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SECTION XV.

THE ASVINS.

(1) The character and parentage of the Asvins, their relations to Surya, their attributes and accompaniments.

The Aśvins seem to have been a puzzle even to the oldest Indian commentators. Yaska thus refers to them in the Nirukta, xii. 1:

Atha ato dyusthānāḥ devatāḥ | tāsām Aśvinau prathamāgāminau bhavataḥ | Aśvinau yad vyaśnuvate sarvam rasena anyo jyotisha anyaḥ | "Asvair aśvinav" ity Aurnabhavaḥ tat kav Aśvinau | "Dyārāpṛithi vyāv" ity eke "ahoratrāv" ity eke | "Suryachandramasāv" ity eke | “rājānau punyakṛitāv” ity aitihāsikāḥ | tayoḥ kālaḥ ūrddham ūrdhvarātrāt prakāśībhāvasya anuvishhṭambham anu | tamobhāgo hi madhyamo jyotirbhagaḥ adityaḥ | 5. Tayoḥ kālaḥ suryodayaparyantaḥ |

"Next in order are the deities whose sphere is the heaven; of these the Asvins are the first to arrive. They are called Aśvins because they pervade (vyaśnuvāte) everything, the one with moisture, the other with light. Aurnabhava says they are called Asvins, from the horses (aśvaiḥ, on which they ride). Who, then, are these Asvins? 'Heaven and Earth,' 9357 say some; 'Day and Night,' say others; The Sun and Moon,' say others; Two kings, performers of holy acts,' say the legendary writers. Their time is subsequent to midnight, whilst the manifestation of light is delayed; [and ends with the rising of the sun, ibid. xii. 5]. The dark portion [of this time] denotes the intermediate (god Indra ?), the light portion Aditya (the Sun).” 358

=

357 Compare S. P. Br. iv. 1, 5, 16, Atha yad "Asvināv" iti ime ha vai dyāvāprithivi pratyaksham aśvinau | ime hi idam sarvam āśnuvātām | “The Heaven and Earth are manifestly the As'vins, for they (Heaven and Earth) have pervaded everything."

35% See the different interpretation given by Professor Goldstücker, at the close of this section. The words are obscure.

Professor Roth, on the strength of this passage, considers that Yaska identifies the two Aśvins with Indra and the Sun (Illustrations of Nirukta, p. 159).359

In the Journal of the German Oriental Society, iv. 425, the same author thus speaks of these gods: "The two Aśvins, though, like the ancient interpreters of the Veda, we are by no means agreed as to the conception of their character, hold, nevertheless, a perfectly distinct position in the entire body of the Vedic deities of light. They are the earliest bringers of light in the morning sky, who in their chariot hasten onward before the dawn, and prepare the way for her." 360

In a passage of the R. V., x. 17, 2 (quoted above in the section on Tvashtri, p. 227), the Aávins are represented as the twin sons of Vivasvat and Saranyu. They are also called the sons of the sky (divo napātā) in R.V. i. 182, 1; i. 184, 1; 361 x. 61, 4; and in i. 46, 2, sindhumatara, the offspring of the Ocean 362 (whether aerial or terrestrial).

The Taitt. S. vii. 2, 7, 2, says that the Aśvins are the youngest of the gods (aśvinau vai devānām ānujāvarau).

In i. 180, 2, the sister of the Asvins is mentioned, by whom the commentator naturally understands Ushas (svasṛisthānīyā svayam̃sārinī vā ushāḥ). In vii. 71, 1, and elsewhere (see above, p. 188, 191), Ushas is called the sister of Night, whilst in i. 123, 5, she is said to be the sister of Bhaga and Varuna.

The Asvins are in many parts of the Rig-veda connected with Surya, the youthful daughter of the sun (called also Urjānī in one

359 R.V. i. 181, 4, is, according to Roth, quoted by Yāska in illustration of his view: "Born here and there these two have striven forward (?) with spotless bodies according to their respective characters. One of you, a conqueror and a sage, [is the son] of the strong one (?); the other is born onward, the son of the sky" (ihehajātā samarāvaśītām arepasā tanvā nāmabhiḥ svaiḥ | jishṇur vām anyaḥ sumakhasya surir divo anyaḥ subhagaḥ putraḥ uhe). Compare Roth's transl. in Illustrations of Nirukta, p. 159.

360 For some speculations of Professor Müller and Weber, on the Asvins, see the lectures of the former, 2nd series, p. 489 f., and the Indische Studien of the latter, vol. v. p. 234.

