Ashvins: Difference between revisions

| other_names = Ashvini Kumaras, Ashvinau, Nasatya, Dasra

| consort = Sūryā{{sfn|Kramisch|Miller|1983|p=171}}{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}

| siblings = [[Revanta]], [[Yami]], [[Yama]], [[Shraddhadeva Manu]], [[Shani]], [[Karna]], [[Tapati]] and [[Savarni Manu]]

| equivalent1 = [[Ašvieniai]], [[Dieva Dēli]]

 

The '''Ashvins''' ({{lang-sa|अश्विन्|Aśvin|horse possessors}}), also known as the '''Ashvini Kumaras''' and '''Asvinau''',<ref name=":0">{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.42.</ref> are [[Hindu deities|Hindu]] twin gods associated with medicine, health, dawn, and the sciences.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wise|first=Thomas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2u0lAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA4|title=Commentary on the Hindu System of Medicine|date=1860|publisher=Trübner|language=en|pages=4}}</ref> In the ''[[Rigveda]]'', they are described as youthful divine twin horsemen, travelling in a chariot drawn by horses that are never weary, and portrayed as guardian deities that safeguard and rescue people by aiding them in various situations.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}}

 

There are varying accounts, but Ashvins are generally mentioned as the sons of the sun god [[Surya]] and his wife [[Sanjna]]. In the epic ''[[Mahabharata]],'' the Pandava twins [[Nakula]] and [[Sahadeva]] were the children of the Ashvins.

The [[Sanskrit]] name ''{{IAST|Aśvín}}'' (अश्विन्) derives from the [[Proto-Indo-Iranian language|Indo-Iranian]] stem ''*Haćwa-'' (cf. [[Avestan]] ''aspā''), itself from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Indo-European]] word for the horse, ''*H₁éḱwos'', from which also descends the Lithuanian name ''[[Ašvieniai]]''.<ref name=":02">[[Alexander Lubotsky|Lubotsky, Alexander]]. "Indo-Aryan Inherited Lexicon". ''Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Project''. [[Leiden University]]. s.v. ''áśva-''.</ref>

In the ''[[Rigveda]]'', the Ashvins are always referred to in the dual, without individual names,{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}} although Vedic texts differentiate between the two Ashvins: "one of you is respected as the victorious lord of Sumakha, and the other as the fortunate son of heaven" (''RV'' 1.181.4). They are called several times ''divó nápātā,'' that is 'grandsons of [[Dyaus|Dyaús]] (the sky-god)'. This formula is comparable with the Lithuanian ''Dievo sūneliai'', 'sons of [[Dievas]] (the sky-god'), attached to the [[Ašvieniai]]; the Latvian ''[[Dieva Dēli]]'', the 'sons of Dievs (the sky-god)'; and the Greek ''Diós-kouroi'', the 'boys of [[Zeus]]', designating [[Castor and Pollux]].{{sfn|West|2007|p=187–191}}{{Sfn|Parpola|2015a|pp=109–110}}

The twin gods are also referred to as ''Nā́satyā'' (possibly 'saviours'; a derivative of ''nasatí'', 'safe return home'), a name that appears 99 times in the ''Rigveda''.{{Sfn|Parpola|2015a|pp=109–110}} The [[epithet]] probably derives from the [[Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European]] root ''*nes-'' ('to return home [safely]'), with [[cognate]]s in the [[Avestan]] ''Nā̊ŋhaiθya'', the name of a demon – as a result of a [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] religious reformation that changed the status of prior deities –, and also in the Greek hero [[Nestor (mythology)|Nestor]] and in the [[Gothic language|Gothic]] verb ''nasjan'' ('save, heal').{{Sfn|Frame|2009|p=}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ahmadi|first=Amir|date=2015|title=Two Chthonic Features of the Daēva Cult in Historical Evidence|journal=History of Religions|volume=54|issue=3|pages=348|doi=10.1086/679000|issn=0018-2710|jstor=10.1086/679000|s2cid=162230518}}</ref>

In the later ''[[Mahabharata]]'', the Ashvins are often called the ''Nasatyas'' or ''Dasras''. Sometimes one of them is referred to as ''Nasatya'' and one as ''Dasra''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Thadani|first=N.v.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlKeGQiC58oC&q=nasatya+and+dasra&pg=PA362|title=The Mystery of the Mahabharata: Vol. I|publisher=India Research Press|pages=362|language=en}}</ref>

