Asvins, The Twin Gods Of Healing And Medicine
Asvins are the Hindu Gods of Healing and Medicine, the physicians of gods, wonder workers having nimble hands and miraculous powers of healing. Worshippers are bestowed with beauty and health by these Gods. The word Asvins is spelled as Aswins or Ashvins also. In the Hindu pantheon, the Asvins occupy a very paramount place. Origins of the Asvins are enveloped in symbolism, mystery and myth. They are acclaimed in the Upanishads and Vedic hymns as preludes of the Ushah (the Goddess of Dawn), the possessors of horses and those who know about plant life secrets. The Asvins are believed to be brothers of the goddess of dawn (Usha or Ushah). They are said to represent twilight just before dusk or before dawn when both light and darkness appear on the horizon, intertwined.
They possess curative and healing powers and are accordingly addressed in a number of hymns. It is believed that to help humans with their curative and restorative powers, they come down to earth three times during the day. In fact the earliest known physicians are the Asvins as they have the skills to perform surgeries to transplant organs.
In a trick played by them on Indra, they used the head of a horse to replace Dadhichi’s head. They again transplanted the original head of Dadhichi, when Indra beheaded him. Dadhichi was the son of Atharvan possessing Madhu Vidya (knowledge of honey) which made mortal beings immortal, hence they did this. Without taking Indras permission, the Asvins wanted to learn this Vidya. So the smart Asvins used a horse’s head to replace the head of Dadhici and in the process acquired the knowledge of honey from him.