361 In i. 181, 4, only one of them is said to be the son of the sky. See note 369, above. 362 On this the commentator remarks that, although it is the Sun and Moon that are sprung from the sea, yet the same epithet applies equally to the Asvins who, in the opinion of some, are identical with the former (yadyapi sūrya-chandramasāv eva samudrajau tathāpy Aśvinoḥ keshānchit mate tadrūpatvāt tathātvam).

place, i. 119, 2, as Sāyaṇa understands it, suryasya duhita), who is represented as having, for the sake of acquiring friends, chosen them for her two husbands, i. 119, 5 (ā vām patitvam sakhyāya jagmushi yosha 'vrinita jenyā yuvām patī); iv. 43, 6 (tad ū shu vām ajiram cheti yanam yena pati bhavathaḥ Süryāyāḥ); vii. 69, 3 (vi vam ratho vadhva yādamānaḥ antān divo badhate varttanibhyām); x. 39, 11, na tam rājānāv Adite kutaś chana na am̃haḥ aśnoti duritam nakir bhayam | yam Aśvinā suhavā rudravarttanī puroratham kṛinuthaḥ patnyā saha | "Neither distress, nor calamity, nor fear from any quarter assails the man whom ye Asvins, along with [your] wife, cause to lead the van in his car;" 364 and as loving to ascend their chariot, i. 34, 5; i. 116, 17; i. 117, 13 (yuvo ratham duhitā sūryasya saha śriyā Nāsatyā 'vrinita); i. 118, 5 (ā vām ratham yuvatis tishthad atra jushțvi narā duhita Suryasya); iv. 43, 2; v. 73, 5 (ā yad vām Sūryā ratham tishthat, etc.); vi. 63, 5 f.; vii. 68, 3; vii. 69, 4; viii. 8, 10; viii. 22, 1; viii. 29, 8.365

R.V. i. 116, 17, is as follows: ā vām ratham duhitā sūryasya kār-. shmevatishthad arvatā jayanti | viśve devāḥ anv amanyanta hṛidbhiḥ "sam śriyā Nāsatyā sachethe" | "The daughter of the sun stood upon your chariot, attaining first the goal, as if with a race-horse. All the gods regarded this with approbation in their hearts (exclaiming) 'Ye, o Nasatyas, associate yourselves with good fortune." On this passage Sayana remarks as follows: Savita sva-duhitaram Sūryākhyām Somāya rājne pradātum aichhat | tām Sūryām sarve devāḥ varayāmāsuḥ | te anyonyam uchur "Ādityam avadhim kṛitvā ājim dhāvāma yo asmākam ujjeshyati tasya iyam bhavishyati" iti | tatra Aśvināv udajayatām | sā cha Surya jitavatas tayoḥ ratham āruroha | "atra Prajapatir vai somāya rājne duhitaram prāyachhad" ityādikam brāhmaṇam anusandheyam "Savitri had destined his daughter Surya to be the wife of king Soma. But all the gods were anxious to obtain her hand, and resolved that the victor in a race which they agreed to run, with the sun for their goal, should get her. She was accordingly won by the Aśvins, and ascended their chariot." Sayana goes on to quote the commence

363 Professor Roth, s.v., takes the word for a personification of urjā, "nourishment." 364 The construction of the words patnya saha, "with wife," is not however very clear, as they may perhaps refer to the wife of the worshipper.

365 See also A.V. vi. 82, 2.

ment of the story, as told in the Brahmana. The words agree with those which introduce a reference to Surya's marriage to Soma in Ait. Br. iv. 7, but the story there told (of which an abstract will be found in a note further on) does not coincide with that of which the commentator gives a summary.

Allusion is also made to Sūryā in connection with the Aśvins in x. 85, 9, where, however, they no longer appear as her husbands,-a fact which seems to involve a contradiction between the passages cited above, and this: 9. Somo vadhūyur abhavat Aśvinā 'stām ubhā varā | Suryam yat patye samsantim manasā Savitā 'dadāt | 14. Yad Aśvinā pṛichhamānāv ayātam trichakrena vahatum Sūryāyāḥ | viśve devāḥ anu tad vām ajānan putraḥ pitarāv avṛinita Pushā "Soma was the

wooer, the Asvins were the two friends of the bridegroom, 366 when Savitri gave to her husband Surya, consenting in her mind. 14. When ye came, Aśvins, to the marriage procession of Surya, to make enquiries, all the gods approved, and Pushan,367 as a son, chose you for his parents."