The Ashvins are an instance of the [[Proto-Indo-European religion|Indo-European]] [[Divine twins|divine horse twins]].{{Sfn|Mallory|Adams|2006|p=432}}<ref>{{cite book|title=Comparative Mythology|last=Puhvel|first=Jaan|date=1987|publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press|isbn=0-8018-3938-6|location=Baltimore, Maryland|pages=58–61|author-link=Jaan Puhvel}}

</ref>{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}} Reflexes in other Indo-European religions include the Lithuanian [[Ašvieniai]], the Latvian [[Dieva Dēli]], the Greek [[Castor and Pollux]]; and possibly the English [[Hengist and Horsa]], and the Welsh [[Bran the Blessed|Bran]] and [[Manawydan]].{{Sfn|Mallory|Adams|2006|p=432}}{{sfn|West|2007|p=187–191}} The first mention of the Nasatya twins is from a [[Mitanni-Aryan|Mitanni]] treaty (c.1350 BCE), between [[Suppiluliuma]] and [[Shattiwaza]], respectively kings of the Hittites and the [[Mitanni]].<ref>KBo 1 1. {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/hittitediplomati00beck_0 |title=Hittite Diplomatic Texts|author=Gary M. Beckman|date=1999 |publisher=Scholars Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/hittitediplomati00beck_0/page/53 53]|isbn=9780788505515|url-access=registration}}. Excerpt http://www.heritageinstitute.com/zoroastrianism/ranghaya/suppiluliuma_shattiwaza_treaty.htm</ref>

The Ashvins are mentioned 398 times in the ''Rigveda'',<ref name=":0" /> with more than 50 hymns specifically dedicated to them: 1.3, 1.22, 1.34, 1.46–47, 1.112, 1.116–120, 1.157–158, 1.180–184, 2.20, 3.58, 4.43–45, 5.73–78, 6.62–63, 7.67–74, 8.5, 8.8–10, 8.22, 8.26, 8.35, 8.57, 8.73, 8.85–87, 10.24, 10.39–41, 10.143.{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}}

 

O Aśvins—you men, you bulls—by the wondrous powers you draw back together the seer Rebha, who bobbed away in the waters, like a horse hidden by those of evil ways. Your ancient deeds do not grow old.|char=1.117.2–4|sign=|title=|source=The Rigveda, translated by Stephanie W. Jamison (2014){{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|pp=272–273}}}}

According to the text, the Ashvins were born after the sun god [[Vivasvat]] and his wife [[Saranyu]] (Sanjna) engaged in love making in the form of a stallion and a mare respectively.{{sfn|Lang|1887}} The Ashvins are also called "''divó nápātā"'', which is variously translated as either "sons" or "grandsons" of Dyaush.{{sfn|West|2007|p=187–191}}{{Sfn|Parpola|2015a|pp=109–110}}<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Macdonell|first=Arthur Anthony|title=Vedic Mythology|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1897|pages=51}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last1=De Witt Griswold|first1=Harvey|title=The Religion of the Rigveda|last2=Farquhar|first2=J. N.|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1923|pages=262}}</ref> At one mention, the [[Indus River|Indus (Sindhu) River]] is stated to be their mother.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=157}} Ashvins were the close companions of the Vedic mother goddess [[Ushas]] (dawn) and sometimes they are even mentioned as her sons.{{sfn|Kinsley|1988|p=6}} The marriage of the Ashvin brothers is narrated in the ''Sukta'' 117 of Rigveda. According to the legend, the sun god, Surya-[[Savitra]], had a daughter named Sūryā (with a long ā) and arranged a horse-race to choose her bridegroom. The Ashvins won the race and thus, both of them married Suryā.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=71}}{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}{{efn|Contradictory to this, some chapters of Rigveda suggest that Sūryā's bridegroom was the god Soma and the Ashvins were his friends.{{sfn|Kramisch|Miller|1983|p=171}}}} [[Pushan]] is also stated to have chosen the Ashvins to be his fathers.<ref name=":2" />{{Sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=1522}}

