Also published in Vijayavaani.com
Vedas are many and only some of them have been compiled by Vyasa (Krishna Dwaipayana), so goes the tradition. Even this compilation was very huge but what we have today is just 99.1% of what Vyasa had compiled. Of them Rig Vedic hymns in the form of 1028 sūktas are available now. At times we do hear about discovery of some Rig Vedic sūktas with someone, but the authenticity of those hymns cannot be known. In this backdrop, it makes exciting reading to come across an unknown Rig Vedic sūkta on Aśvins in Mahabharata.
Exciting because,
(1) It was recited in a time
frame that can be deciphered. This brings in newer insight in ‘dating’
efforts of Rig Veda.
(2) It gives references to the zodiac, much the same as what is found in RV 1-164
authored by Rishi Dirghatamas.
(3) The references reveal the purpose of Rig Veda with Sūktas which are nothing but
mantras that bring out designated results.
Background of the Sūkta found in
Mahabharata.
This Rig Vedic hymn (Sūkta) was recited by Upamanyu, the son of Vyāghrapāda. Upamanyu also happened to be a preceptor
for Krishna (MB: 13-17). In his youth while he was serving as a student
in the Gurukul of Ayoda-Dhaumya an
incident happened by which he lost his vision and fell into a pit. On the
advice of his preceptor to glorify Aśvins to regain eye sight, Upamanyu began
reciting the Rig Vedic hymn of Aśvins! It is not known whether this sūkta was
created by Upamanyu then and there or it existed earlier.
The sūkta begins as follows:
“sa evam ukta upādhyāyena stotuṃ pracakrame devāv
aśvinau vāgbhir ṛgbhiḥ”
(स एवम उक्त उपाध्यायेन सतॊतुं परचक्रमे देवाव अश्विनौ वाग्भिर ऋग्भिः) Mahabharata (1:3-59)
(Meaning: “Upamanyu thus
directed by his preceptor began to glorify the twin Aśvins, in the
following words of the Rig Veda”)
This is followed by 11 riks
that praise Aśvins as the Supreme Being that set the Wheel of Time to roll
eternally causing the fruits of action manifested for all beings. (Text and
meaning at the end of this article)
Aśvins given
supreme position.
A chronology of ideas exist in Rig
Vedic sūktas, of which the foremost one is in offering soma to Indra and other
deities and not offering the same to Aśvins. But then came a time when Aśvins
were also offered Soma. It was Rishi Chyavana,
son of Bhrigu who started offering Soma to Aśvins
(MB- 3:124-125). Generally Kaṇvas
were associated with offering oblations to Aśvins. An Atharvan verse (2:141-04)
says that the soma offered by Kaṇvas to Aśvins helped Yadu and Turvasu
of whom Yadu was the progenitor of Krishna’s race. And Krishna himself had
opted for Aśvins in the place of Indra after he stopped the Indra festival. A
couple of verses in Rig Veda refer to Krishna invoking Aśvins to accept Soma (RV
8:74.3 &4).
All this goes to show that by
Krishna’s times Aśvins had replaced Indra in receiving soma. Upamanya of the same
period of Krishna had praised Aśvins as the Supreme Being who facilitated
creation and manifestation of karmic results through the wheel of Time.
The Sūkta recited by Upamanyu
containing 11 verses (mantras / riks) extols Aśvins as the first –born and who
set in motion the wheel of time that had 360 days and 720 days and nights.
There is a reference to 12 spokes of the wheel referring to 12 months and the
zodiac. Though by themselves are free from fruits of action, the Aśvins cause
the fruits of action to all beings.
This sūkta is comparable to
another Rig Vedic sūkta (RV 1:164) having the same notions on Wheel of
Time but it has in addition two popular ideas of Vedic Thought. One is about
the 2-bird analogy found in the Upanishads of the
Atman and Paramatman sitting on a tree as birds, with Atman eating the fruit of
karma while the other not eating any but shining well. The other view is the
now famous but also mis-interpreted verse “ekaṃ sad viprā
bahudhā vadanti” – which has the meaning as follows:
“They call
him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is heavenly
noblywinged- Garutman.
