in a chariot drawn by horses that are never weary and portrayed as guardian deities that safeguard and rescue people by aiding them in various situations 2 5 AshvinsGods of Health and MedicineOther namesAshvini Kumaras Ashvinau Nasatya DasraAffiliationDevasTextsRigveda Mahabharata PuranasPersonal informationParentsSurya father Sanjna mother SiblingsRevanta Yami Yama Shraddhadeva Manu Shani Karna Tapati and Savarni ManuConsortSurya 1 2 ChildrenNakula spiritual son Sahadeva spiritual son EquivalentsGreek equivalentDioskuriBaltic equivalentAsvieniai Dieva DeliThere are varying accounts but Ashvins are generally mentioned as the sons of the sun god Surya and his wife Sanjna In the epic Mahabharata the Pandava twins Nakula and Sahadeva were the children of the Ashvins Contents 1 Etymology and epithets 2 Origin and equivalents 3 Literature and legends 3 1 Vedic texts 3 2 Post Vedic text 4 Associations 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 7 1 Bibliography 7 2 Further reading 8 External linksEtymology and epithets EditThe Sanskrit name Asvin अश व न derives from the Indo Iranian stem Hacwa cf Avestan aspa itself from the Indo European word for the horse H1eḱwos from which also descends the Lithuanian name Asvieniai 6 In the Rigveda the Ashvins are always referred to in the dual without individual names 5 although Vedic texts differentiate between the two Ashvins one of you is respected as the victorious lord of Sumakha and the other as the fortunate son of heaven RV 1 181 4 They are called several times divo napata that is grandsons of Dyaus the sky god This formula is comparable with the Lithuanian Dievo suneliai sons of Dievas the sky god attached to the Asvieniai the Latvian Dieva Deli the sons of Dievs the sky god and the Greek Dios kouroi the boys of Zeus designating Castor and Pollux 7 8 The twin gods are also referred to as Na satya possibly saviours a derivative of nasati safe return home a name that appears 99 times in the Rigveda 8 The epithet probably derives from the Proto Indo European root nes to return home safely with cognates in the Avestan Na ŋhai8ya the name of a demon as a result of a Zoroastrian religious reformation that changed the status of prior deities and also in the Greek hero Nestor and in the Gothic verb nasjan save heal 9 10 In the later Mahabharata the Ashvins are often called the Nasatyas or Dasras Sometimes one of them is referred to as Nasatya and one as Dasra 11 Origin and equivalents EditThe Ashvins are an instance of the Indo European divine horse twins 12 13 5 Reflexes in other Indo European religions include the Lithuanian Asvieniai the Latvian Dieva Deli the Greek Castor and Pollux and possibly the English Hengist and Horsa and the Welsh Bran and Manawydan 12 7 The first mention of the Nasatya twins is from a Mitanni treaty c 1350 BCE between Suppiluliuma and Shattiwaza respectively kings of the Hittites and the Mitanni 14 Literature and legends Edit Birth of Ashwinikumar a folio from the text Harivansha Vedic texts Edit The Ashvins are mentioned 398 times in the Rigveda 3 with more than 50 hymns specifically dedicated to them 1 3 1 22 1 34 1 46 47 1 112 1 116 120 1 157 158 1 180 184 2 20 3 58 4 43 45 5 73 78 6 62 63 7 67 74 8 5 8 8 10 8 22 8 26 8 35 8 57 8 73 8 85 87 10 24 10 39 41 10 143 5 Your chariot o Asvins swifter than mind drawn by good horses comes to the clans By which chariot you go to the home of the good ritual performer by that o men travel your course to us You free Atri the seer of the five peoples from narrow straits from the earth cleft along with his band o men confounding the wiles of the merciless Dasyu driving them out one after another o bulls O Asvins you men you bulls by the wondrous powers you draw back together the seer Rebha who bobbed away in the waters like a horse hidden by those of evil ways Your ancient deeds do not grow old 1 117 2 4 in The Rigveda translated by Stephanie W Jamison 2014 15 According to the text the Ashvins were born after the sun god Vivasvat and his wife Saranyu Sanjna engaged in love making in the