Part 27 - The Aśvins (the twin deities)

The Aśvins, the twin deities,^[1] occupy a specific place among the deities of light.

Sāyaṇācārya, in his interpretation on the respective passage clearly narrates the episode of the Aśvins’ birth, according to which the twin deities were born of Vivsvat and Saraṇyū:

uta api ca sāśvarūpiṇī saraṇyūstadā aśvināvabharat/ svodare garbhabhūtau dhāritavatī/ yat yadā tat jāyāpatibhyāmaśvarūpātmanā sambhogakāle retaḥ patitam āsīt tadāśvinau janayāmāsetyarthaḥ/^[2]

Yāskācārya, in his Nirukta mentions that among the Aśvins, one is the son of night and the other is the son of dawn.^[3] They are invoked conjointly, and their time of appearance and functions are identical. As the deities of the morning twilight, they dispel darkness and the evil spirits.^[4] The Śatapathabrāhmaṇa mentions the Aśvins as red white in colour^[5] that directs their connection with the morning Sun. The Aśvins are called rudravartanī,^[6] i.e. red-pathed, hiraṇyavartanī, i.e. golden-pathed. The car of the Aśvins is sunlike or golden,^[7] having thousand rays^[8] or ornaments.^[9] It signifies the solar character of the deities. The Aśvins are connected with marriage, production and love.^[10] They are worshipped to bring lovers together. They are regarded as the divine physicians in the Vedic texts.^[11]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

cf., utāśvināvabharadyattadāsīdajahādu dvā mithunā saraṇyūḥ/ Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 10.17.2

[2]:

Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid.

[3]:

cf., tayoḥ samānakālayoḥ samānakarmaṇoḥ saṃstutaprāyayorasaṃstavenaiṣoʹrdharco bhavati/ vāsātyo anya ucyate/ uṣaḥ putrastvanya iti/ Nirukta, 12.2

[4]:

cf., vapuṃṣi jātā mithunā sacete tamohanā tapuṣo buddhna etā/ Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 3.39.3

[5]:

cf., śyeta āśvino bhavati/ śyetāviva hyaśvināva…/ Śatapathabrāhmaṇa, 5.5.4.1

[6]:

Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 1.3.3

[7]:

cf., hiraṇyayena purubhū rathenemaṃ yajñaṃ nāsatyopa yātam/ Ibid., 4.44.4

[8]:

cf., ā vā rathaṃ purumāyaṃ manojuvaṃ jīrāśvaṃ yajñiyaṃ jīvase huve/ sahasraketuṃ vaninaṃ śatadvasuṃ śruṣṭīvānaṃ varivodhāmabhi prayaḥ// Ibid., 1.119.1

[9]:

cf., ataḥ sahasranirṇijā rathenā yātamaśvinā// Ibid., 8.8.11,14

[10]:

cf., garbhaṃ dhehi sinīvāli garbhaṃ dhehi sarasvati/ garbhaṃ te asvinau devāvā dhattāṃ

[11]:

cf., yābhiḥ pakthamavatho yābhiradhriguṃ yābhibrabhruṃ vijoṣasam/ tābhirno makṣū tūyamaśvinā gataṃ bhiṣajyataṃ yadāturam// Ibid., 8.22.10