To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan.” (RV 1:164.46)
This conveys that the Supreme
Being is known by different names such as Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Garutman
(Garuda), Yama and Mātariśvan. In other words the deities we know as Indra,
Varuna etc are none other than the Supreme Being Itself. This verse by Rishi Dirghatamas does not
attest the same status to Aśvins though it does say that Aśvins are endowed
with helping mankind. But Aśvins are given the Supreme status in Upmanayu’s sūkta.
Part of the
compilation by Vyasa.
Now the question comes whether this
hymn was part of the Rig Vedic corpus that is now lost or it was newly composed
by Upamanyu. Looking at the contemporariness of Upamanyu and Vyasa, and the age
of Upamanyu at the time of reciting it - as a young student serving his master
- it appears that this verse could have been part of the pre-existing compilation.
Upamanyu had recited it for regaining eye-sight
Contextually similar event
appears in RV 1:112.6 in a verse in praise of Aśvins that says,
Yet another one (1:116.11)
says that Aśvins “delivered Vandana from the pit like hidden treasure”.
Restoration of eye sight is also
attributed to Aśvins in a couple of Rig Vedic verses (1:112.8 & 1:116.16).
Though Upamanyu’s sūkta does not refer to his sufferings (falling into the pit
and losing eye sight), the purpose of the sūkta was to get relief from his
suffering. As such this sūkta must have been a popular one in those days when
there was a high probability of losing way in the forests and falling into pits
and losing eyesight. Upamanyu suffered blindness upon eating a poisonous herb
and falling into a pit thereafter. After reciting this sūkta, the Aśvins
appeared and got him cured.
Coming to the issues raised
earlier,
(1) As Upamanyu was a
contemporary of Krishna, this sūkta can be dated to anytime before 5000 years
from now. This hymn, found missing from the presently available śāka of Rig
Veda but well entrenched in Mahabharata is proof that many Vedic hymns had
existed in the past.
(2) The reference to the
12-part zodiac in this sūkta makes it known that the knowledge of the zodiac
had existed in India 5000 years ago. The hymn of Dirghatamas being more
ancient, it can be said that the original concept had evolved much
earlier. (The reference to 5000 years as
the date of Krishna is based on the Mahabharata war-date evidenced in Aihole inscription).
Purpose
of Rig Veda
(3) Coming to the purpose of
the Rig Veda, all riks are mantras and the compilation of the riks is a sūkta .
Every sūkta or a mantra (rik) is capable of invoking the concerned deity, which
is the very purpose of the Rig Veda. The basis is śabda that is understood as
word or sound. When Śabda is arranged in specific order known as ‘Ānupūrvi’, the deity is
invoked.
This is comparable to
the sub-atomic particles of the Universe which
combine in various ways - but in specific order- to create composite particles
and atoms. That order is the Ānupūrvi of the sub-atomic
particles. Every time creation
starts after a deluge, the Ānupūrvi of those particles are manifest in the same
way – this is expressed as the Supreme Being remembering the Ānupūrvi of śabda
that form the Vedas. Science is yet to recognise and be receptive to śabda – the
sounds and vibrations of the sub atomic syllables.
The amazing part of the Ānupūrvi is that no mortal
except the rishis have understood which śabda goes to make a specific order of Ānupūrvi
so that a specific deity can be invoked and through Him, a specific result.
For example, in the sūkta of Upamanyu the
meaning of the verses look like some description of the zodiac, but that is the
Ānupūrvi that makes the śabda eternal by which the Supreme Being in the name
Aśvins can be invoked to balance the elements present in Its co-bird on the
tree (RV 1:164) – here, Upamanyu.
