Verses 1, 2
अभू॑दि॒दं व॒युन॒मो षु भू॑षता॒ रथो॒ वृष॑ण्वा॒न्मद॑ता मनीषिणः । धि॒यं॒जि॒न्वा धिष्ण्या॑ वि॒श्पला॑वसू दि॒वो नपा॑ता सु॒कृते॒ शुचि॑व्रता ॥
ábhūdidám vayúnamó ṣú bhūṣatā rátho vṛ́ṣaṇvānmádatā manīṣiṇaḥ ǀ dhiyaṃjinvā́ dhíṣṇyā viśpálāvasū divó nápātā sukṛ́te śúcivratā ǁ
इंद्र॑तमा॒ हि धिष्ण्या॑ म॒रुत्त॑मा द॒स्रा दंसि॑ष्ठा र॒थ्या॑ र॒थीत॑मा । पू॒र्णं रथं॑ वहेथे॒ मध्व॒ आचि॑तं॒ तेन॑ दा॒श्वांस॒मुप॑ याथो अश्विना ॥
índratamā hí dhíṣṇyā marúttamā dasrā́ dáṃsiṣṭhā rathyā́ rathī́tamā ǀ pūrṇám rátham vahethe mádhva ā́citam téna dāśvā́ṃsamúpa yātho aśvinā ǁ
As this hymn opens, the Ṛṣi Agastya or a seer of his lineage summons the dual divine physicians, the Aśvins, to manifest fully. The atmosphere hums with divine expectation as the ritual song is shaped like a well-built chariot. The Ṛṣi addresses them as 'divo napātā' (descendants of heaven) and 'viśpalāvasū' (possenders of all-embracing wealth), highlighting their role as benevolent sustainers who bring life-giving energies to the sincere practitioner. In the second verse, the praise heightens. The Aśvins are described as the most intoxicatingly swift, the most brilliant, and the most masterly charioteers. Their chariot is completely filled with 'madhu'—the sweet nectar of divine delight. The Ṛṣi invites them to approach the dāśvān, the giver of offerings, bringing this overflowing vessel of grace directly to the altar of the seeker's consciousness.
Verse 1: Behold, this manifestation of divine order has appeared! Adorn the mighty, stallion-bearing chariot and rejoice, O men of deep thought. You twin lords who inspire the mind, firm in your station, possessors of all wealth, children of heaven, pure in your vows, draw near to the righteous one.
Verse 2: O Aśvins, you are most like Indra, supreme among the Maruts, wonderful miracle-workers, masters of mighty deeds, excellent drivers of the chariot. You drive forward with your chariot completely filled with sweet honey; with that very chariot, come near to the worshipper.
Sāyaṇa interprets these verses literally as a call for physical journeying and material wealth, whereas Sri Aurobindo sees the 'madhu' (honey) and the 'rathya' (charioteering) as symbols of inner ananda (bliss) and the mastery of the vital senses.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अभूत् | abhūt | has become or manifested |
| वयुनम् | vayunam | manifestation of cosmic order or path |
| रथः | rathaḥ | chariot |
| वृषण्णवान् | vṛṣaṇvān | bearing stallions or potent forces |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| इन्द्रतमा | indratamā | most like Indra |
| धिष्ण्या | dhiṣṇyā | firmly seated, revered lords |
| दस्रा | dasrā | wonderful workers of miracles |
| मध्वः | madhvaḥ | of honey, of sweet delight |
Picture a magnificent golden chariot overflowing with golden honey, driven by two brilliant physicians pulling up directly to your doorstep at dawn.
