The Ashvins
The Twin Divine Healers
Handsome twin gods of medicine and the dawn, sons of Surya. They are the doctors of the devas, racing across the morning sky to heal anyone in need.
- Sanskrit/Telugu name: అశ్వినీ దేవతలు
- Also known as: Ashvini Kumaras, Nasatya and Dasra
- Vehicle (vahana): Golden chariot drawn by horses
- Symbols: Twin horses, Honey, Healing herbs
Story
The Ashvins are twin brothers, sons of Surya the sun god, and they are the physicians of heaven - the original divine doctors! Their name comes from ashva, meaning horse, because in many tellings their mother had taken the form of a mare when they were born, and they gallop across the dawn sky in a golden chariot. The Vedas are full of their rescue stories: they gave an aged sage his youth back, replaced a warrior's lost leg with one of iron (maybe the first prosthetic in any story ever!), and saved sailors from shipwrecks. They are always young, always beautiful, and always arrive exactly when help is needed most - like a heavenly ambulance service. In the Mahabharata, their divine energy gave Madri her twin sons Nakula and Sahadeva, the youngest Pandavas, famous for beauty and wisdom. The very first nakshatra in the star calendar, Ashvini, is named for them - so the whole Hindu star year begins with the healers.
Fun fact
The Ashvins gave a warrior named Vishpala an iron leg in the Rig Veda - which may be the oldest mention of a prosthetic limb in world literature.
Family and connections
- Parent: Surya (sons of Surya)