The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c16.s6.5

v1.c16.s6.5

The chariot of the Açvins has curious qualities: it is not merely golden in all its parts, but it is three-wheeled, has three fellies, and all its parts triple. One of its wheels is said to have come off when the Açvins went to the wedding of the maiden Sūryā, and it is possible that the three wheels are connected with the fact that, unlike other gods, the Açvins in their chariot bear with them Sūryā, for whom, therefore, there must be provided a third seat. Possibly too the triplication, of which much appears in the myths of the Açvins, owes its being to this simple cause, though it has been traced to the three seasons of the year. The steeds which draw their car are sometimes horses—there is no trace of the Açvins as horsemen—but more often birds, swans or eagles, occasionally buffaloes, and even a single ass: in the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa³ they are said to have won a race at the wedding of Soma and Sūryā with a car drawn by asses. Their chariot in a single day traverses heaven and earth, a power attributed also to the chariots of the Dawn and the sun: it goes round the sun, and the epithet going round (*parijman*) is often given to their car or them, as also to Vāta, Agni, and Sūrya.