Good


Other names- Asvinikumar, Asvinidev, Ashvins

Ashvinikumar are mentioned in the Rigveda of the honourable deities as the twin brothers. They are Vedic gods symbolizing the shining of sunrise and sunset, appearing in the sky before the dawn in a golden chariot, bringing treasures to men and averting misfortune and sickness.In the Atharvaveda, their greatness is described as the “Disease preventing deities”. According to the Vedic belief Jupiter, the planet God had presented them with a divine gem with which Ashvinikumar used to protect the agriculture. Ashvnikumar were the physician of the deities who relieved them from diseases, got them their sight and gave energy to the weak bodies. According to the Puranas, Vishwakarma’s daughter and Suryadev (sun) wife Sangna was their mother. Sangna could not bear the lustre of the Suryadev(Sun) and so she left her shadow in the service of Suryadev and went for devout austerity. When Lord Surya came to know about the originality of Sangna's shadow he went in search of Sangna.

In the north Kurwa regions jungle, he found Sangna in the form of a mare in devout austerity. Suryadev also changed himself into a horse. Sangna, in the form of a mare and Suryadev in the form of a horse gave birth to twin children named Ashvinikumars. Their real names were Dasra and Nasatya.

The Ashvins are described as being handsome twins, one light and the other dark in color and on a horse back. They are depicted as the drivers and the horses for the Surya dev’s chariot. They are symbolized by two circles, two mountain peaks, two eyes or two wheels. In astrology, they represent the zodiac sign Gemini. Ashvini is the name of an asterism (a small constellation), later identified with the mother of the Ashvins.

This asterism forms the first of the 27 asterisms that form the zodiac in Indian astronomy. This star is identified as Hamal, the brightest star in the constellation of Aries With great efforts Ashvinikumar gained expertise in medical science and become famous as physician of the devtas (deities).

Ashvinikumar got fame because they granted manhood to Sage Chyavan. Chyavan was one of the Rigvedas Sages with mystic knowledge.In his old age got married to Sukanya who was the daughter of the King Sharyati. But due to the old age he was not capable to enjoy the pleasure of a married man. Ashvinikumar gave him a divine medicine with which Chyavan attained permanent youth. ‘Chyavanprash’, the nutritious Ayurvedic medicine which is very famous today is named after Sage Chyavan.
Other patients of the Ashvinidev were Vispala (the racing mare), for whom they fitted an iron leg and Upamanyu (Vedic Rishi of Kamboja lineage) who had his eyesight restored.

From the times of Mahabharata, the two brother Nakul and Sahadev of the five Pandavas born to Madri are said to be sons of Ashvinikumar . According to the Ramayana, Ashvinidev were the fathers of the monkeys, Dvivida and Mainda.