The Ashvins also raised Vandana, rescued Atri from a fissure in the earth and its heat, found Vishnapu and returned him to his father, restored the youth of Kali, brought Kamadyū as a wife for Vimada, gave a son to Vadhrimatī (whose husband was a steer), restored the eyesight of Rijrashva, replaced the foot of [[Vishpala]] with a metal one, made the cow Śayu give milk, gave a horse to Pedu, and put a horse's head on [[Dadhichi|Dadhyañc]].{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}  

According to the ''[[Shatapatha Brahmana]]'', Ashvins once tried to seduce [[Sukanya]], the daughter of king Saryati and wife of an old sage named [[Chyavana]]. However, she refused and claimed that the twins were imperfect and told them to restore the youth of Chyavana. Desperate to know the reason for her words, they fulfilled her condition and the sage finally revealed that Ashvins were excluded from a [[yajna]] (fire sacrifice) performed by the gods, and thus, they were incomplete. Ashvins went to the sacrifice but the gods don't accept, claiming that the Ashvins were spending too much time with the mortals. After many attempts of explanation, they were finally accepted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FeAyMeaRwtMC&q=chyavana+sukanya&pg=PA342|title = "The" Vishnu Purana ; 3: A System of Hindu Mythology and Tradition ; Translated from the Original Sanskrit, and Illustrated by Notes Derived Chiefly from Other Puranas|year = 1866|last1 = Wilson|first1 = Horace H.}}</ref> The Ashvins are sometimes presented as fierce deities. In the ''sukta'' 117, they even destroyed an ''[[asura]]'' Vishvaka as well as his dynasty.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=71}}

=== Post-Vedic text ===

[[File:Sukanya praying to Aswini kumaras to reveal her husband's identity.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Sukanya praying to the Ashvini Kumaras to reveal her husband's identity]]

In the post-Vedic texts of Hinduism, the Ashvins remain significant, and in these texts, one of them is referred as Nasatya and the another one is known as Darsa. Many of their legends are rewritten in various texts like the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'', ''[[Harivansha|Harivamsha]],'' and the ''[[Puranas]]''.

According to these texts, Sanjna, daughter of [[Vishvakarma]], was married to Surya, but she was unable to bear his heat and decided to abandon him. She ran away and roamed in the forest of northern [[Kuru kingdom]] in  the form of a mare. The ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' adds that she performed austerities in the forest to gain control over Surya's heat. After Surya discovered Sanjna's disappearance, he located her and made love with her in a form of stallion. Sanjna gave birth to the twins.{{sfn|Mani|1975|p=69}} Rarely, in some ''Purana''s, Ashvins are mentioned as the sons (creation) of the god [[Brahma]].{{sfn|Dalal|2010|p=64}}

The Ashvins are often associated with rescuing mortals and bringing them back to life.<ref>{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.43.</ref>{{efn|See [[#Vedic texts]] section of Literature and legends}} The ''[[Rigveda]]'' also describes the Ashvins as "bringing light": they gave "light-bringing help" (''svàrvatīr''…''ūtī́r'', 1.119.8) to Bhujyu, and "raised (Rebha) up to see the sun" (''úd''…''aírayataṃ svàr dṛśé'', 1.112.5).<ref>{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.44.</ref>{{Sfn|West|2007|p=187}}

The Ashvins are associated with honey, which was likely offered to them in a sacrifice. They are the chief deities in the [[Pravargya|Pravargya rite]], in which they are offered hot milk. They are also associated with the morning pressing of [[Soma (drink)|Soma]], because they are dual deities, along with [[Indra]]-[[Vayu|Vāyu]] and [[Mitra (Vedic)|Mitra]]-[[Varuna|Varuṇa]]. They also are the last deities to receive Soma in the Atirātra, or Overnight Soma Ritual.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=47}}

The Ashvins are invoked at dawn, the time of their principal sacrifice, and have a close connection with the dawn goddess, [[Ushas|Uṣas]]: she is bidden to awaken them (8.9.17), they follow her in their chariot (8.5.2), she is born when they hitch their steeds (10.39.12), and their chariot is once said to arrive before her (1.34.10). They are consequently associated with the "return from darkness": the twins are called “darkness slayers” (''tamohánā'', 3.39.3), they are invoked with the formula "you who have made light for mankind" (''yā́v''…''jyótir jánāya cakráthuḥ'', 1.92.17), and their horses and chariot are described as "uncovering the covered darkness" (''aporṇuvántas táma ā́ párīvṛtam'', 4.45.2).<ref>{{Harvnb|Frame|2009}}, §1.45.</ref>

