Ashvins

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The two Ashvins ( Sanskrit अश्विन् aśvin m .; In the dual : अश्विनौ aśvinau ; to aśva “horse”) or Nasatyas ( नसत्यौ nāsatyau “(two) non-untruths”) are two divine youthful twins in Vedic mythology . Their names are Dasra ( दस्र ) and Nasatya ( नासत्य ).

myth

The Ahsvins are the twin sons of Dyaus pita or Vivasvat and Saranyu , the daughter of Tvashtri . In the Indian epic Mahabharata they are referred to as the sons of Aditya Martanda. In addition, Nakula and Sahadeva , the twin sons of the Kunti , are considered the mythical sons of the two Ashvins.

Most of the hymns in the Rigveda after Indra , Agni and Soma are dedicated to the Ashvins . They are inseparable twins and are described as handsome youngsters with a golden sheen. You are strong and quick like an eagle or a thought. They are benevolent and help people in need, rescue them from distress at sea, and also have healing powers. They even gave the aged Maharishi Chyavana back his youthfulness.

As a drink they prefer madhu or soma, a honey drink, and give it to the bees. Their three-wheeled cart ( ratha ) made by the Ribhus is honey-colored and laden with honey. This is pulled by winged horses or birds. They hurl honey with their whip. But milk was also offered to them.

Indo-European heritage

The Ashvins are regarded by religious research as an Indo-European heritage and compared with the Greek dioscuri Kastor and Polydeukes (Pollux) and the Baltic Dieva dēli .

literature

  • Gabriele Zeller : The Vedic twin gods. Investigations into the genesis of their cult . Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 1990 (Freiburg contributions to Indology. Vol. 24) - Original. phil. Dissertation 1987
  • Hans Wilhelm Haussig (Ed.): Gods and Myths of the Indian Subcontinent (= Dictionary of Mythology . Department 1: The ancient civilized peoples. Volume 5). Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-12-909850-X , p. 43 f.
  • Aswin, Aswinau, Aswini Kumaras . In: John Dowson : A classical dictionary of Hindu mythology and religion, geography, history, and literature. Trübner & co., London 1879, pp. 29-31 ( Text Archive - Internet Archive ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ aśvin . In: Monier Monier-Williams : Sanskrit-English Dictionary . Clarendon Press, Oxford 1899, p. 116, col. 1 .
  2. ↑ a b nāsatya . In: Monier Monier-Williams : Sanskrit-English Dictionary . Clarendon Press, Oxford 1899, p. 523, col. 3 .
  3. ↑ dasra . In: Monier Monier-Williams : Sanskrit-English Dictionary . Clarendon Press, Oxford 1899, p. 473, col. 1 .