AŚVINĪKUMĀRA (S) (AŚVINĪDEVAS). Satya and
Dasra, the two sons of Sūrya (The Sun) are called
Aśvianīkumāras. (Ślokas 17 and 18, Chapter 150, Anu-
śāsana Parva, M.B.). They are also known as Aśvins,
and Aśvinīdevas. These two are the physicians
of the devas. (Śloka 12, Chapter 123, Araṇya Parva,
M.B).
1)
Genealogy. Descending from Viṣṇu in order are:
Brahmā, Marīci, Kaśyapa, Vivasvān (the Sun),
Aśvinīkumāras.
2)
Birth. The Viṣṇu Purāṇa describes the birth thus:
“Saṃjñā, daughter of Viśvakarmā, was the wife of
Sūrya. She got three children: Manu, Yama and Yamī.
Once finding the effulgence of Sūrya unbearable she
engaged Chāyā to look after Sūrya and left for the
forests to do penance there. Sūrya took Chāyā to be
Saṃjñā and got three children of her: Śanaiścara,
(another) Manu and Tapatī. Once Chāyā got angry
and cursed Yama. It was then that Sūrya and Yama
came to know that she was not Saṃjñā, getting more
details from Chāyā, Sūrya found out by his Jñānadṛṣṭi
(a power of sight developed by Yoga by which one
could see things far beyond the limits of his vision)
that Saṃjñā was practising austerities taking the form of
a mare. Then Sūrya went to her disguised as a horse
and with her co-operation produced three children of
which the first two became known as Aśvinīkumāras. The
third son was called Revanta. Then Sūrya took Saṃjñā
to his place (Chapter 2, Aṃśa 3, Viṣṇu Purāṇa).
Śloka 35 of Chapter 66 of Ādi Parva states that Aśvinī-
kumāras were born from the nose of Saṃjñā.
3)
How Aśvinīkumāras tested Sukanyā. The Devī Bhāga-
vata contains a story of how the Aśvinīkumāras tested
the fidelity of Sukanyā, daughter of Śaryāti and made
her old and senile husband into a young and virile one.
Śaryāti, son of Vaivasvata manu, had four thousand
beautiful princesses as wives. But none had any child-
ren. When they were lamenting over this misfortune
one of the wives gave birth to a girl and she was called
Sukanyā. The father and all his wives together brought
up this daughter with great affection.
In the neighbourhood of the palace of Śaryāti there was
a tapovana as good and grand as Nandanavana and it
contained a lake similar to the Mānasa lake. In one
corner of this tapovana a sage named Cyavana was
doing penance. He had been sitting there for so long a
period without food meditating on a goddess that he was
covered with plants and shrubs had grown over him. He
was unaware of the growth around him. Once at this
time Śaryāti with his wives and child and followed by a
large retinue entered the tapovana for recreation. The
King and his wives entered the lake and Sukanyā with
her friends moved about in the garden plucking flowers
and playing. Moving about thus aimlessly Sukanyā and
party reached the place where Cyavana was doing
penance. She saw the huge shrubby growth and while
looking at it saw two gleaming points inside the shrubby
heap. She was about to break open the thing when from
inside she heard somebody addressing her thus: “Oh,
innocent girl, why do you think of doing this mischief.
Please do go your way. I am an ascetic. What wrong
have I done to you for you to disturb me like this?” But
Sukanyā brought up as she was, as a very pet girl did
not like anybody advising her like this and so taking a
pointed stick gave two pricks at the site of the gleam-
points and left the place arrogantly.
The gleam-points were the eyes of Cyavana and so he
lost his eyes and suffered much from the pain. Though
he felt angry he did not curse anybody. But slowly the
country began to witness the evil effects of this cruel
deed. People stopped passing urine or faeces. Even
animals were affected. The King and his ministers were
worried. People came on deputation to the King to
describe the disaster that had gripped the state. The
King began to doubt that somebody must have done some
great injury to the sage, Cyavana. He started enquiries
asking his subjects one by one about this. But everybody
replied in the negative. He bribed, he threatened. The
result was the same. Then one day while the King and
his courtiers were sitting despondent Sukanyā approach-
ed her father and confessed what she had done. She
said: “While I was playing with my friends in the
tapovana I saw this huge shrub-heap and two points
gleaming from inside. I took a pin-stick and pricked
them both and on drawing it out I found it wet also.
But I left the matter there and never made any
enquiries thereafter”. Śaryāti now knew the cause of this
national disaster and so immediately rushed to the sage
for forgiveness. Prostrating before the ṛṣi the King pleaded
“Oh, best of ṛṣis, forgive us for this injury done unknow-
ingly. My daughter who is only an innocent child did
this playfully while she was playing in this garden with
her friends. She never knew what she pricked for a fun
were your eyes. Oh, the best of sage, thou art rich in
forgiveness and so please do condone this mischief and
bless us.” Cyavana replied that he would forgive if he
gave Sukanyā in marriage to him. Śaryāti was depressed.
