Rig Veda Sukta 157
Mandala 1Sukta 1575 Mantras

Sukta 157

Sukta 1.157

Devata

Aśvins (with Agni, Sūrya, Uṣas, Savitṛ as supporting powers)

Chandas

Jagatī (probable for RV 1.157 opening; needs confirmation by syllable count)

Dieser Hymnus ist eine Anrufung der Aśvins im Morgengrauen, in dem Augenblick, da Agni erwacht, Sūrya aufgeht und Uṣas ihr Licht ausbreitet und so den geordneten Lauf der Welt bezeichnet, den Savitṛ in Gang gesetzt hat. Er bittet die Zwillingsheiler, rasch auf ihrem Wagen herbeizukommen, Lebenskraft und Nahrung zu bringen, Schaden und Feindseligkeit zu reinigen und Stärke und Gelingen für den frommen Opfernden zu begründen.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 1.157

Mantras

Mantra 1

अबोध्यग्निर्ज्म उदेति सूर्यो व्युषाश्चन्द्रा मह्यावो अर्चिषा । आयुक्षातामश्विना यातवे रथं प्रासावीद्देवः सविता जगत्पृथक् ॥

Agni ist im irdischen Wesen erwacht; Sūrya steigt empor; Uṣas hat sich ausgebreitet, und die Leuchtende (candrā) strahlt mit weitem Glanz. Die Aśvins haben den Wagen zur Fahrt angespannt; der Gott Savitṛ hat die bewegte Welt ausgesandt, jedes Wesen auf seine weite Bahn.

Mantra 3

अर्वाङ्त्रिचक्रो मधुवाहनो रथो जीराश्वो अश्विनोर्यातु सुष्टुतः । त्रिवन्धुरो मघवा विश्वसौभगः शं न आ वक्षद्द्विपदे चतुष्पदे ॥

Herbei komme der dreirädrige, honigtragende Wagen der Aśvins, mit schnellen Rossen, wohlgepriesen. Dreisitzig, gabenreich, von allumfassendem Glück — er bringe uns Heil, den Zweifüßigen und den Vierfüßigen.

Mantra 4

आ न ऊर्जं वहतमश्विना युवं मधुमत्या नः कशया मिमिक्षतम् । प्रायुस्तारिष्टं नी रपांसि मृक्षतं सेधतं द्वेषो भवतं सचाभुवा ॥

Bringt uns Kraft und wahre Nahrung, o Aśvins; mit eurer honigschweren Peitsche mischt es uns ein. Führt unsere Lebensmacht (prāyus) zur Unversehrtheit; wischt Flecken und Wunden hinweg; wehrt Feindschaft ab — seid mit uns als mitgehende Mächte, die mit uns werden.

Mantra 5

युवं ह गर्भं जगतीषु धत्थो युवं विश्वेषु भुवनेष्वन्तः । युवमग्निं च वृषणावपश्च वनस्पतीँरश्विनावैरयेथाम् ॥

Ihr habt wahrlich den verborgenen Keim des Werdens in die bewegten Welten gelegt; ihr seid in allen Welten innen. Ihr zwei Starken setzt Agni und die Wasser in Gang, auch die Herren des Waldes — o Aśvins — und weckt die Kräfte, die das verkörperte Leben bauen und heilen.

Mantra 6

युवं ह स्थो भिषजा भेषजेभिरथो ह स्थो रथ्या राथ्येभिः । अथो ह क्षत्रमधि धत्थ उग्रा यो वां हविष्मान्मनसा ददाश ॥

Ihr seid wahrlich Heiler mit euren Heilmitteln; und ihr seid Herren des Wagenwegs mit euren Wagenkräften. Und ihr legt sieghafte Macht, o Gewaltige, auf den, der euch mit dem Opfertrank (havis) und mit dem Geist die Gabe darbringt.

Inside Sukta 157

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    A cosmic awakening: Agni stirs, the Sun rises, Dawn expands, and Savitṛ impels the moving world into ordered courses.

  2. Development

    The Aśvins are summoned as the timely dawn-helpers, their chariot readied; the hymn turns from cosmic scene to personal need—nourishment, vitality, cleansing, and protection.

  3. Climax

    The direct petition for renewal: bring ūrj (nourishing power), set āyus forward into wholeness, wipe away stains/hurts, and repel hostility—making the Aśvins intimate companions in life’s struggle.