Verses 3, 4
किमत्र॑ दस्रा कृणुथः॒ किमा॑साथे॒ जनो॒ यः कश्चि॒दह॑विर्मही॒यते॑ । अति॑ क्रमिष्टं जु॒रतं॑ प॒णेरसुं॒ ज्योति॒र्विप्रा॑य कृणुतं वच॒स्यवे॑ ॥
kímátra dasrā kṛṇuthaḥ kímāsāthe jáno yáḥ káścidáhavirmahīyáte ǀ áti kramiṣṭam jurátam paṇérásum jyótirvíprāya kṛṇutam vacasyáve ǁ
जं॒भय॑तम॒भितो॒ राय॑तः॒ शुनो॑ ह॒तं मृधो॑ वि॒दथु॒स्तान्य॑श्विना । वाचं॑वाचं जरि॒तू र॒त्निनीं॑ कृतमु॒भा शंसं॑ नासत्यावतं॒ मम॑ ॥
jambháyatamabhíto rā́yataḥ śúno hatám mṛ́dho vidáthustā́nyaśvinā ǀ vā́caṃvācam jaritū́ ratnínīm kṛtamubhā́ śáṃsam nāsatyāvatam máma ǁ
Here, the Ṛṣi strikes a dramatic chord, asking the Aśvins what they are accomplishing when people withhold their oblations and refuse the path of divine generosity. The miserly spirit—represented by the Paṇi—hoards spiritual or material wealth and lacks the warmth of sacrifice. The Ṛṣi appeals to the twin deities to shatter the power of this spiritual stagnation and to forge a radiant path of illumination for the devoted reciter. Moving into the fourth verse, the prayer becomes intensely protective. The Ṛṣi asks the Aśvins to crush the ravenous wolves of negativity—the 'śunaḥ' and 'mṛdhaḥ'—that attack from all sides. Every word spoken by the devoted singer must be charged with radiant power ('ratninīm'), and their collective praise must be lovingly accepted and defended by the Nāsatyas (another name for the Aśvins).
Verse 3: What are you doing here, O Dasras, what are you sitting for when any person whatsoever, withholding the oblation, exalts himself? Step across him, torment the life-breath of the niggard Paṇi, and create the light of knowledge for the singer who seeks your word.
Verse 4: Crush from all sides the attacking snarling dogs, strike down the hostile forces—you know these things, O Aśvins! Make every word of the singer gem-laden, and grant that both of you protect this my song of praise, O Nāsatyas.
The Paṇis in Vedic lore are famously demons of darkness and hoarding; commentators agree they represent spiritual miserliness and the contraction of consciousness.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| दस्रा | dasrā | O wondrous ones |
| अहविः | ahaviḥ | one without oblation, withholding sacrifice |
| पणेः | paṇeḥ | of the miserly, hoarding merchant |
| ज्योतिः | jyotiḥ | light, illumination |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| जम्भयतम् | jambhayatam | crush, destroy the jaws of |
| शुनः | śunaḥ | dogs, predators |
| रत्निनीम् | ratninīm | possessing jewels or precious gifts |
| नासत्या | nāsatyā | O Nāsatyas (Aśvins) |
Imagine a shepherd driving away scavenging wolves from his flock, while turning his spoken words into sparkling precious gems.
Verses 5, 6, 7
यु॒वमे॒तं च॑क्रथुः॒ सिंधु॑षु प्ल॒वमा॑त्म॒न्वंतं॑ प॒क्षिणं॑ तौ॒ग्र्याय॒ कं । येन॑ देव॒त्रा मन॑सा निरू॒हथुः॑ सुपप्त॒नी पे॑तथुः॒ क्षोद॑सो म॒हः ॥
yuvámetám cakrathuḥ síndhuṣu plavámātmanvántam pakṣíṇam taugryā́ya kám ǀ yéna devatrā́ mánasā nirūháthuḥ supaptanī́ petathuḥ kṣódaso maháḥ ǁ
अव॑विद्धं तौ॒ग्र्यम॒प्स्वं१॒॑तर॑नारंभ॒णे तम॑सि॒ प्रवि॑द्धं । चत॑स्रो॒ नावो॒ जठ॑लस्य॒ जुष्टा॒ उद॒श्विभ्या॑मिषि॒ताः पा॑रयंति ॥
ávaviddham taugryámapsvántáranārambhaṇé támasi práviddham ǀ cátasro nā́vo jáṭhalasya júṣṭā údaśvíbhyāmiṣitā́ḥ pārayanti ǁ
कः स्वि॑द्वृ॒क्षो निष्ठि॑तो॒ मध्ये॒ अर्ण॑सो॒ यं तौ॒ग्र्यो ना॑धि॒तः प॒र्यष॑स्वजत् । प॒र्णा मृ॒गस्य॑ प॒तरो॑रिवा॒रभ॒ उद॑श्विना ऊहथुः॒ श्रोम॑ताय॒ कं ॥
káḥ svidvṛkṣó níṣṭhito mádhye árṇaso yám taugryó nādhitáḥ paryáṣasvajat ǀ parṇā́ mṛgásya patárorivārábha údaśvinā ūhathuḥ śrómatāya kám ǁ
This act contains the legendary core of the hymn—the famous rescue of Ṭaugrya (Bhujyu), who was cast away into the midst of the roaring, fathomless waters and impenetrable darkness. The Ṛṣi reminds the Aśvins of how they previously constructed a winged vessel for Taugrya, navigating him across the great floods through the sheer power of divine-directed thought. In verses 6 and 7, the peril is vividly detailed. Bhujyu was thrown deep into the waters of an unanchored, bottomless darkness. Yet, propelled by the Aśvins, four ships (or a four-fold vessel) carried him safely across. The imagery turns poetic: he is described like a bird clinging to a tree amidst the churning floods, rescued upward by the twin gods to ultimate safety and glory.