Thinking in these lines, one
cannot miss out the co-existence of three concepts in the hymn of Dirghatamas (RV 1:164) –
(1) Wheel
of Time causing things to happen and fruits of action,
(2) Atman
co-existing with Paramatman but getting impacted by the Wheel of Time
and
(3) Realisation
of the Paramatman as the one and only Supreme Being but recognised by
different names.
When all these are understood
and felt by the Atman, the Atman gets relieved from the influence of Wheel of
Time. That is the ultimate result of the hymn by Dirghatamas. But Upamanyu’s hymn
invokes Asvins as Paramatman without reference
to the last two but with only the first idea of Wheel of Time. His hymn gave
him back eye-sight but not ultimate Release. But Dirghatamas was not known to
have regained his eye-sight though he invoked Aśvins in that hymn and referred
to the Wheel of Time in similar description. The difference in result was
obviously related to the Ānupūrvi of the śabda of the riks he conceived. But lesser
mortals that we are, we can only see the ‘meanings’ and the differences in them
and not the śabda!
The same hymn by Dirghatamas
speaks about the purpose of
Vedas.
The 39th rik says,
ṛco akṣare parame
vyoman yasmin devā adhi viśve niṣeduḥ |
yastan na veda kiṃ ṛcā kariṣyati ya it tad vidusta ime samāsate ||
yastan na veda kiṃ ṛcā kariṣyati ya it tad vidusta ime samāsate ||
रचो अक्षरे परमे वयोमन यस्मिन देवा अधि विश्वे निषेदुः |
यस्तन न वेद किं रचा करिष्यति य इत तद विदुस्त इमे समासते ||
यस्तन न वेद किं रचा करिष्यति य इत तद विदुस्त इमे समासते ||
Meaning by David Frawley:
“The supreme
syllable of the chant in the supreme ether, in which all the Gods reside, those
who do not know this, what can they do with the Veda? Those who know it alone
are gathered here.”
Meaning by Griffith:
“Upon what syllable
of holy praisesong-, as twere their highest heaven, the Gods repose them,
Who knows not this, what will he do with praisesong-? But they who know it well sit here assembled.”
Who knows not this, what will he do with praisesong-? But they who know it well sit here assembled.”
Gods reside in śabda, the basic
syllable. Those who know this, sing the riks to get what the Gods give
them. But those
who don’t know, treat the Vedas as a literary work – the world knows the
worst outcome of that – it
was the invention of Aryan Invasion!
Here is a small solace for
those yearning to see historic inputs in the Rig Veda: one can see a historic
development in the concept of Aśvins from Dirghatamas to Upamanyu. Dirghatamas
was born blind and remained so throughout his life. Though he praised Aśvins in
his hymns, he didn’t see Aśvins as the Supreme Being. In contrast Upamanyu lost
his eyesight accidentally and regained it by praying to Aśvins as the Supreme
Being. The change of status to Aśvins had happened from Dirghatamas to Upamanyu.
What happened in between cannot
be traced in Rig Veda as it is not a historic document. We have to turn to the Itihāsa
which are the historical documents. One is expected to refer to the Itihāsa to
understand what the Vedas say. This can be authenticated from a verse in Vālmiki
Ramayana that Vālmiki composed Ramayana to reinforce
the import of the Vedas. (“vedopabrimhaṇārthāya” VR: 1:4-6). The scope of the Itihāsas
is such that they help us to weave the chronology of men and events in addition
to understanding the Vedic Thought.
