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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 585 of 1027

Mandala 7: HYMN LXIX. Aśvins.

1.MAY your gold chariot, drawn by vigorous horses, come to us, blocking up the earth and heaven, Bright with its fellies while its way drops fatness, food-laden, rich in coursers, man’s protector.

2.Let it approach, yoked by thewill, three-seated, extending far and wide o’er fivefold beings, Whereon ye visit God-adoring races, bending your course whither ye will, O Aśvins.

3.Renowned, with noble horses, come ye hither: drink, Wondrous Pair, the cup that holds sweet juices. Your car whereon your Spouse is wont to travel marks with its track the farthest ends of heaven.

4.When night was turning to the grey of morning the Maiden, Sūrya’s Daughter, chose your splendour. When with your power and might ye aid the pious he comes through heat to life by your assistance.

5.O Chariot-borne, this car of yours invested with rays of light comes harnessed to our dwelling. Herewith, O Aśvins, while the dawn is breaking, to this our sacrifice bring peace and blessing.

6.Like the wild cattle thirsty for the lightning, Heroes, come nigh this day to our libations. Men call on you with hymns in many places, but let not other worshippers detain you.

7.Bhujyu, abandoned in the midst of ocean, ye raised from out the water with your horses, Uninjured, winged, flagging not, undaunted, with deeds of wonder saving him, O Aśvins.

8.Now hear, O Youthful Twain, mine invocation: come, Aśvins, to the home where food aboundeth. Vouchsafe us wealth, do honour to our nobles. Preserve us evermore, ye Gods, with blessings.

Asked of Guide

Why do the Aśvins bring a three-seated, gold chariot to the sacrifice?

The Aśvins bring a three-seated, gold chariot because the hymn pictures them as rescuers and benefactors whose arrival carries abundance and protection: the car is “gold,” “food-laden,” and “man’s protector,” signaling prosperity and safety for the worshippers. The image of the chariot yoked by “vigorous horses,” extending “o’er fivefold beings,” and marking “the farthest ends of heaven” shows their cosmic mobility and role in bringing dawn, healing, and blessings to many realms.

The chariot also links the Aśvins to mediation between worlds and to ritual hospitality: they “come to our libations” at dawn, escort Sūrya’s Daughter, and restore the marooned Bhujyu, so the car embodies their timely, salvific presence. This hymn echoes themes in other Vedic songs where divine chariots signify intervention and bounty, as similarly emphasized in Rig Veda hymns that celebrate solar and healing deities’ vehicles.

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