The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c16.s6.9

v1.c16.s6.9

The Açvins have many parents: they are children of Dyaus, but also the ocean is their mother; they are the sons of Vivasvant and Saraṇyū, daughter of Tvaṣṭṛ, and they are the parents of Pūṣan and have the Dawn, as it seems, for their sister. But their more important relationship is with the maiden called Sūryā or the daughter of Sūrya. She is their wife and mounts their car, and she bears the name Açvinī as the outcome of this relationship. But Sūryā is also the wife of Soma, in which case the Açvins appear as groomsmen who seek the bride for the husband.² In this connexion they are at the marriage of mortals invoked to conduct the bride home to her husband on their chariot. Their connexion with marriage appears also in their being invoked with other deities to make the union fruitful. With this their feats agree: they make the barren cow to give milk, and they bestow a child on the wife of the eunuch. They bring lovers together and they give an old maid a husband.