The gap between Dirghatamas and
Upamanyu can be filled by inputs from Mahabharata with a combined understanding
of the Vedic seers mentioned in Rig Veda. Dirghatamas recognised Aśvins only as
a benefactor of the Supreme Being and not as the Supreme Being Itself. Aśvins
were elevated to the status of the Supreme Being as those who take soma-oblations
by Rishi Chyavana (Mahabharata: 3-123). Since invoking Aśvins to partake
the soma is found to be associated with the Kaṇvas, Kaṇvas can be positioned after Chyavana
and not before him. In a surprising connection to Tamil language, Kaṇ, a Tamil word means eye! This takes us to a different
discourse on whether Tamil was the Manuśya bhaṣa of those times, which
we are not probing here. Finally we find Upamanyu invoking Aśvins as the
Supreme Being but he gained eye-sight and not Release from the Wheel of Time.
With just one hymn of riks
found in Mahabharata, we are able to construct a fairly reasonable history of
the development of Aśvins from a subordinate deity to the main Supreme Deity. And
we could identify the persons involved in this development using the Itihāsas.
This runs counter to what
persons like Witzel
had said that Vedas “represent
the only contemporary literary sources for most of early Indian history”
and his claim that “everything from known history up
to the Mahabharata war is filled in from Vedic sources. ..... One can easily
show that groups of 2-3 kings were lifted intact from the Rigveda, the Brahmanas,
and so on, and inserted wherever they were thought to fit.” (1995, “Early
Indian history: Linguistic and textual parameters”)
For him Rig Veda is “a
notoriously difficult text” and “the
immigration of Indo-Aryans is a fact that can frequently be noticed in the Rig
Veda”. He and those of his ilk certainly do not belong to the
gathering that Dirghatamas referred to in his verse as those who knew what
Vedic śabda are meant for!
************************
Text of the
Rig Vedic Hymn recited by Upamanyu:
And Upamanyu thus
directed by his preceptor began to glorify the twin Aswins, in the following
words of the Rig Veda:
“Ye have existed before the creation! Ye first-born beings, ye are displayed in this wondrous
universe of five elements! I desire to obtain you
by the help of the knowledge derived from hearing, and of meditation, for ye
are Infinite! Ye are the course itself of Nature and
intelligent Soul that
pervades that course! Ye are birds of beauteous
feathers perched on the body that is like to a tree! Ye
are without the three common attributes of every soul! Ye are incomparable! Ye,
through your spirit in every created thing, pervade the Universe! Ye are golden Eagles! Ye are the essence into which all things disappear! Ye are free from error and know no deterioration!
Ye are of beauteous
beaks that would not unjustly strike and are victorious in every
encounter! Ye certainly prevail over time! Having created the sun, ye weave the wondrous cloth of the
year by means of the white thread of the day and the black thread of the
night! And with the cloth so woven, ye have
established two courses of action appertaining respectively to the Devas and the Pitris. The bird of Life seized
by Time which
represents the strength of the Infinite soul,
ye set free for delivering her unto great happiness! They
that are in deep ignorance, as long as they are under delusions of their
senses, suppose you, who are independent of the attributes of matter, to be gifted
with form! Three hundred and
sixty cows represented by three hundred and sixty days produce one calf between
them which is the year. That calf is the creator
and destroyer of all. Seekers of truth following
different routes, draw the milk of true knowledge with its help. Ye Aswins, ye are the
creators of that calf!
The year is but the
nave of a wheel to which is attached seven hundred and twenty spokes
representing as many days and nights. The
circumference of this wheel represented by twelve months is without end. This wheel is full of delusions and knows no
deterioration. It affects all creatures whether to
this or of the other worlds. Ye Aswins, this wheel of
time is set in motion by you! The wheel of Time as
represented by the year has a nave represented by the six seasons. The number of spokes attached to that nave is twelve as
represented by the twelve signs of the Zodiac. This wheel of Time manifests
the fruits of the acts of all things. The
presiding deities of Time abide
in that wheel. Subject as I am to
its distressful influence, ye Aswins, liberate me from
that wheel of Time.
