Verses 1, 2, 3
आ वां॒ रथं॑ पुरुमा॒यं म॑नो॒जुवं॑ जी॒राश्वं॑ य॒ज्ञियं॑ जी॒वसे॑ हुवे । स॒हस्र॑केतुं व॒निनं॑ श॒तद्व॑सुं श्रुष्टी॒वानं॑ वरिवो॒धाम॒भि प्रयः॑ ॥
ā́ vām rátham purumāyám manojúvam jīrā́śvam yajñíyam jīváse huve ǀ sahásraketum vanínam śatádvasum śruṣṭīvā́nam varivodhā́mabhí práyaḥ ǁ
ऊ॒र्ध्वा धी॒तिः प्रत्य॑स्य॒ प्रया॑म॒न्यधा॑यि॒ शस्म॒न्त्सम॑यंत॒ आ दिशः॑ । स्वदा॑मि घ॒र्मं प्रति॑ यंत्यू॒तय॒ आ वा॑मू॒र्जानी॒ रथ॑मश्विनारुहत् ॥
ūrdhvā́ dhītíḥ prátyasya práyāmanyádhāyi śásmantsámayanta ā́ díśaḥ ǀ svádāmi gharmám práti yantyūtáya ā́ vāmūrjā́nī ráthamaśvināruhat ǁ
सं यन्मि॒थः प॑स्पृधा॒नासो॒ अग्म॑त शु॒भे म॒खा अमि॑ता जा॒यवो॒ रणे॑ । यु॒वोरह॑ प्रव॒णे चे॑किते॒ रथो॒ यद॑श्विना॒ वह॑थः सू॒रिमा वरं॑ ॥
sám yánmitháḥ paspṛdhānā́so ágmata śubhé makhā́ ámitā jāyávo ráṇe ǀ yuvóráha pravaṇé cekite rátho yádaśvinā váhathaḥ sūrímā́ váram ǁ
In these opening verses, the Ṛṣi summons the Aśvins—the divine twin horsemen of the dawn, symbolizing the swift transition from darkness to light, ignorance to illumination. The poet calls upon their marvelous, thousand-bannered chariot, which moves with the speed of thought. He speaks of the sacred offerings, the flowing ghrita (clarified butter), and the rising devotion that guides the divine twins toward the sacrificial space. The imagery shifts dynamically as the verses describe the fierce competition of energies striving for glory and spiritual attainment. The Aśvins are not passive deities; they actively plunge into the cosmic battlefields and earthly struggles alongside humanity, driving their brilliant chariot down the steep slopes of existence to uplift the sincere seeker and the patron of the sacrifice.
Verse 1: I invoke your multi-marvelled chariot, swift as thought and spirited in steeds, consecrated for life, bearing a thousand banners and a hundred treasures, to hasten toward our sacred offering.
Verse 2: High is this thought established at your advancing dawn; the songs ring out and directions open up. I sweeten the bright oblation as your aids approach, and the nourishing Aśvins mount their chariot.
Verse 3: Striving mutually, the energetic heroes have surged forward for splendor in the battle of life. Verily, upon the downward slope, your chariot is manifest when you, O Aśvins, bear the patron of sacrifice to the highest prize.
Sāyaṇa interprets these opening verses through the ritual lens of Soma sacrifices and morning invocations, while Sri Aurobindo sees the chariot and steeds as symbols of dynamic psychological force and the upward-moving vital energies.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| रथम् | ratham | chariot |
| पुरुमायम् | purumāyam | possessing many wondrous powers or illusions |
| मनोजुवम् | manojuvam | swift as the mind |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ऊर्ध्वा | ūrdhvā | upward, high |
| धीतिः | dhītiḥ | thought, prayer, vision |
| घर्मम् | gharmam | warm oblation, glowing milk or offering |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| पस्पृधानासः | paspṛdhānāsaḥ | striving, competing |
| मखाः | makhāḥ | bountiful ones, energetic sacrificers or heroes |
| अश्विना | aśvinā | O Aśvins (the divine twins) |
Imagine two blazing stars streaking across the morning sky in a golden chariot, rushing down a mountain slope to answer the cries of those who strive for excellence.
