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Dhammapada · narration sample

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Rig Veda · 861 of 1027

Mandala 10: HYMN XXIV. Indra. Aśvins.

1.O INDRA, drink this Soma, pressed out in the mortar, full of sweets. Send down to us great riches,—at your glad carouse-in thousands, O Most healthy. Thou art waxing great.

2.To thee with sacrifices, with oblations, and with lauds we come. Lord of all strength and power, grant-at your glad carouse-the best choiceworthy treasure. Thou art waxing great.

3.Thou who art Lord of precious boons, inciter even of the churl. Guardian of singers, Indra,—at your glad carouse-save us from woe and hatred. Thou art waxing great.

4.Strong, Lords of Magic power, ye Twain churned the united worlds apart, When ye, implored by Vimada, Nāsatyas, forced apart the pair.

5.When the united pair were rent asunder all the Gods complained. The Gods to the Nāsatyas cried, Bring these together once again.

6.Sweet be my going forth, and rich in sweets be my approach to home. So, through your Deity, both Gods, enrich us with all pleasantness.

Asked of Guide

Who are the 'Twain' the hymn says 'churned the united worlds apart'?

The ‘Twain’ are the Aśvins, called the Nāsatyas here; verse 4 names them as “Lords of Magic power” and verse 5 records the Gods addressing the Nāsatyas to restore what had been rent asunder. The hymn treats them as twin divine healers who perform cosmic work at a devotee’s request.

This scene matches other Rigveda passages where the Aśvins separate and reunite paired creatures or cosmic pairs and are asked to mend divisions; see Mandala 1 and 3 for similar Aśvin myths. The poem links their action to blessing and prosperity—“enrich us with all pleasantness”—so their churn is both a mythic deed and a ritual appeal for wholeness.

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