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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 158 of 1027

Mandala 1: HYMN CLVIII. Aśvins.

1.YE Vasus Twain, ye Rudras full of counsel, grant us, Strong Strengtheners, when ye stand beside us, What wealth Aucathya craves of you, great Helpers when ye come forward with no niggard succour.

2.Who may give you aught, Vasus, for your favour, for what, at the Cow’s place, ye grant through worship? Wake for us understanding full of riches, come with a heart that will fulfil our longing.

3.As erst for Tugra’s son your car, sea-crossing, strong, was equipped and set amid the waters, So may I gain your shelter and protection as with winged course a hero seeks his army.

4.May this my praise preserve Ucathya’s offspring: let not these Twain who fly with wings exhaust me. Let not the wood ten times up-piled consume me, when fixed for you it bites the ground it stands on.

5.The most maternal streams, wherein the Dāsas cast me securely bound, have not devoured me. When Traitana would cleave my head asunder, the Dāsa wounded his own breast and shoulders.

6.Dīrghatamas the son of Mamatā hath come to length of days in the tenth age of human kind. He is the Brahman of the waters as they strive to reach their end and aim: their charioteer is he.

Asked of Guide

Why does the hymn keep calling on different gods—Vasus, Rudras, Aśvins—for protection in the same verses?

The hymn is invoking a constellation of helpers because the speaker seeks a comprehensive safeguard: Vasus, Rudras, and the Aśvins each bring distinct powers—wealth, counsel, healing—and their combined presence “stand beside us” to grant protection and fulfil longing. The repeated names act like different hands on the same task, asking each deity to “come with a heart that will fulfil our longing” so the petitioner’s needs are met from every quarter.

This practice mirrors how Rig Veda hymns address complementary forces rather than a single patron; see Hymn CLVIII itself where specific episodes (Tugra’s son’s sea-crossing, Traitana’s attack) appeal to particular powers for rescue. Readers familiar with other Vedic hymns will recognize this pattern of plural invocation as a way to assemble effective divine aid.

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