Verses 4, 5, 6, 7
यु॒वं भु॒ज्युं भु॒रमा॑णं॒ विभि॑र्ग॒तं स्वयु॑क्तिभिर्नि॒वहं॑ता पि॒तृभ्य॒ आ । या॒सि॒ष्टं व॒र्तिर्वृ॑षणा विजे॒न्यं१॒॑ दिवो॑दासाय॒ महि॑ चेति वा॒मवः॑ ॥
yuvám bhujyúm bhurámāṇam víbhirgatám sváyuktibhirniváhantā pitṛ́bhya ā́ ǀ yāsiṣṭám vartírvṛṣaṇā vijenyám dívodāsāya máhi ceti vāmávaḥ ǁ
यु॒वोर॑श्विना॒ वपु॑षे युवा॒युजं॒ रथं॒ वाणी॑ येमतुरस्य॒ शर्ध्यं॑ । आ वां॑ पति॒त्वं स॒ख्याय॑ ज॒ग्मुषी॒ योषा॑वृणीत॒ जेन्या॑ यु॒वां पती॑ ॥
yuvóraśvinā vápuṣe yuvāyújam rátham vā́ṇī yematurasya śárdhyam ǀ ā́ vām patitvám sakhyā́ya jagmúṣī yóṣāvṛṇīta jényā yuvā́m pátī ǁ
यु॒वं रे॒भं परि॑षूतेरुरुष्यथो हि॒मेन॑ घ॒र्मं परि॑तप्त॒मत्र॑ये । यु॒वं श॒योर॑व॒सं पि॑प्यथु॒र्गवि॒ प्र दी॒र्घेण॒ वंद॑नस्ता॒र्यायु॑षा ॥
yuvám rebhám páriṣūteruruṣyatho hiména gharmám páritaptamátraye ǀ yuvám śayóravasám pipyathurgávi prá dīrghéṇa vándanastāryā́yuṣā ǁ
यु॒वं वंद॑नं॒ निर्ऋ॑तं जर॒ण्यया॒ रथं॒ न द॑स्रा कर॒णा समि॑न्वथः । क्षेत्रा॒दा विप्रं॑ जनथो विप॒न्यया॒ प्र वा॒मत्र॑ विध॒ते दं॒सना॑ भुवत् ॥
yuvám vándanam nírṛtam jaraṇyáyā rátham ná dasrā karaṇā́ sáminvathaḥ ǀ kṣétrādā́ vípram janatho vipanyáyā prá vāmátra vidhaté daṃsánā bhuvat ǁ
Here the Sūkta recounts the legendary salvations performed by the Aśvins, which form the bedrock of their mythology. They rescued Bhujyu from the vast waters, restored youth and vigor, and intervened on behalf of Atri and Vandana. These rescue narratives are not mere fairy tales; they represent the descent of divine grace into the darkest pits of human suffering, ignorance, and physical decay. The Ṛṣi emphasizes how the Aśvins bring healing to the broken, sight to the blind, and renewal to the aged. They lift the struggling mortal out of the pit of distress, wrapping them in protective, radiant energies that extend their lifespan and restore their connection to the divine cosmic order.
Verse 4: You two with self-yoked wings came to struggling Bhujyu, bearing him safely to his ancestors. O mighty lords, you reached the victorious goal for Divodāsa; vast is your protection.
Verse 5: To manifest your beauty, O Aśvins, the spoken word guided your self-yoked chariot with fierce strength. The yearning maid chose you as her husbands, coming to your companionship.
Verse 6: You saved the singer Rebha from the crushing waters, and Atri from the blazing heat with cool relief. You nourished Śaya in the cow-pen, and extended Vandana’s life with a long span.
Verse 7: You two swiftly release Vandana from the abyss of decrepitude, driving your chariot like wondrous physicians. You generate the seer from his field with inspired skill; may your miraculous workings be present for the worshiper.
Traditional commentators like Sāyaṇa detail the literal mythological stories of Atri trapped in a heated pit and Bhujyu cast into the ocean, whereas esoteric interpreters view these as metaphors for spiritual trials overcome by divine grace.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| भुज्युम् | bhujyum | Bhujyu (the rescued protégé) |
| स्वयुक्तिभिः | svayuktibhiḥ | with self-yoked or self-harnessed powers |
| वृषणा | vṛṣaṇā | O forceful, bounty-shedding ones |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वपुषे | vapuṣe | for wondrous form or beauty |
| वाणी | vāṇī | voice, speech, hymn |
| योषा | yoṣā | young woman, maiden |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| रेभम् | rebham | Rebha (the praising poet) |
| घर्मम् | gharmam | heat, blazing furnace |
| अत्रये | atraye | for Atri (the sage) |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वन्दनम् | vandanam | Vandana (the praised sage) |
| निःऋतम् | niḥ-ṛtam | from destruction, ruin, or the pit |
| दस्रा | dasrā | O wonder-workers, miracle-doers |
Picture master physicians rushing into a dark dungeon with healing balms and a radiant lantern, pulling out the sick and aged into the rejuvenating sunlight.