Ye Aswins, ye are this
universe of five elements! Ye are the objects that
are enjoyed in this and in the other world! Make
me independent of the five elements! And though ye
are the Supreme Brahma,
yet ye move over the Earth in
forms enjoying the delights that the senses afford. In
the beginning, ye created the ten points of the universe! Then have ye placed the Sun and
the Sky above! The Rishis,
according to the course of the same Sun,
perform their sacrifices, and the gods and men, according to what hath been
appointed for them, perform their sacrifices also enjoying the fruits of those
acts! Mixing the three colours, ye have produced
all the objects of sight! It is from these objects
that the Universe hath
sprung whereon the gods and men are engaged in their respective occupations,
and, indeed, all creatures endued with life! Ye Aswins, I adore you!
I also adore the Sky which
is your handiwork! Ye are the ordainers of the
fruits of all acts from which even the gods are not free! Ye are yourselves free from the fruits of your acts! Ye are the parents of all! As
males and females it is ye that swallow the food which subsequently develops
into the life creating fluid and blood! The
new-born infant sucks the teat of its mother. Indeed
it is ye that take the shape of the infant! Ye Aswins, grant me my sight
to protect my life.”
Mahabharata
1-3
59 sa evam ukta
upādhyāyena stotuṃ pracakrame devāv aśvinau vāgbhir ṛgbhiḥ
60 prapūrvagau
pūrvajau citrabhānū; girā vā śaṃsāmi tapanāv anantau
divyau suparṇau virajau vimānāv; adhikṣiyantau bhuvanāni viśvā
61 hiraṇmayau śakunī sāmparāyau; nāsatya dasrau sunasau vaijayantau
śukraṃ vayantau tarasā suvemāv; abhi vyayantāv asitaṃ vivasvat
62 grastāṃ suparṇasya balena vartikām; amuñcatām aśvinau saubhagāya
tāvat suvṛttāv anamanta māyayā; sattamā gā aruṇā udāvahan
63 ṣaṣṭiś ca gāvas triśatāś ca dhenava; ekaṃ vatsaṃ suvate taṃ duhanti
nānā goṣṭhā vihitā ekadohanās; tāv aśvinau duhato gharmam ukthyam
64 ekāṃ nābhiṃ saptaśatā arāḥ śritāḥ; pradhiṣv anyā viṃśatir arpitā arāḥ
anemi cakraṃ parivartate 'jaraṃ; māyāśvinau samanakti carṣaṇī
65 ekaṃ cakraṃ vartate dvādaśāraṃ; pradhi ṣaṇ ṇābhim ekākṣam amṛtasya dhāraṇam
yasmin devā adhi viśve viṣaktās; tāv aśvinau muñcato mā viṣīdatam
66 aśvināv indram amṛtaṃ vṛttabhūyau; tirodhattām aśvinau dāsapatnī