The daughter of the Sun is connected with the Soma plant in ix. 1, 6 (punāti te parisrutam somam suryasya duhitā | "The Daughter of the Sun purifies thy distilled soma," etc; and in ix. 113, 3, she is said to have brought it after it had been expanded by the rain (parjanyavṛiddham mahisham tam sūryasya duhitā "bharat).

If we look on Soma as the plant of that name, the connection between him and Sūryā is not very clear; but if Soma be taken for the moon, as he evidently appears to be in x. 85, 3 ("When they crush the plant, he who drinks fancies that he has drunk Soma; but no one tastes of him whom the priests know to be Soma; "368 it is not unnatural, from the relation of the two luminaries, that he should have been regarded as son-in-law of the sun.

The Asvins are described as coming from afar, from the sky or from the lower air, and are besought to allow no other worshippers to stop

366 Compare A.V. xi. 8, 1, "When Manyu brought his bride from the house of Sankalpa, who were the bridegroom's friends?" etc. (yad Manyur jāyām āvahat Sankalpasya grihād adhi | ke āsan janyāḥ ke varāḥ kaḥ u jyeshṭhavaro 'bhavat).

267 Weber asks (Ind. S. v. 183, 187,) whether Pūshan here is not meant to designate Soma, the bridegroom. In vi. 58, 4, the gods are said to have given Pushan to Surya. See above p. 179.

363 See at the close of the next section on Soma, and Weber's Ind. Stud. v. 179.

them, i. 22, 2 (divispṛiśā); i. 44, 5 (ā no yātam divo achha prithivyāḥ mā vām anye ni yaman devayantaḥ); viii. 5, 30 (tena no vājinīvasū parāvataś chid āgatam); viii. 8, 3, 4, 7 (4. Ā no yātam dicas pari antarikshāt); viii. 9, 2; viii. 10, 1; viii. 26, 17; or as being in, or arriving from, different unknown quarters, whether above or below, far or near, and among different races of men, i. 184, 1; v. 73, 1 (yad adya sthaḥ parāvati yad arvāvati); v. 74, 10 (aśvinā yad ha karhi chit śuśruyātam imam havam); vii. 70, 3; vii. 72, 5 (ā paśchātād nāsatyā ā purastād ā aśvinā yātam adharād udaktāt | ā viśvataḥ); viii. 10, 5 (yad adya aśvināv apāg yat prāk stho vājinīvasū | yad Druhyavi Anavi Turvase Yadau huve vām atha mā āgatam); viii. 62, 5. Sometimes the worshipper enquires after their locality, v. 74, 2, 3; vi. 63, 1; viii. 62, 4 (kuha sthaḥ kuha jagmathuḥ kuha syeneva petathuḥ). In one place (viii. 8, 23,) they are said to have three stations (triņi padāni Aśvinor āviḥ santi guhā paraḥ). The time of their appearance is properly the early dawn, when they yoke their horses to their car and descend to earth to receive the adorations and offerings of their votaries, i. 22, 1 (prātaryujā vi bodhayāśvinau); i. 184, 1; iv. 45, 2; vii. 67, 2; vii. 69, 5; vii. 71, 1-3; vii. 72, 4; vii. 73, 1; viii. 5, 1, 2; viii. 9, 17; x. 39, 12; x. 40, 1, 3; x. 41, 1, 2; x. 61, 4). I cite a few of these texts: vii. 67, 2. Aśochi Agniḥ samidhāno asme upo adṛiśran tamasaś chid antāḥ | acheti ketur ushashaḥ purastāt śriye divo duhitur jāyamānaḥ | 3. Abhi vām̃ nūnam aśvinā suhotā stomaiḥ sishakti nāsatyā vivakvān | "Agni, being kindled, has shone upon us; even the remotest ends of the darkness have been seen; the light in front of Ushas, the daughter of the sky, has been perceived, springing up for the illumination (of all things). 3. Now, Asvins, the priest invokes you with his hymns," etc.

viii. 5, 1. Dūrād iheva yat satī arunapsur aśiśvitat | vi bhānum viśvadhā 'tanat | 2. Nṛivad dasrā manoyujā rathena pṛithupājasā | sachethe Aśvina Ushasam | "When the rosy-hued Dawn, though far away, gleams as if she were near at hand, she spreads the light in all directions. 2. Ye, wonder-working Aśvins, like men, follow after Ushas in your car which is yoked by your will, and shines afar."

viii. 9, 17. Pra bodhaya Ushaḥ Aśvina | "Wake, o great and divine Ushas, the Asvins," etc.

x. 39, 12. Ā tena yātam manaso javīyasā ratkaṁ yaṁ vām Rībhavaś