Verses 8, 9, 10
अग॑च्छतं॒ कृप॑माणं परा॒वति॑ पि॒तुः स्वस्य॒ त्यज॑सा॒ निबा॑धितं । स्व॑र्वतीरि॒त ऊ॒तीर्यु॒वोरह॑ चि॒त्रा अ॒भीके॑ अभवन्न॒भिष्ट॑यः ॥
ágacchatam kṛ́pamāṇam parāváti pitúḥ svásya tyájasā níbādhitam ǀ svárvatīritá ūtī́ryuvóráha citrā́ abhī́ke abhavannabhíṣṭayaḥ ǁ
उ॒त स्या वां॒ मधु॑म॒न्मक्षि॑कारप॒न्मदे॒ सोम॑स्यौशि॒जो हु॑वन्यति । यु॒वं द॑धी॒चो मन॒ आ वि॑वास॒थोऽथा॒ शिरः॒ प्रति॑ वा॒मश्व्यं॑ वदत् ॥
utá syā́ vām mádhumanmákṣikārapanmáde sómasyauśijó huvanyati ǀ yuvám dadhīcó mána ā́ vivāsathó’thā śíraḥ práti vāmáśvyam vadat ǁ
यु॒वं पे॒दवे॑ पुरु॒वार॑मश्विना स्पृ॒धां श्वे॒तं त॑रु॒तारं॑ दुवस्यथः । शर्यै॑र॒भिद्युं॒ पृत॑नासु दु॒ष्टरं॑ च॒र्कृत्य॒मिंद्र॑मिव चर्षणी॒सहं॑ ॥
yuvám pedáve puruvā́ramaśvinā spṛdhā́m śvetám tarutā́ram duvasyathaḥ ǀ śáryairabhídyum pṛ́tanāsu duṣṭáram carkṛ́tyamíndramiva carṣaṇīsáham ǁ
The final movement of the Sūkta delves into deeper esoteric mysteries. It touches upon the enigmatic tale of Dadhīc, whose horse's head—representing secret immortal wisdom—was restored by the Aśvins. The buzzing honey-bee (makṣikā) points to the sweetness of the divine nectar discovered through spiritual insight. Finally, the Sūkta concludes with the gift bestowed upon Pedva: a magnificent white horse that is invincible in battles, holding the cosmic dominance and conquering power of Indra himself. The Ṛṣi seals the hymn with a profound blessing, testifying to the Aśvins' unmatched capability to elevate mortals to heroic heights.
Verse 8: You approached the suppliant in a distant land, cast down by his own kindred. From you came brilliant, luminous protections that manifested wondrously right at the meeting point of struggle.
Verse 9: And that honey-sweet bee hummed during the intoxication of Soma, as the son of Uśij called upon you. You sought out the mind of Dadhīc, and then his horse's head spoke back to you.
Verse 10: You bestow upon Pedva the coveted, conquering white horse, unbeatable in conflicts—piercing the day with arrows, irresistible in battles, and praised like Indra himself as a conqueror of peoples.
Sāyaṇa narrates the famous myth where the Aśvins replaced Dadhīc's head with a horse's head to impart Brahma-vidyā. Sri Aurobindo interprets the horse's head and the honey-bee as symbols of higher psychic knowledge and the sweetness of divine delight (ānanda).
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| कृपमाणम् | kṛpamāṇam | imploring, lamenting, yearning |
| परावाति | parāvati | in a distant place |
| अभिष्टयः | abhiṣṭayaḥ | fulfillments, helpful aids |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| मक्षिका | makṣikā | bee, fly |
| दधीचः | dadhīcaḥ | of Dadhīc (the sage) |
| अश्व्यम् | aśvyam | pertaining to a horse (the horse's head) |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| पेडवे | pedave | for Pedva (the hero/devotee) |
| श्वेतम् | śvetam | white (horse) |
| चर्षणिषहम | carṣaṇīsaham | conquering or sustaining humanity/peoples |
Envision a mystic whispering secrets into the skull of a horse while a golden bee hums nearby, and a heroic warrior receiving a peerless white steed that shines like lightning.