20 - The Origin of Ashvins

Prajäpäla said:

l. ‘The fire was thus born from the great Brahma. How did Präna and Apäna in the form of twin gods Ášhvins take birth? Mahätapas said:

2. Marichi was Brahmä’s son, the foremost among the fourteen forms assumed by him.

3. His son was the great sage by name Kašhyapa. Being himself a creator, he became the father of gods.

4. He got as his sons twelve Suns, (ädityas) all endowed with the spirit of Lord Näräyana.

5. These Suns (ädityas) are the twelve himself is the year. Mårtanda is the most lustrous among those twelve Suns (ádityas).

6. gave him his gracious daughter named Samjñä in marriage. He got two children by her, Yama and Yamunä.

7. But unable to bear his virility she became a steadfast as the mind and leaving her shadow (Chàyä) there, went to the Northern Kurus.

8. The Sun had union with Chäyä who was in form and complexion similar to her and got two chidren—Shani (Saturn) and Tapati.

9. Chäyä did not treat all these children equally and so Märtanda became angry and told her: “O dear, don’t show partiality among your children.”

10. Yet, she did not change her attitude. Then Yama said to his father with great sorrow:

11. “O my father, she is not my mother. She always behaves towards us as an enemy. In a step motherly manner, she behaves cruelly towards us, but kindly towards her own children.”

12. Hearing Yama’s words, Chäyä lost her temper and cursed him: “You will shortly be the king of the dead”

13. Hearing this, Märtanda consoled him saying: “You will be the judge in deciding merit and demerit. And you will have the position in heaven as a guardian deity”. ¹

1. Yama is the dikpåla guarding the southern direction.

14. Then, agitated by Chäyä’s anger, he cursed Shani (Saturn). “O my son, you will be of cruel eye on account of your mother’s fault”.

15. Then, the Sun rose up and went to Northern Kurus to see Samjñä and saw her there in the form of a mare.

16. Then he too took the form of a steed and united himself with her.

17. In that daughter of Tvashta in the form a mare, he, in the form of the horse, laid the glowing seed, but that came out split into two.

18. These in the uterus were Präna and Apána but attained embodied forms due to boon.

19. Since they were born from Tvashtá’s daughter who was in the form of a mare (Ashva), these sons of the Sun by her are praised as the Ašhvins.

20. The Sun himself was the Creator, the daughter of Tvashtä the power (Šhakti) by name paräþara. These two were in her body first formless and then they attained their form.

21. Then the gods Ašhvins approached the Sun and asked him: “What shall we do?’’

The Sun said:

22. “O my sons, worship the Creator Näräyana with devotion and get from Him a boon”.

23. Advised by the great Sun thus they, performed severe penance reciting the Brahmapära hymn.

24. After so many years, Brahmä, the manifestation of Näräyana, was pleased by their penance and he gave them a boon with extreme joy.

Prajäþãla said:

25. O great sage, I wish to know the hymn recited by the Ašhvins on Brahma.

Mahätapas said:

26. Hear from me, O sinless king, the hymn to Brahma recited by the Ašhvins and the fruit that they obtained by the recitation of that hymn.

27. “I bow to you, the being free from action, free from the world, one without any base or dependence, devoid of qualities and beyond vision, and one free from the feeling ‘I’ and ‘mine’.

28. O Brahman, great Brahman, dear to Brahmins, Oman, Supreme Man, excellent Man; O god, great god, excellent god; O immovable, one who preserves harmony.

29. O being, great being, lord of beings; O Yaksha, great Yaksha, lord of Yakshas; O Guhya, great Guhya and Lord of Guhyas: O soft, very soft, and lord of all that is soft.

30. O bird, lord of great birds, O demon, lord of great demons; O Rudra, lord of great Rudras; O Vishnu, lord of great Vishnu; O Supreme lord Náräyana, I bow to you, O Prajäpati (creator).”

31. Extolled by those twin gods, the Ašhvins, the Creator was pleased very much and said thus:

32. “Please woo a boon which is rare even to the gods and by which you can go everywhere in heaven.”

Ashvins said:

33. “O great Creator, please give us our share among gods. Please give us the position of gods who drink Soma-juice and an eternal place in the generality of gods.”

Brahmã said:

34. You will attain all these—beauty, lustre, uniqueness, the position of physicians for all beings, and a place among gods entitled to drink Soma-juice in the worlds.

Mahätapas said:

35. All this was given by Brahmä to Ašhvins on the second day. Therefore, the second (Dvitiyä) is the best day among all days.

36. The man who wishes to attain beauty should eat flowers only on this day. And if he does this for a year in all purity, he will attain great beauty of form.

37. One who hears this account of the origin of Ašhvins daily, attains all those qualities of Ašhvins and will be freed from all sins and blessed with sons.