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Rig Veda · 590 of 1027
Mandala 7: HYMN I.XXIV. Aśvins.
1.THESE morning sacrifices call you, Aśvins, at the break of day. For help have I invoked you rich in power and might: for, house by house ye visit all.
2.O Heroes, ye bestow wonderful nourishment. send it to him whose songs are sweet Accordant, both of you, drive your car down to us, and drink the savoury Soma juice.
3.Approach ye and be near to us. drink, O ye Aśvins, of the meath. Draw forth the milk, ye Mighty, rich in genuine wealth: injure us not, and come to us.
4.The horses that convey you in their rapid flight down to the worshipper’s abode, With these your speedy coursers, Heroes, Aśvins, come, ye Gods, come well-inclined to us.
5.Yea, verily, our princes seek the Aśvins in pursuit of food. These shall give lasting glory to our liberal lords, and, both Nāsatyas, shelter us.
6.Those who have led the way, like cars, offending none, those who are guardians of the men- Also through their own might the heroes have grown strong, and dwell in safe and happy homes.
Asked of Guide
Why do the worshippers ask the Aśvins to 'draw forth the milk' and drink Soma?
The hymn treats the Aśvins as restorative guests who bring nourishment and prosperity: the worshippers call them to “draw forth the milk” as a literal image of yielding abundance and of making households fertile and wealthy. Drinking Soma links the gods to the ritual — the Aśvins accept the offering and thereby share in and bless the sacrament that animates the community.
The request frames the Aśvins’ role as swift benefactors who visit “house by house” with “speedy coursers,” so their partaking of Soma and producing milk signals ritual reciprocity and visible reward. This matches other Vedic hymns that present gods’ drinking the sacrificial juice as the mechanism by which worship transfers divine favor, as in many hymns of the Rig Veda where deities accept Soma and grant boons.
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