How could he give his only and beautiful daughter to
this aged senile ugly and blind ṛṣi? While the King was
thus pondering over this, Sukanyā herself came to him
and said, “Oh, dear father, please do not worry on
my account. I shall go as his wife. If he is satisfied
the nation would be saved from a calamity and I am
prepared to sacrifice my happiness for the sake of the
country. I will be only too glad to do so.” With suppress-
ed unwillingness the King gave his daughter in marri-
age to Cyavana.
Sukanyā after her marriage engaged herself fully in the
service of looking after the welfare of her husband. She
gave her husband healthy and tasty fruits and vegeta-
bles, bathed him daily in hot water, placed before him
all the materials for his pūjā and when the time came
for his meals gave him his food sitting by his side. After
the meals she gave him tāmbūla and only after putting
him on a bed would she go to attend to her own affairs.
After finishing her meals she would come again to her
husband and sit by his side massaging him. In the even-
ing she would make ready all the things required for the
pūjā and after the pūjā feed him with nourishing food.
Whatever remained after his feed would be taken by her.
At night she would be at the foot of her husband and
take a nap. In the morning she would attend to all the
details of the ablutions of her husband. Thus Sukanyā
lived true to her husband always anxious to please him.
Then one day the Aśvinīkumāras saw her going to the
āśrama after her bath. They were very much attracted
by the stunning beauty of the maiden that they approach-
ed her and asked: “Oh, beautiful maiden, who are you?
We are Aśvinīkumāras. You seem to be alone. How did
you happen to come to this place? You are one who
should always move about with friends and courtiers
and what is the reason for your living like this?”
Sukanyā replied, “Revered Devas, I am the daughter of
Śaryāti and wife of Cyavana. Forced by certain circum-
stances my father gave me in marriage to this sage who
is very old and blind. He is living in the āśrama nearby.
I am living with him looking after his comfort. If you
think it convenient you can come and accept our
hospitality.” Hearing this the Aśvinīkumāras told her
thus: “Sweet girl, you are fit to be the wife of one who
is better than this blind old ascetic. So please do accept
one of us as your husband”. Sukanyā did not relish
this talk and threatening them that if they did not with-
draw stopping such blabbering she would curse them
to ashes. The Aśvinīdevas were a bit surprised and also
frightened at the attitude of Sukanyā. “Oh, Princess,
we are immensely pleased at your sense of righteousness
and chastity and you can ask of us a boon. We are
physicians of the devas and can give your husband his
sight and can also make him young and virile. But there
is a condition for this. As soon as your husband be-
comes young and handsome we will also become like
him and then you can select one among us. Are you
willing? If so we will make your husband charming and
handsome at this instant.
Sukanyā was well pleased with this offer but the condi-
tion placed did not satisfy her. So she ran to the āśrama
and told her husband thus: “Lord, I met the Aśvinī-
devas on my way from the river after my bath and
enamoured of my beauty they have made this offer. We
will make your husband young and beautiful giving him
back his eyesight and then we will change ourselves to
resemble him. You have then to select one of us as your
husband. I am not able to understand their cunning and
so I have come to you to get from you the answer for
their question. I am anxious to see you young and hand-
some with your eyesight regained. I shall do as you
direct.”
Cyavana said: “There is nothing in this for great think-
ing. You go and tell them that you would do as they
wish and bring them down here. On hearing this Sukanyā
went to the Aśvinīkumāras and took them to the āśrama.
They asked Cyavana to take a dip in the lake nearby
and as he entered the lake the Aśvinīdevas also entered
it and took a dip in its waters along with Cyavana. Lo!
As they rose from the waters all the three became young
and handsome looking alike. The Aśvinīdevas then
requested Sukanyā to select one among them. Sukanyā
was in a fix and she prayed to her goddess to give her
power to identify her husband. She was blessed with
that power and she selected Cyavana from the lot at
which the Aśvinīdevas were also pleased. (Seventh
Skandha, Devī Bhāgavata).
4)
Cyavana's gratitude. Cyavana who got back his eye-
sight and youth asked the Aśvinīkumāras what boon
they wanted. They then told him thus: “We are the
physicians of the devas. Devendra has unnecessarily put
a ban on our drinking Soma (juice extracted from the
creeper Soma). When Brahmā performed a yāga at
Mahāmeru this leader of the devas did not allow us to
take a soma drink. If you are capable of doing it you
should get us the right to take this celestial drink.”
Cyavana promised to do that.
Before long, King Śaryāti and his wife came to the
āśrama to enquire about the welfare of their daughter.
To their great amazement they found a young and hand-
some ascetic at the āśrama and were a bit suspicious of
the character of their daughter. But soon all doubts were
cleared and they were immensely pleased. Cyavana then
told the King the request of the Aśvinīdevas and Śaryāti
also promised his help on this matter.
