Everything about Asvins totally explained
The
Ashvins (
Sanskrit: अश्विन) ("possessor of horses", "horse tamer", "cavalier", dual ) or
Ashwini Kumaras are
divine twin horsemen in the
Rigveda, sons of
Saranya, a goddess of the clouds and wife of either
Surya in his form as
Vivasvat. They are
Vedic gods symbolising the shining of sunrise and sunset, appearing in the sky before the dawn in a golden chariot, bringing treasures to men and averting misfortune and sickness. They can be compared with the
Dioscuri (the twins
Castor and Pollux) of
Greco-Roman mythology.
They are the doctors of gods and are
devas of
Ayurvedic medicine. They are called
Nasatya (dual "kind, helpful" in the Rigveda; later, Nasatya is the name of one twin, while the other is called
Dasra ("enlightened giving"). By popular etymology, the name was analysed as
na+asatya "not untrue"="true".
In the epic
Mahabharata, King Pandu's wife
Madri is granted a son by each Ashvin God and bears the twins
Nakula and
Sahadeva who, along with the sons of Kunti, are knowns as the
Pandavas.
To each one of them is assigned the
number 7 and to the pair the
number 14.
Ashvini is the name of an asterism in Indian astronomy, later identified with the mother of the Ashvins. This asterism forms the first of the 27 asterisms that form the zodiac in Indian astronomy. This star is identified as Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation of Aries (
Alpha Arietis)
The Ashvins are mentioned 376 times in the
Rigveda, with 57 hymns specifically dedicated to them: 1.3, 1.22, 1.34, 1.46-47, 1.112, 1.116-120 (c.f.
Vishpala), 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.
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