form of a stallion and a mare respectively 16 The Ashvins are also called divo napata which is variously translated as either sons or grandsons of Dyaush 7 8 17 18 At one mention the Indus Sindhu River is stated to be their mother 19 Ashvins were the close companions of the Vedic mother goddess Ushas dawn and sometimes they are even mentioned as her sons 20 The marriage of the Ashvin brothers is narrated in the Sukta 117 of Rigveda According to the legend the sun god Surya Savitra had a daughter named Surya with a long a and arranged a horse race to choose her bridegroom The Ashvins won the race and thus both of them married Surya 21 2 a Pushan is also stated to have chosen the Ashvins to be his fathers 17 22 The Ashvins are depicted as the helpers of mortals in various suktas of Rigveda The sukta 112 describes that when the sage Dirghashravas prayed to Ashvins for rain the twins poured sweet water from the sky According to sukta 16 they also helped the sage Gotama who was lost in a desert and begged for water It is described that the gods dug a water well and helped the sage 21 According to another account Rebha was bound stabbed and cast into the waters for nine days and ten nights before being saved by the twins He was explicitly described as dead when the twins raised him up to save him RV 10 39 9 Similarly Bhujyu was saved after his father or evil companions abandoned him at sea when the twins brought him home from the dead ancestors RV 1 119 4 9 The Ashvins also raised Vandana rescued Atri from a fissure in the earth and its heat found Vishnapu and returned him to his father restored the youth of Kali brought Kamadyu as a wife for Vimada gave a son to Vadhrimati whose husband was a steer restored the eyesight of Rijrashva replaced the foot of Vishpala with a metal one made the cow Sayu give milk gave a horse to Pedu and put a horse s head on Dadhyanc 2 According to the Shatapatha Brahmana Ashvins once tried to seduce Sukanya the daughter of king Saryati and wife of an old sage named Chyavana However she refused and claimed that the twins were imperfect and told them to restore the youth of Chyavana Desperate to know the reason for her words they fulfilled her condition and the sage finally revealed that Ashvins were excluded from a yajna fire sacrifice performed by the gods and thus they were incomplete Ashvins went to the sacrifice but the gods don t accept claiming that the Ashvins were spending too much time with the mortals After many attempts of explanation they were finally accepted 23 The Ashvins are sometimes presented as fierce deities In the sukta 117 they even destroyed an asura Vishvaka as well as his dynasty 21 Post Vedic text Edit Sukanya praying to the Ashvini Kumaras to reveal her husband s identity In the post Vedic texts of Hinduism the Ashvins remain significant and in these texts one of them is referred as Nasatya and the another one is known as Darsa Many of their legends are rewritten in various texts like the epic Mahabharata Harivamsha and the Puranas According to these texts Sanjna daughter of Vishvakarma was married to Surya but she was unable to bear his heat and decided to abandon him She ran away and roamed in the forest of northern Kuru kingdom in the form of a mare The Vishnu Purana adds that she performed austerities in the forest to gain control over Surya s heat After Surya discovered Sanjna s disappearance he located her and made love with her in a form of stallion Sanjna gave birth to the twins 24 Rarely in some Puranas Ashvins are mentioned as the sons creation of the god Brahma 25 These texts also elaborate the story of Chyavana which was first narrated in Brahmanas 26 In this version Sukanya the beautiful daughter of the king Saryati accidentally blinded the old Chyavana who was performing austerities She married him to save her kingdom from his wrath and served him dutifully 24 While traveling on their chariot the Ashvins saw Sukanya in a forest and tried to seduce her They asked her to choose one of them as her new husband but she refused and remained