Rig Veda Sukta 74
Mandala 7Sukta 746 Mantras

Sukta 74

Sukta 7.74

Rishi

Vasiṣṭha (book 7 attribution)

Chandas

Gāyatrī (probable; shorter pādas suggest gāyatrī-type; confirm)

Himne ringkas ini menyeru Aśvinau pada saat fajar, ketika “cahaya-cahaya fajar” bangkit dan para pencari langit yang bercahaya memohon pertolongan mereka yang pantas. Ia menekankan kebajikan Kembar itu yang bergerak dari satu insan ke insan lain—tiba dengan kuda-kuda laju ke rumah pemuja yang dermawan—serta menggambarkan mereka sebagai pelindung yang menguatkan daya hidup manusia dan meneguhkan masyarakat dalam kesejahteraan.

Recitation with translationRig Veda 7.74

In this hymn

Addressed to

  • AshvinauMantras 1-5Aśvinau

    Twin youthful horsemen, swift as thought, physicians and rescuers, who respond to calls at dawn and bring aid, healing, and safe passage.

Mantras

Mantra 1

इमा उ वां दिविष्टय उस्रा हवन्ते अश्विना । अयं वामह्वेऽवसे शचीवसू विशंविशं हि गच्छथः ॥

Para pencari langit yang bercahaya ini menyeru kamu, wahai Aśvin, ketika cahaya-cahaya fajar terbit. Aku juga menyeru kamu untuk pertolongan, wahai tuan-tuan kuasa yang berkesan; kerana kamu benar-benar pergi dari kaum ke kaum, menyahut keperluan di mana pun ia terjaga.

Mantra 2

युवं चित्रं ददथुर्भोजनं नरा चोदेथां सूनृतावते । अर्वाग्रथं समनसा नि यच्छतं पिबतं सोम्यं मधु ॥

Kamu berdua mengurniakan santapan yang beraneka, wahai para wira, dan kamu menggerakkan dia yang kaya dengan ujaran benar. Dekatkanlah kereta kamu dengan sehati; minumlah manisnya soma yang bermadu—agar kenikmatan bertambah dalam diri kami dan kata yang lurus menjadi berdaya.

Mantra 3

आ यातमुप भूषतं मध्वः पिबतमश्विना । दुग्धं पयो वृषणा जेन्यावसू मा नो मर्धिष्टमा गतम् ॥

Datanglah, hampirilah dan berkenanlah, wahai Aśvin; minumlah kemanisan madhu. Minumlah susu—sari yang menyuburkan—wahai yang perkasa, wahai pemenang kenikmatan yang benar; janganlah menindas kami; datanglah kepada kami.

Mantra 4

अश्वासो ये वामुप दाशुषो गृहं युवां दीयन्ति बिभ्रतः । मक्षूयुभिर्नरा हयेभिरश्विना देवा यातमस्मयू ॥

Kuda-kuda yang menanggung kamu berdua, yang mendekatkan kamu ke rumah si pemberi persembahan, membawa kamu dengan segera. Dengan tunggangan yang pantas itu, wahai para wira, wahai Aśvin, wahai para dewa—datanglah kepada kami yang merindu kamu dan menuntut kehadiranmu.

Mantra 5

अधा ह यन्तो अश्विना पृक्षः सचन्त सूरयः । ता यंसतो मघवद्भ्यो ध्रुवं यशश्छर्दिरस्मभ्यं नासत्या ॥

Maka sesungguhnya, apabila Aśvin berangkat, para resi yang bercahaya menyertai mereka dengan tenaga yang subur. Kurniakanlah kepada yang pemurah kemuliaan yang teguh dan perlindungan yang menaungi; dan untuk kami juga, wahai Nāsatya, tegakkanlah naungan rahmat yang kukuh itu.

Mantra 6

प्र ये ययुरवृकासो रथा इव नृपातारो जनानाम् । उत स्वेन शवसा शूशुवुर्नर उत क्षियन्ति सुक्षितिम् ॥

Mereka yang mara—tanpa serigala (avṛkāsa), tanpa tipu daya dan tanpa cedera—bagaikan rata; para penjaga bangsa-bangsa. Dengan kekuatan mereka sendiri mereka makin teguh sebagai lelaki sejati; dan mereka pun menetap dalam kediaman yang baik, dalam penempatan yang sejahtera dan harmoni.