On their return to their palace Śaryāti decided to per-
form a big yāga to which all the devas were also invited.
Cyavana officiated as priest. The Aśvinīdevas were also
present quite to the dislike of Indra. The time came for
distributing soma, and when Cyavana called the Aśvinī-
kumāras to take their share Indra objected saying that
since they were physicians of the devas they could not
be given that drink. Cyavana argued against that and
after a great verbal combat Cyavana succeeded in
making the Aśvinīkumāras take the drink. For more
details look under ‘Cyavana’. (Seventh Skandha, Devī
Bhāgavata).
5)
Other information regarding Aśvinīkumāras. (1) How they tested Upamanyu. This story is given
under the word Āpodadhaumya.
(2) Birth of Nakula and Sahadeva. Kuntī, wife of Pāṇḍu,
had obtained from Sage Durvāsas five sacred mantras,
the chanting of each of which would give her a child.
Even before her marriage Kuntī tested the power of the
mantras by chanting one of them. Sūrya appeared and
she had to take a son from him who became the famous
Karṇa later. By chanting the second, third and fourth
meditating on Yama, Vāyu and Indra, Kuntī got
respectively the sons Dharmaputra, Bhīma and Arjuna.
The fifth mantra she gave to Mādrī and she meditated
on the Aśvinīdevas and got Nakula and Sahadeva.
(3) The Aśvinīdevas were present for the marriage of
Pāñcālī. (Śloka 6, Chapter 186, Ādi Parva, M.B.).
During the burning of the forest Khāṇḍava the Aśvinī-
devas stood on the side of Arjuna.
(4) King Yuvanāśva became pregnant and bore a child.
It was the Aśvinīdevas who took the child out by surgery.
The boy became known as Māndhātā later. (Śloka 3,
Chapter 62, Droṇa Parva, M.B.).
(5) During the Mahābhārata battle the Aśvinīdevas
handed over some Pārṣadas to the god, Skanda. (Śloka
38, Chapter 43, Śalya Parva, M.B.).
(6) The Aśvinīdevas like very much oblations of Ghee.
The others who like it are Bṛhaspati, Pūṣan, Bhaga and
Pāvaka. (Śloka 7, Chapter 65, Anuśāsana Parva, M.B.).
(7) The month of Āśvina (October-November) is the
month of Aśvinīkumāras and if a man gives ghee to the
Brahmins freely in that month he will acquire more
physical beauty. (Śloka 10, Chapter 65, Anuśāsana
Parva, M.B.).
(8) One who offers Ghee as oblation to the fire for
twelve months in succession will reach the country of
the Aśvinīkumāras. (Śloka 95, Chapter 107, Anuśāsana
Parva, M.B.).
(9) The great poet of Kerala, Vallathol, in his com-
mentary on the 93rd Sūkta of the Ṛgveda states that
there is a belief that the Aśvins and Candrasūryas (the
Sun and Moon) are one and the same.
(10) Dīrghaśravas son of Dīrghatamas once prayed to
the Aśvinīdevas to get rains and it is said that they gave
a downpour of sweet water. (Ṛgveda, Sūkta 112, Ṛk 11).
(11) Once a sage named Gotama was lost in a desert
and craved bitterly for drinking water. He prayed to the
Aśvinīdevas for water and they dug a well itself in the
desert and quenched the thirst of the sage. (Ṛk 9, Sūkta
16, Ṛgveda).
(12) The sage Dadhyañc taught the Aśvinīdevas the
technique, Madhuvidyā. There is an interesting story
about it. It was Indra who taught this to Dadhyañc
and while teaching him he had threatened that if he
gave away that secret to anybody else his head would
be cut off. Aśvinīdevas found a way to tide over this
difficulty. They at first cut off his head and fixed the
head of a horse on him. It was with the head of a
horse that Dadhyañc taught them Madhuvidyā and
as soon as the teaching was over his horse-head was
cut off and the real head placed in its place. (Ṛk 22,
Sūkta 116, Ṛgveda).
(13) The vehicle of the Aśvinīdevas is a donkey.
Once this donkey in the disguise of a wolf went and
stayed with Ṛjrāśva, son of the Rājaṛṣi Vṛṣāgīr. Ṛjrā-
śva gave the wolf to eat hundred goats belonging to
the people of the place. Vṛṣāgīr got angry at this act
of his son and cursed him. The son became blind and
he got back his eyesight by pleasing the Aśvinīdevas
by prayer and offerings. (Ṛk 16, Sūkta 115, Ṛg-
veda).
(14) Once Suryā decided to give his daughter in
marriage to the owner of the horse which would win a
horse-race which Suryā would conduct. In the race the
horse of the Aśvinīdevas won and they thus married
Sūryā's daughter. (Ṛk 17, Sūkta 117, Ṛgveda).
(15) The Aśvinīkumāras killed an asura of name
Viṣvak and destroyed his dynasty also. (Ṛk 16, Sūkta
117, Ṛgveda).