The Rigveda || Mandal 1 || Sutra 112 || English Podcast

Key Areas of Intervention and Blessing: The Sukta details numerous specific areas where the Ashvins' support and intervention are desired. These can be categorised as follows:

• Support for Progress and Production: The Ashvins are asked to "inspire and lead the efficient worker and researcher to play his part in the programmes of progress" (Stanza 1). They protect and promote "intellectuals and researchers for progress" (Stanza 2).
• Health and Vitality: They are seen as "harbingers of health and vitality" and are invoked to "bless us with those means of vitality, safety and protection" and to "revitalize the enervated holy speech and education like rejuvenation of the barren cow" (Stanza 3).
• Intellectual and Creative Endeavours: The Ashvins are associated with knowledge and learning. They help the "teacher and scholar shine in society by the merit of his disciple and power of his creative work" and enable the "man of knowledge, action and prayer [to] rise to the universal vision of existence" (Stanza 4). They support scholars dedicated to studying nature (Stanza 5).
• Medicine and Healing: The Ashvins are invoked for their knowledge in science and medicine, capable of developing "pain killers, antibiotics, tonics and anesthetics" and saving/sustaining the fetus (Stanza 6).
• Social Order and Well-being: They are seen as social planners, protecting and promoting the "pure hearted creator and distributor of wealth, the noble parliamentarian, brilliant enthusiast, protective warrior, the astronaut and the versatile scholar for the establishment of a social order free from physical, psychological and spiritual ailments" (Stanza 7).
• Restoration and Rehabilitation: The Ashvins are capable of restoring those who are "rejected, the blind and the deaf back to their natural health and efficiency" (Stanza 8).
• Leadership and Warfare: The Ashvins are invoked as leaders and commanders, supporting warriors and defense forces (Stanzas 9, 10, 17, 22, 23).
• Economic Prosperity and Resources: They help to "open the treasure secrets of the wealth of nature and humanity" and allow the flow of water and honey (Stanza 11). They augment water streams through irrigation (Stanza 12).
• Technological and Scientific Advancement: The Sukta mentions feats of "irrigation engineering", "automotive engineering" ("horse-less chariot"), and "electrical engineering" as actions attributed to the Ashvins (Stanza 12). They are associated with communication and technological vehicles (Stanza 13, 15).
• Protection Against Adversity: They protect against "the strongholds of the evil and the wicked" and defend against enemies (Stanzas 14, 23).
• Personal Well-being: The Ashvins provide peace and security, freedom from weakness, protect marriage partners, and offer tonics, sedatives, and curatives for sickness (Stanzas 15, 16, 20).
• Support for the Righteous and Generous: They protect and promote pious scholars and generous individuals (Stanzas 9, 11, 13, 19, 20).
• Blessings in Daily Life: They are asked for support and protection for common people, young riders, and even for the collection of honey (Stanzas 16, 21).

Overall Significance: Rigveda Mandala 1/Sukta 112 presents the Ashvins as powerful, benevolent, and multifaceted deities whose aid is sought across a wide spectrum of human endeavors. The Sukta underscores the importance of protection, advancement, knowledge, health, prosperity, and righteousness in achieving a fulfilling life and establishing a just social order. The detailed accounts of their actions serve to both celebrate their power and provide specific examples of the kind of support being requested. The emphasis on scholars, teachers, and the pursuit of knowledge suggests a society that valued intellectual and educational pursuits as integral to progress.