The chariot of the Ashvins is repeatedly mentioned in the ''Rigveda''. Their chariot has three chariot-boxes, three wheels, three turnings, and three wheel rims. The emphasis on the number 3 is symbolized in the sacrifice with its three soma pressings. The chariot is pulled by bulls, buffaloes, horses, birds, geese, and falcons. The chariot allows the Ashvins to be quick and mobile and travel to a number of places, which is necessary to fulfill their role of rescuing people. Sūryā, the daughter of the Sun, is sometimes mentioned as the wife of the Ashvins, and she rides with them in their chariot.{{sfn|Jamison|Brereton|2014|p=48}}

It is also believed that the Ashvins were the first one to prepare the [[Chyawanprash]] formulation for Rishi [[Chyavana]] at his [[Ashram]] on [[Dhosi Hill]] near [[Narnaul]], [[Haryana]], [[India]], hence the name ''Chyawanprash''.<ref>Panda, H; ''Handbook on Ayurvedic Medicines With Formulae, Processes And Their Uses'', 2004, p10 {{ISBN|978-81-86623-63-3}}</ref>

 

* {{Cite web|last=Frame|first=Douglas|title=Hippota Nestor - 3. Vedic|date=2009|url=https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5466.ch-3-vedic|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920133941/https://chs.harvard.edu/CHS/article/display/5466.ch-3-vedic|archive-date=20 September 2019|website=Center for Hellenic Studies}}

* {{Cite book |last1=Jamison |first1=Stephanie W. |last2=Brereton |first2=Joel P. |title=The Rigveda: The Earliest Religious Poetry of India|date=2014 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-937018-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1-PRAwAAQBAJ}}

* {{Cite book|last=Lang|first=Andrew|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ClcWhh1eYPEC&q=Vivasvat+a%C5%9Bvins&pg=PA156|title=Myth, Ritual and Religion|date=1887|publisher=Longmans, Green|language=en}}

* {{Cite book|last=Parpola|first=Asko|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DagXCgAAQBAJ|title=The Roots of Hinduism: The Early Aryans and the Indus Civilization|date=2015a|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-022693-0|language=en|author-link=Asko Parpola}}

{{refend}}

 

{{refbegin}}

* [[Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend]] ({{ISBN|0-500-51088-1}}) by Anna L. Dallapiccola

* {{cite journal |last1=BOSCH |first1=F. D. K. |title=De Aśvin-goden en de epische tweelingen in de oudjavaanse kunst en literatuur |trans-title=The Aśvin godlings and the epic twins in old-javanese art and literature |language=nl |journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |date=1967 |volume=123 |issue=4 |pages=427–441 |doi=10.1163/22134379-90002890 |id={{ProQuest|1130862317}} |jstor=27860895 }}

* {{cite journal |last1=Chakravarty |first1=Uma |title=The Aśvins: an Incarnation of the Universal Twinship Motif |journal=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute |date=1989 |volume=70 |issue=1/4 |pages=137–143 |jstor=41693465 }}

* {{cite journal |last1=JAMISON |first1=S. W. |title=Review of Les Nāsatya, Volume II |journal=Indo-Iranian Journal |date=2002 |volume=45 |issue=4 |pages=347–350 |doi=10.1163/000000002124994928 |jstor=24664156 }}

* {{cite journal |last1=Mitra |first1=Jyotir |title=Ashvins, the Twin Celestial Physicians, and Their Medical Skill |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |date=1984 |volume=45 |pages=220–228 |jstor=44140202 }}

* {{cite book |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190226909.003.0011 |chapter=The Aśvins as Funerary Gods |title=The Roots of Hinduism |year=2015b |last1=Parpola |first1=Asko |pages=117–129 |isbn=978-0-19-022690-9 }}

* {{Cite web|last=Parva|first=Paushya|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01004.htm|title=Section III (Paushya Parva|pages=32–33|access-date=1 November 2013|publisher=Sacred Texts}}