faithful to Chyavana The twins were impressed by her chastity and asked her to wish anything Upon their request she told them to restore the youth and sight of Chyavana Ashvins agreed but they had a condition After curing Chyavana they would also take similar form and she would have to identify Chyavana Sukanya showed her consent after getting permission from her husband Ashvins took Chyavana into a lake and cured him When a young Chyavana emerged from the lake Ashvins also took forms similar to him and Sukanya successfully identified her husband 27 28 The Mahabharata also narrates about the birth of Nakula and Sahadeva who were the spiritual sons of the Ashvins According to the epic a king named Pandu was unable to make love due to a curse and didn t have any heir However he advised his wives Kunti and Madri to invoke various gods and ask for sons Ashvins Nasatya and Darsa blessed Madri with Nakula and Sahadeva respectively 21 29 Associations Edit Thai depiction of the Horse faced Ashvins on a chariot The Ashvins are often associated with rescuing mortals and bringing them back to life 30 b The Rigveda also describes the Ashvins as bringing light they gave light bringing help svarvatir uti r 1 119 8 to Bhujyu and raised Rebha up to see the sun ud airayataṃ svar dṛse 1 112 5 31 5 The Ashvins are associated with honey which was likely offered to them in a sacrifice They are the chief deities in the Pravargya rite in which they are offered hot milk They are also associated with the morning pressing of Soma because they are dual deities along with Indra Vayu and Mitra Varuṇa They also are the last deities to receive Soma in the Atiratra or Overnight Soma Ritual 32 The Ashvins are invoked at dawn the time of their principal sacrifice and have a close connection with the dawn goddess Uṣas she is bidden to awaken them 8 9 17 they follow her in their chariot 8 5 2 she is born when they hitch their steeds 10 39 12 and their chariot is once said to arrive before her 1 34 10 They are consequently associated with the return from darkness the twins are called darkness slayers tamohana 3 39 3 they are invoked with the formula you who have made light for mankind ya v jyotir janaya cakrathuḥ 1 92 17 and their horses and chariot are described as uncovering the covered darkness aporṇuvantas tama a parivṛtam 4 45 2 33 The chariot of the Ashvins is repeatedly mentioned in the Rigveda Their chariot has three chariot boxes three wheels three turnings and three wheel rims The emphasis on the number 3 is symbolized in the sacrifice with its three soma pressings The chariot is pulled by bulls buffaloes horses birds geese and falcons The chariot allows the Ashvins to be quick and mobile and travel to a number of places which is necessary to fulfill their role of rescuing people Surya the daughter of the Sun is sometimes mentioned as the wife of the Ashvins and she rides with them in their chariot 2 It is also believed that the Ashvins were the first one to prepare the Chyawanprash formulation for Rishi Chyavana at his Ashram on Dhosi Hill near Narnaul Haryana India hence the name Chyawanprash 34 See also EditAsvieniai counterparts in Lithuanian mythologyNotes Edit Contradictory to this some chapters of Rigveda suggest that Surya s bridegroom was the god Soma and the Ashvins were his friends 1 See Vedic texts section of Literature and legendsReferences Edit a b Kramisch amp Miller 1983 p 171 a b c d e Jamison amp Brereton 2014 p 48 a b Frame 2009 1 42 Wise Thomas 1860 Commentary on the Hindu System of Medicine Trubner p 4 a b c d e West 2007 p 187 Lubotsky Alexander Indo Aryan Inherited Lexicon Indo European Etymological Dictionary Project Leiden University s v asva a b c West 2007 p 187 191 a b c Parpola 2015a pp 109 110 a b Frame 2009 Ahmadi Amir 2015 Two Chthonic Features of the Daeva Cult in Historical Evidence History of Religions 54 3 348 doi 10 1086 679000 ISSN 0018 2710 JSTOR 10 1086 679000 S2CID 162230518 Thadani N v The Mystery of the Mahabharata Vol I India Research Press p 362 a b Mallory amp Adams 2006 p 432 