  4. Where it settles

    Assurance of their functional gifts: they are healers with remedies and masters of the chariot-way, establishing victorious strength for the devoted offerer who gives oblation and intent.

The deity: Aśvins

  • In the VedaThe Aśvins are the radiant twin horsemen, swift charioteers and divine physicians, invoked at dawn to arrive quickly and bestow help. They are praised for restoring health, rescuing from distress, and bringing refreshment and auspiciousness as the day begins.
  • Cosmic functionThey mediate the transition from night to day—opening pathways, setting movement and safe passage, and renewing life through healing and revitalization in the morning order of ṛta.
  • Inner significanceThey symbolize the paired forces of restoration and forward motion: the capacity to recover (healing, cleansing, renewal) and to proceed (courage, skill, right timing) at the start of a new cycle.

Famous verses

अबोध्यग्निर्ज्म उदेति सूर्यो व्युषाश्चन्द्रा मह्यावो अर्चिषा । आयुक्षातामश्विना यातवे रथं प्रासावीद्देवः सविता जगत्पृथक् ॥
Verse 1.157.1Sets the hymn’s ritual-cosmic frame at dawn—Agni’s awakening, Sūrya’s rising, Uṣas’ unfolding, and Savitṛ’s impulsion—then links this to the Aśvins’ chariot being yoked.Read verse 1.157.1 →
आ न ऊर्जं वहतमश्विना युवं मधुमत्या नः कशया मिमिक्षतम् । प्रायुस्तारिष्टं नी रपांसि मृक्षतं सेधतं द्वेषो भवतं सचाभुवा ॥
Verse 1.157.4Core petition for practical and inner well-being: bring nourishment (ūrj), sweeten/animate it, advance life-force (āyus), cleanse harms, and repel hostility—encapsulating the Aśvins as renewers.Read verse 1.157.4 →
युवं ह स्थो भिषजा भेषजेभिरथो ह स्थो रथ्या राथ्येभिः । अथो ह क्षत्रमधि धत्थ उग्रा यो वां हविष्मान्मनसा ददाश ॥
Verse 1.157.6Defines the Aśvins’ essential identities—divine physicians and chariot-masters—and promises empowered success (kṣatra) to the mindful offerer.Read verse 1.157.6 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Twin deities
  • Swift chariot-borne helpers
  • Healers (bhiṣajā) with remedies (bheṣaja)
  • Dawn-associated benefactors
  • Protectors who repel hostility
  • Givers of vitality (āyus) and nourishment (ūrj)

Also by this seer

  • Because the rṣi attribution is uncertain here, no single corpus of additional hymns can be confidently assigned to this same seer on internal evidence alone.
  • Traditionally, Aśvin hymns in early Maṇḍala 1 are associated with several families (e.g., Kāṇva, Gautama, etc.), but this sūkta’s rṣi cannot be fixed with certainty from the provided data.

The rite, step by step

  • Kindle or rekindle Agni as the rite begins (signaling ‘Agni awakens’).
  • Face the dawn/east; recite the opening verse to align with Sūrya’s rising and Uṣas’ spreading light.
  • Invite the Aśvins to ‘yoke the chariot’ and arrive swiftly; state the specific requests: nourishment, vitality, cleansing of harms, and repelling of hostility.
  • Offer oblations with focused intention (manasā), asking the Aśvins to establish kṣatra (effective strength) in the worshiper.
  • Conclude with a brief dedication of the rite’s merit toward health, protection, and right course in the moving world (jagat).

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya) into Agni
  • Simple morning oblation (havis) appropriate to household or śrauta setting
  • Honey/sweet offering symbolically aligned with ‘madhumatī’ (where culturally appropriate)
  • Water for purification and well-being

Frequently Asked Questions

They are the twin dawn deities—swift charioteers and divine healers—invoked to arrive quickly and restore health, vitality, and protection as the day begins.

It frames the prayer in the dawn moment: Agni is awakened, the Sun rises, Dawn spreads light, and Savitṛ ‘sets the world in motion.’ This is the natural time when the Aśvins are traditionally called.

It asks for nourishment and increase (ūrj), a strengthened life-force (āyus), cleansing of hurts and ‘stains,’ repelling of hostility, and the establishment of effective strength (kṣatra) for the devoted worshiper.

Ask anything about Sukta 157 of the Rig Veda

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