bhittvā girim aśvinau gām udācarantau; tad vṛṣṭam ahnā prathitā valasya
67 yuvāṃ diśo janayatho daśāgre; samānaṃ mūrdhni rathayā viyanti
tāsāṃ yātam ṛṣayo 'nuprayānti; devā manuṣyāḥ kṣitim ācaranti
68 yuvāṃ varṇān vikurutho viśvarūpāṃs; te 'dhikṣiyanti bhuvanāni viśvā
te bhānavo 'py anusṛtāś caranti; devā manuṣyāḥ kṣitim ācaranti
69 tau nāsatyāv aśvināv āmahe vāṃ; srajaṃ ca yāṃ bibhṛthaḥ puṣkarasya
tau nāsatyāv amṛtāvṛtāvṛdhāv; ṛte devās tat prapadena sūte
70 mukhena garbhaṃ labhatāṃ yuvānau; gatāsur etat prapadena sūte
sadyo jāto mātaram atti garbhas tāv; aśvinau muñcatho jīvase gāḥ
divyau suparṇau virajau vimānāv; adhikṣiyantau bhuvanāni viśvā
61 hiraṇmayau śakunī sāmparāyau; nāsatya dasrau sunasau vaijayantau
śukraṃ vayantau tarasā suvemāv; abhi vyayantāv asitaṃ vivasvat
62 grastāṃ suparṇasya balena vartikām; amuñcatām aśvinau saubhagāya
tāvat suvṛttāv anamanta māyayā; sattamā gā aruṇā udāvahan
63 ṣaṣṭiś ca gāvas triśatāś ca dhenava; ekaṃ vatsaṃ suvate taṃ duhanti
nānā goṣṭhā vihitā ekadohanās; tāv aśvinau duhato gharmam ukthyam
64 ekāṃ nābhiṃ saptaśatā arāḥ śritāḥ; pradhiṣv anyā viṃśatir arpitā arāḥ
anemi cakraṃ parivartate 'jaraṃ; māyāśvinau samanakti carṣaṇī
65 ekaṃ cakraṃ vartate dvādaśāraṃ; pradhi ṣaṇ ṇābhim ekākṣam amṛtasya dhāraṇam
yasmin devā adhi viśve viṣaktās; tāv aśvinau muñcato mā viṣīdatam
66 aśvināv indram amṛtaṃ vṛttabhūyau; tirodhattām aśvinau dāsapatnī
bhittvā girim aśvinau gām udācarantau; tad vṛṣṭam ahnā prathitā valasya
67 yuvāṃ diśo janayatho daśāgre; samānaṃ mūrdhni rathayā viyanti
tāsāṃ yātam ṛṣayo 'nuprayānti; devā manuṣyāḥ kṣitim ācaranti
68 yuvāṃ varṇān vikurutho viśvarūpāṃs; te 'dhikṣiyanti bhuvanāni viśvā
te bhānavo 'py anusṛtāś caranti; devā manuṣyāḥ kṣitim ācaranti
69 tau nāsatyāv aśvināv āmahe vāṃ; srajaṃ ca yāṃ bibhṛthaḥ puṣkarasya
tau nāsatyāv amṛtāvṛtāvṛdhāv; ṛte devās tat prapadena sūte
70 mukhena garbhaṃ labhatāṃ yuvānau; gatāsur etat prapadena sūte
sadyo jāto mātaram atti garbhas tāv; aśvinau muñcatho jīvase gāḥ
59 स एवम उक्त उपाध्यायेन सतॊतुं परचक्रमे देवाव अश्विनौ वाग्भिर ऋग्भिः
60 परपूर्वगौ पूर्वजौ चित्रभानू; गिरा वा शंसामि तपनाव अनन्तौ
दिव्यौ सुपर्णौ विरजौ विमानाव; अधिक्षियन्तौ भुवनानि विश्वा
61 हिरण्मयौ शकुनी साम्परायौ; नासत्य दस्रौ सुनसौ वैजयन्तौ
शुक्रं वयन्तौ तरसा सुवेमाव; अभि वययन्ताव असितं विवस्वत
62 गरस्तां सुपर्णस्य बलेन वर्तिकाम; अमुञ्चताम अश्विनौ सौभगाय