Puhvel Jaan 1987 Comparative Mythology Baltimore Maryland Johns Hopkins University Press pp 58 61 ISBN 0 8018 3938 6 KBo 1 1 Gary M Beckman 1999 Hittite Diplomatic Texts Scholars Press p 53 ISBN 9780788505515 Excerpt http www heritageinstitute com zoroastrianism ranghaya suppiluliuma shattiwaza treaty htm Jamison amp Brereton 2014 pp 272 273 Lang 1887 a b Macdonell Arthur Anthony 1897 Vedic Mythology Oxford University Press p 51 De Witt Griswold Harvey Farquhar J N 1923 The Religion of the Rigveda Oxford University Press p 262 Jamison amp Brereton 2014 p 157 Kinsley 1988 p 6 a b c d Mani 1975 p 71 Jamison amp Brereton 2014 p 1522 Wilson Horace H 1866 The Vishnu Purana 3 A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition Translated from the Original Sanskrit and Illustrated by Notes Derived Chiefly from Other Puranas a b Mani 1975 p 69 Dalal 2010 p 64 Dalal 2010 p 100 Mani 1975 p 70 Dalal 2010 p 101 Hindu World An Encyclopedic Survey of Hinduism Volume II M Z Benjamin Walker Routledge 2019 Entry Pandava Frame 2009 1 43 Frame 2009 1 44 Jamison amp Brereton 2014 p 47 Frame 2009 1 45 Panda H Handbook on Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae Processes And Their Uses 2004 p10 ISBN 978 81 86623 63 3 Bibliography Edit Dalal Roshen 2010 Hinduism An Alphabetical Guide Penguin Books India ISBN 978 0 14 341421 6 Frame Douglas 2009 Hippota Nestor 3 Vedic Center for Hellenic Studies Archived from the original on 20 September 2019 Jamison Stephanie W Brereton Joel P 2014 The Rigveda The Earliest Religious Poetry of India Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 937018 4 Kinsley David 1988 Hindu Goddesses Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition University of California Press pp 7 8 ISBN 978 0 520 90883 3 Kramisch Stella Miller Barbara 1983 Exploring India s Sacred Art Shri Jainendra Press A 45 Naraina Industrial Area Phase I New Delhi 110 028 India University of Pennsylvania Press Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Private Limited p 171 ISBN 81 208 1208 5 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location link Lang Andrew 1887 Myth Ritual and Religion Longmans Green Mallory James P Adams Douglas Q 2006 The Oxford Introduction to Proto Indo European and the Proto Indo European World Oxford England Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 929668 2 Mani Vettam 1975 Puranic encyclopaedia a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature Robarts University of Toronto Delhi Motilal Banarsidass pp 69 Parpola Asko 2015a The Roots of Hinduism The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 022693 0 West Martin L 2007 Indo European Poetry and Myth Oxford University Press ISBN 978 0 19 928075 9 Further reading Edit Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend ISBN 0 500 51088 1 by Anna L Dallapiccola BOSCH F D K 1967 De Asvin goden en de epische tweelingen in de oudjavaanse kunst en literatuur The Asvin godlings and the epic twins in old javanese art and literature Bijdragen tot de Taal Land en Volkenkunde in Dutch 123 4 427 441 doi 10 1163 22134379 90002890 JSTOR 27860895 ProQuest 1130862317 Chakravarty Uma 1989 The Asvins an Incarnation of the Universal Twinship Motif Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute 70 1 4 137 143 JSTOR 41693465 JAMISON S W 2002 Review of Les Nasatya Volume II Indo Iranian Journal 45 4 347 350 doi 10 1163 000000002124994928 JSTOR 24664156 Mitra Jyotir 1984 Ashvins the Twin Celestial Physicians and Their Medical Skill Proceedings of the Indian History Congress 45 220 228 JSTOR 44140202 Parpola Asko 2015b The Asvins as Funerary Gods The Roots of Hinduism pp 117 129 doi 10 1093 acprof oso 9780190226909 003 0011 ISBN 978 0 19 022690 9 Parva Paushya Section III Paushya Parva Sacred Texts pp 32 33 Retrieved 1 November 2013 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ashvins Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ashvins amp oldid 1134726034, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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