In many sacred places, wise men call upon the Ashvins, the divine twin horsemen, and invite them to join those who sing their praises. Across the land, people prepare altars with strewn sacred grass, bearing offerings and adorning themselves, as they call out to the Ashvins with devotion. Today, these wondrous twins are invoked with the most excellent and heartfelt hymns, that these praises may reach them and dwell in their presence. The Ashvins are invited to drink the sweet honey placed for them, for they are the charioteers among men. With this offering, the people beseech the Ashvins, givers of horses, to bring abundant nourishment—may their blessings increase cattle, offspring, and cows. The worshippers pray for blessings from heaven and from the flowing rivers, asking the Ashvins to pour these gifts down as easily as opening a door. The people ask: when would the son of Tugra, who set out upon the sea, be abandoned by the Ashvins, or when would their mighty chariot ever break apart? The Ashvins, the Nasatyas, have always shown favor to Kanva, the generous one, supporting him in his house with constant aid. Now, the people call for the Ashvins to come with newer, most auspicious forms of help, seeking their favor just as they aided Kanva, the beloved and praised, as well as Atri and Shinjara. The Ashvins are remembered for their support in contests for wealth, in the winning of Soma among cows for Agastya, and in the contests for prizes for Sobhari. The worshippers express their desire for the Ashvins’ favor, asking for as much aid as before, or even more, as they sing their praises. The Ashvins’ chariot is described with wonder—it has golden yokes and golden reins, and they ascend it, reaching the very sky. Its pole is golden, its harness splendid, its axle golden, and both wheels shine with gold. With this resplendent chariot, the Ashvins are asked to come, even from afar, and accept the good praises offered to them. They are known to arrive from distant places, bringing many gifts and bestowing nourishment, for they are immortal. The people invite the Ashvins to come with glory, fame, and wealth, shining before all as the Nasatyas. They pray that the Ashvins’ feathered, rain-bringing birds carry them to this worshipful gathering. Their chariot, accompanied by songs, moves with strength, its wheel never hindered. With golden chariot, swift hands, and swift horses, the Nasatyas hasten, inspired by thought. The Ashvins delight in the vigilant deer and the strong, wealthy bull, and the people ask them to grant nourishment and wealth. The worshippers remind the Ashvins of their gifts—new ones—just as the generous Caidiya once gave a hundred camels and ten thousand cows. Caidiya, who gave ten kings, shining like gold, was not diminished; his people flourished and many gathered around him. The path of generosity is celebrated—let no one else travel this path with the speaker, for the Caidiya go forth; another may rise, but the one abundant in gifts is the greater man. Now, the hymn turns to mighty Indra, whose strength is like the rain-bringing Parjanya. Indra grew powerful through the praises of the calf. The wise ones, when the fires are kindled, nourish the offspring of immortality by the vehicle of truth. When the Kanvas praised Indra, the accomplisher of sacrifice, they called him kin to the weapon. All peoples bow before Indra’s wrath, as rivers flow to the ocean. Such is his strength and brilliance: Indra, like a skin, enveloped the heavens and earth when he brought them together. With his thunderbolt of a hundred joints, Indra split the head of the resisting Vritra, using his mighty force. The people praise these thoughts among the foremost, shining like the flame of Agni. Though hidden, these thoughts shine forth by their own nature, as the Kanvas flow by the stream of truth. The worshippers seek from Indra wealth rich in cows and horses, offering hymns for ancient insight. The speaker declares that he has grasped the wisdom of immortality from his father and was born radiant like the sun. With ancient thought, he adorns his songs as the Kanvas did, by which Indra gained his strength. He prays to increase Indra’s might, whether sung by sages who did or did not praise him. When Indra’s wrath was stirred, he broke Vritra and the barriers, sending the waters to the ocean. Indra struck down Shushna with his thunderbolt, fierce and mighty, his deeds well-known. Neither the heavens nor the midspaces, nor the earths themselves, can restrain Indra, the wielder of the thunderbolt. Whoever would oppose Indra’s great waters, he strikes down upon the paths. Thus, the story unfolds—a tapestry of praise for the Ashvins, givers of gifts and swift in aid, and for Indra, the mighty one, whose strength and generosity sustain the world and its people.