The Religion of the Veda: The Ancient Religion of India (from Rig-Veda to Upanishads) c8.20

c8.20

The Veda has a pair of twin gods, known as the "two Horsemen" (*açvin*). They are frequently called "Sons of Heaven" (*divo napātā*). Of all Vedic divinities they have the most pronounced mythical and legendary character. They put in their appearance regularly in the morning, along with other divinities of morning light. A maiden by the name of Sūryā, that is "Sun-Maiden," or daughter of Sūrya, that is "Daughter of the Sun," is captivated by the youthful beauty of the Açvins, chooses them for her husbands, and ascends their chariot that is drawn by birds. A different yet related touch is added to their character in a riddlesome brief story³ which furnishes them with another female relation, namely, a mother by the name of Saraṇyū. And, once more, with considerable deviation, they figure in a heavenly marriage in which they themselves are not the principals. They are the wooers in a marriage which their own bride Sūryā, according to a later view, enters into with Soma, the Moon. The specific use of the Açvins is that they are the most reliable helpers in need. The hymns harp persistently upon the fact that all sorts of men and women have in the past appealed to them for aid, and have not been disappointed.¹ Even animals are helped or cured by them. In one instance they perform a cure calculated to make green with envy even the most skilled of modern veterinary surgeons, if by any chance he should hear of it. When the racing mare Viçpalā breaks a leg they put an iron one in its place: with that she handily wins the race.²