तावत सुवृत्ताव अनमन्त मायया; सत्तमा गा अरुणा उदावहन
63 षष्टिश च गावस तरिशताश च धेनव; एकं वत्सं सुवते तं दुहन्ति
नाना गॊष्ठा विहिता एकदॊहनास; ताव अश्विनौ दुहतॊ घर्मम उक्थ्यम
64 एकां नाभिं सप्तशता अराः शरिताः; परधिष्व अन्या विंशतिर अर्पिता अराः
अनेमि चक्रं परिवर्तते ऽजरं; मायाश्विनौ समनक्ति चर्षणी
65 एकं चक्रं वर्तते दवादशारं; परधि षण णाभिम एकाक्षम अमृतस्य धारणम
यस्मिन देवा अधि विश्वे विषक्तास; ताव अश्विनौ मुञ्चतॊ मा विषीदतम
66 अश्विनाव इन्द्रम अमृतं वृत्तभूयौ; तिरॊधत्ताम अश्विनौ दासपत्नी
भित्त्वा गिरिम अश्विनौ गाम उदाचरन्तौ; तद वृष्टम अह्ना परथिता वलस्य
67 युवां दिशॊ जनयथॊ दशाग्रे; समानं मूर्ध्नि रथया वियन्ति
तासां यातम ऋषयॊ ऽनुप्रयान्ति; देवा मनुष्याः कषितिम आचरन्ति
68 युवां वर्णान विकुरुथॊ विश्वरूपांस; ते ऽधिक्षियन्ति भुवनानि विश्वा
ते भानवॊ ऽपय अनुसृताश चरन्ति; देवा मनुष्याः कषितिम आचरन्ति
69 तौ नासत्याव अश्विनाव आमहे वां; सरजं च यां बिभृथः पुष्करस्य
तौ नासत्याव अमृतावृतावृधाव; ऋते देवास तत परपदेन सूते
70 मुखेन गर्भं लभतां युवानौ; गतासुर एतत परपदेन सूते
सद्यॊ जातॊ मातरम अत्ति गर्भस ताव; अश्विनौ मुञ्चथॊ जीवसे गाः
दिव्यौ सुपर्णौ विरजौ विमानाव; अधिक्षियन्तौ भुवनानि विश्वा
61 हिरण्मयौ शकुनी साम्परायौ; नासत्य दस्रौ सुनसौ वैजयन्तौ
शुक्रं वयन्तौ तरसा सुवेमाव; अभि वययन्ताव असितं विवस्वत
62 गरस्तां सुपर्णस्य बलेन वर्तिकाम; अमुञ्चताम अश्विनौ सौभगाय
तावत सुवृत्ताव अनमन्त मायया; सत्तमा गा अरुणा उदावहन
63 षष्टिश च गावस तरिशताश च धेनव; एकं वत्सं सुवते तं दुहन्ति
नाना गॊष्ठा विहिता एकदॊहनास; ताव अश्विनौ दुहतॊ घर्मम उक्थ्यम
64 एकां नाभिं सप्तशता अराः शरिताः; परधिष्व अन्या विंशतिर अर्पिता अराः
अनेमि चक्रं परिवर्तते ऽजरं; मायाश्विनौ समनक्ति चर्षणी
65 एकं चक्रं वर्तते दवादशारं; परधि षण णाभिम एकाक्षम अमृतस्य धारणम
यस्मिन देवा अधि विश्वे विषक्तास; ताव अश्विनौ मुञ्चतॊ मा विषीदतम
66 अश्विनाव इन्द्रम अमृतं वृत्तभूयौ; तिरॊधत्ताम अश्विनौ दासपत्नी
भित्त्वा गिरिम अश्विनौ गाम उदाचरन्तौ; तद वृष्टम अह्ना परथिता वलस्य
67 युवां दिशॊ जनयथॊ दशाग्रे; समानं मूर्ध्नि रथया वियन्ति
तासां यातम ऋषयॊ ऽनुप्रयान्ति; देवा मनुष्याः कषितिम आचरन्ति
68 युवां वर्णान विकुरुथॊ विश्वरूपांस; ते ऽधिक्षियन्ति भुवनानि विश्वा
ते भानवॊ ऽपय अनुसृताश चरन्ति; देवा मनुष्याः कषितिम आचरन्ति
69 तौ नासत्याव अश्विनाव आमहे वां; सरजं च यां बिभृथः पुष्करस्य
तौ नासत्याव अमृतावृतावृधाव; ऋते देवास तत परपदेन सूते
70 मुखेन गर्भं लभतां युवानौ; गतासुर एतत परपदेन सूते
सद्यॊ जातॊ मातरम अत्ति गर्भस ताव; अश्विनौ मुञ्चथॊ जीवसे गाः