Verse 5: You two created that winged, soul-possessing ship in the midst of the rivers for the son of Tugra, by which, with a mind directed toward the gods, you carried him out, and flying with rapid wings, you sped forth from the great surging flood.
Verse 6: Cast down into the waters, sunken deep within the bottomless, unanchored darkness, hurled forward—four ships, favored and impelled by the Aśvins, bear him safely across.
Verse 7: What tree is that, planted in the midst of the waters, which the distressed son of Tugra embraced all around? Like the feathers of a soaring bird for the sake of grasping, the Aśvins raised him up for glory.
The tale of Bhujyu is one of the most famous Aśvin legends in the Rigveda. While ritualists view it as a literal maritime rescue, spiritual interpreters like Sri Aurobindo view it as the soul's rescue from the dark, chaotic waters of the inconscient.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| प्लवम् | plavam | floating vessel, ship |
| पक्षिणम् | pakṣiṇam | winged bird-like |
| तौग्र्याय | taugryāya | for the son of Tugra (Bhujyu) |
| क्षोदसः | kṣodasaḥ | from the surging waters |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| अनारम्भणे | anārambhaṇe | without support or handhold |
| तमसि | tamasi | in the darkness |
| चतस्रः | catasraḥ | four |
| नावः | nāvaḥ | ships, boats |
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| वृक्षः | vṛkṣaḥ | tree |
| अर्णसः | arṇasaḥ | of the flood or ocean |
| परिअसस्वजत् | pari-asasvajat | embraced all around |
| उधहथुः | ūhathuḥ | carried upward, rescued |
Picture a lone sailor sinking into a dark, pitch-black oceanic void, suddenly lifted upward into the sky by a miraculous, bird-like flying ship sent by the twin gods.
Verses 8
तद्वां॑ नरा नासत्या॒वनु॑ ष्या॒द्यद्वां॒ माना॑स उ॒चथ॒मवो॑चन् । अ॒स्माद॒द्य सद॑सः सो॒म्यादा वि॒द्यामे॒षं वृ॒जनं॑ जी॒रदा॑नुं ॥
tádvām narā nāsatyāvánu ṣyādyádvām mā́nāsa ucáthamávocan ǀ asmā́dadyá sádasaḥ somyā́dā́ vidyā́meṣám vṛjánam jīrádānum ǁ
The Sūkta draws to a close with a humble and deeply earnest prayer sealing the bond between the divine heroes and the human seer. The Ṛṣi expresses his heartfelt wish that this praise—woven meticulously by the minds of the sages ('mānāsaḥ')—may find total favor and resonance with the Aśvins. He asks that from this very session of pressing the sacred Soma, they may be granted lasting vital energy, a secure dwelling place, and dynamic, ever-flowing bounty.
Verse 8: May this, O Nāsatya lords, be pleasing to you both, which your devoted thinkers have uttered as a hymn of praise. From this very Soma-session today, may we attain life-sustaining energy, a secure sanctuary, and swift-flowing abundance.
This concluding verse follows the traditional Vedic structure of seeking 'iṣam' (nourishment/refreshment) and 'vṛjanam' (protection or safe enclosure) as the ultimate fruits of communion with the deities.
| Devanāgarī | IAST | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| नासत्या | nāsatyā | O Nāsatyas |
| मानासः | mānāsaḥ | the thinkers, intelligent sages |
| उचथम् | ucatham | hymn of praise, laudation |
| जीरदानुम् | jīradānum | life-giving, swift-flowing bounty |
Picture a glowing chalice of Soma raised toward the open sky, sealing a covenant of protection, peace, and endless vitality between man and the divine.