Inside Sukta 74

How it unfolds

  1. Where it opens

    Dawn rises; seekers of the shining heaven call the Aśvins, and the poet adds his own urgent invocation for help.

  2. Development

    The hymn highlights the Aśvins’ characteristic movement—going from clan to clan—and their swift conveyance by horses to the home of the generous worshipper.

  3. Climax

    A concentrated appeal for their rapid arrival with quick-running steeds and for their protective, strengthening power over human life.

  4. Where it settles

    The vision settles into social and existential well-being: the protected grow strong and come to dwell in a harmonious ‘good abiding’ (su-kṣiti).

The deity: Aśvinau

  • In the VedaThey are invoked as śacīvasū—possessors of effective power—and as gods who arrive quickly to the worshipper’s home.
  • Cosmic functionMediators of transition: they accompany the coming of Uṣas (Dawn), restore vitality, avert harm, and ensure safe movement between night and day, danger and safety, need and fulfilment.
  • Inner significanceThe paired powers of prompt discernment and efficacious action that ‘arrive’ when aspiration awakens—helping the seeker move from obscurity to clarity, and from fragmentation to a settled, well-ordered life.

The seer

  • VasiṣṭhaVasiṣṭha-gotra (Āditya/Brāhmaṇa seer lineage traditionally associated with the Vasiṣṭhas of Mandala 7) · Foremost among the Rigvedic seers; chief voice of Mandala 7, renowned for hymns to Varuṇa–Mitra and for articulating ṛta (cosmic order) and the ethical-spiritual dimension of Vedic worship.

Famous verses

viśaṃ-viśaṃ hi gacchathaḥ
Verse 7.74.1Sets the dawn setting and the central motif: the Aśvins are universally responsive, moving ‘from people to people,’ and are invoked for immediate aid.Read verse 7.74.1 →
अश्वासो ये वामुप दाशुषो गृहं युवां दीयन्ति बिभ्रतः । मक्षूयुभिर्नरा हयेभिरश्विना देवा यातमस्मयू ॥
Verse 7.74.4Vividly expresses the Aśvins’ swift advent via their horses and links their coming to the house of the dāśuṣ (the giver), a key Vedic ritual-social ideal.Read verse 7.74.4 →
kṣiyanti sukṣitim
Verse 7.74.6Summarizes the protective outcome: guardianship of peoples, growth in strength, and settling into ‘su-kṣiti’—a compact statement of the hymn’s blessing.Read verse 7.74.6 →

Attributes of the deity

  • Twin divinities
  • Swift approach (quick horses/chariot imagery)
  • Healers and rescuers
  • Responsive to invocation
  • Friends of the generous giver (dāśuṣ)
  • Protective guardians of peoples

Also by this seer

  • Majority of Rig Veda Mandala 7 hymns (Vasiṣṭha family collection)
  • Celebrated Varuṇa hymns (e.g., RV 7.86–7.89) exploring sin, confession, and restoration to ṛta
  • Later tradition credits Vasiṣṭha with influential roles in Itihāsa-Purāṇa narratives and Dharma discourse (post-Rigvedic reception)

The rite, step by step

  • Prepare the offering space and kindle/maintain the sacred fire (as applicable to the rite).
  • At dawn, recite the opening invitation calling the Aśvins as Uṣas rises (āvāhana-style summons).
  • Offer oblations while praising their swift horses and their readiness to come to the giver’s house.
  • State the petition: protection, strengthening of vitality, and establishment in ‘good dwelling’ (su-kṣiti).
  • Conclude with a final call for their near approach and continued guardianship.

Offerings

  • Ghee (ājya) oblations
  • Soma (where part of a Soma sequence)
  • Milk/curds or simple food-offerings typical of Aśvin invocations (context-dependent)

Frequently Asked Questions

The Aśvins are twin Vedic gods known for swift arrival, healing, rescue, and practical help. Here they are called at dawn to come quickly and protect the worshipper and community.

Dawn is a transition moment when light returns and activity begins. The hymn uses this timing to invite the Aśvins—deities of timely aid—to arrive with the rising dawn-lights and remove obstacles.

Beyond immediate help, it seeks protection and strengthening of human life, ending in “su-kṣiti”—a good, stable dwelling or well-ordered settlement, meaning secure well-being for people.

Ask anything about Sukta 74 of the Rig Veda

Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.

Not sure where to start?

A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.

Read Rig Veda in the Vedapath app

Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Continue reading in the Vedapath app

Open in App
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play