The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c16.s6.7

v1.c16.s6.7

The presence of the Açvins is ubiquitous: they are declared to be in the heaven, the air, in plants, houses, the mountain top, above and below. The time of their appearance, however, is *par excellence* the early dawn, when they waken Uṣas, or in their car follow after Uṣas, who is born at the yoking of their car. The appearing of the Açvins, the kindling of the fire of the sacrifice, the break of dawn, and the sunrise are even treated as simultaneous, but the normal place of the Açvins is clearly after the dawn and before the sunrise. In the Aitareya Brāhmaṇa¹ the Açvins, Uṣas, and Agni are stated to be the gods of dawn: they also receive in the ritual red-white animals in accordance with their own colour. On the other hand, they have both in the Rigveda and elsewhere offerings at midday and evening as well as at dawn, which, however, is their place *par excellence*, as they are the recipients of the morning litany, Prātaranuvāka, for which the appropriate time is the period when the dawn has arisen. Their special connexion with the light is shown by the fact that they drive away the darkness and put to flight the evil spirits.