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Ashwinee Kumaar are the twin sons of Soorya Dev and Sngyaa. Sangyaa was the daughter of Vishwakarmaa and was married to Soorya Dev. She had three children from him - Vaivaswat Manu, Yam, and Yamunaa. Then she could not bear the effulgence o Soorya Dev, created her shadow woman, named Chhaayaa, kept her in her house instructing her that she should never reveal this secret on Soorya and went away to Kuru Jaangal region to do Tap. There she assumed the form of a mare, so that nobody can recognize her and started doing Tap. As Chhayaa was living with Soorya Dev, she also had three children from Soorya Dev, two sons and one daughter, from him - Saavarni Manu, Shanaishchar and Tapatee. Chhaayaa used to misbehave with Yam. First Yam did not notice it, but later he felt that if she was her mother she could not behave like this. So he reported this to his father, but Soorya Dev did not listen to him. He again complained about her, then Soorya came to know that Chhaayaa was not his wife Sangyaa.

Birth of Ashwinee Kumaar
When Soorya came to know that Chhaayaa was not his real wife he went to Vishwakarmaa (in Bhavishya Puraan, 1/10 Soorya goes to Daksh as he was the father of Roopaa) and asked about Sangyaa. He said to him - "Because of your Tej she had gone to Uttar Kuru Pradesh to do Tapasyaa in mare form. Now you ask Vishwakarmaa to trim your rays." So Soorya asked Vishwakarmaa to trim his rays and when Soorya felt pain, Vishwakarmaa suggested him to apply red sandalwood paste and Karaveer flowers. Then Soorya Dev went to Uttar Kuru there and found Sangyaa there. He wanted to have children from her, so he changed himself in a horse form and tried to mate with her. But Sangyaa was a Pativrataa woman so she refused to mate with another horse. Soorya forced himself into her mouth, but considering Soorya as another horse she spat his semen out and thus were born the twins Ashwinee Kumaar. Later Sangyaa came to know that the other horse was not any other horse but her own husband Soorya.

They are believed to have learnt Aayur Ved from Prajaapati, the Lord of all creatures, Brahmaa Jee. Their powers of healing were so great they were able to restore youth to the ancient sage Chyavan (see below). In the Rig Ved there are passages which reveal their medical skills in curing blindness, sterility, leprosy and performing surgical operations. It is said that they learnt Madhu Vidyaa from the sage Dadheechi. It is the science of restoring dead to life. "Chikitsaa Saar Tantra" and "Ashwinee Sanhitaa" are two of their seminal works.

There are many stories famous about Ashwinee Kumaar.

(1) Ashwinee Kumaar Born as a Twins to Maadree
When Vichitraveerya's son (or Vyaas' son) Paandu got cursed and could not produce any child from his wives, Kuntee told him that she had a great Mantra given by Durvaasaa Muni. It could help him in getting sons. He agreed. he asked Kuntee to invoke Dharm Raaj, Pavan Dev and Indra Dev to give him a son. All Devtaa gave Kuntee a son each. Seeing this Maadree, Paandu's second wife, also requested him to give a son. So Paandu asked Kuntee to give that Mantra to her. Maadree invoked Ashwinee Kumaar and had a twin boys from them - Nakul and Sahadev.

(2) Ashwinee Kumaar Give Eyes and Youth to Maharshi Chyavan
Once Manu's son Sharyaati was on a hunting spree with his people and family. He camped near the Aashram of Maharshi Chyavan. He had a beautiful daughter named Sukanyaa. One day she was out for pleasure with her friends that she got separated from them and came to the place where Chyavan was meditating. He was in meditation for long, so the ants had built their house around him. There were only two whole at the place of his eyes. Sukanyaa did not know this and out of curiosity she picked a Kush straw and inserted it in both of those holes. Rishi's eyes were pierced and blood oozed out of them. Sukanyaa got scared and ran away from there. Chyavan's meditation got disturbed and because of his anger the excretion system of the King's army was stopped working. When Raajaa came to know this, he asked everybody who had played with the Rishi? Sukanyaa said - "I think I did." and told him he whole story. Raajaa immediately went to Rishi with his daughter and asked for his forgiveness and offered his daughter to him in marriage. Sukanyaa got married to the Rishi. She started living with him.

Once she went to take bath at a nearby pond that Ashwinee Kumaar were traveling from skyway. they saw the bathing beautiful princess and asked her whereabouts. She said - "I am the daughter of Raajaa Sharyaati and wife of Maharshi Chyavan." They said - "Chyavan is very old and blind, why don't you marry one of us, we will give everything whatever you deserve to get in this young age." Sukanyaa asked - "Who are you?" They said - "We are Soorya's sons Ashwinee Kumaar." Sukanyaa said - "It does not look nice to you talking to me like this. I am a Pativrataa woman and I love my husband very much." At this Ashwinee Kumaar said - "We are Devtaa's doctors, we can give good health to your husband also." Sukanyaa said - "I will tell you after asking him." She went home and told everything to her husband. Chyavan got agreed. Ashwinee Kumaar came and took him to a pond and asked him to have a dip there. Ashwinee Kumaar took him inside the pond, and when they three came out the pond, they all looked young, beautiful, resplendent and alike. Ashwinee Kumaar said to Sukanyaa - "Now you recognize your husband and take him with you." But Sukanyaa could not recognize her husband, so she prayed Ashwinee Kumaar to help her in recognizing him. Then she saw that both Ashwinee Kumaar's feet were not touching the ground. thus she recognized her husband and came back with him thanking Ashwinee Kumaar Devtaa.

(3) Ashwinee Kumaar Get Yagya Share
Before Ashwinee Kumaar were not getting any share from Yagya, so to show his gratitude, Maharshi Chayavan helped them to get the Yagya share after he got eyes and youth from them. Once Raajaa Sharyaati thought to visit his daughter to see her welfare. When he arrived in the Aashram with his wife, he saw his daughter serving a handsome man. First he got angry seeing this, but later Sukanyaa told him the whole story, he got very happy to hear it. He then requested Rishi to do a Yagya that could give him a son for him. So Chayavan did a Yagya for him and when after the Poorn Aahuti, time came to take the share for Devtaa, all Devtaa came there in person to take it. Ashwinee Kumaar also came to take their share as Chayavan had promised them. When Indra saw them, he got very angry and asked why were they around? Chyavan Rishi said - "I have invited them to take Yagya share." "But they are not eligible for that." "I will start that today." "No you cannot." and he lifted his hand carrying Vajra to hit Chayavan Rishi. Chayavan Rishi paralyzed his his hand by his power. Seeing this Indra got agreed and Ashwinee Kumaar started getting their Yagya share from that day.

(4) Ashwinee Kumaar Learn Brahm Vidyaa from Dadheechi
Maharshhi Dadheechi knew Brahm Vidyaa very well, he taught it to Indra also, but Indra did not want him to teach it to anybody else, so when Ashwinee Kumaar expressed their desire to learn it from Dadheechi, Indra warned him that if he did so, he would cut his head. When Ashwinee Kumaar heard this they said, "No problem, we have a solution for it." They cut his head themselves, fixed a horse head, learnt Brahm Vidyaa from his horse head; and when Indra had cut his horse head, Ashwinee Kumaar replaced it with his original head. That is how he taught Brahm Vidyaa to Ashwinee Kumaar and that is why he is called Ashwashir also.

(5) Ashwinee Kumaar Give Sight to Upamanyu
Upamanyu was a very dear disciple of Ayod Dhaumya. One day Dhaumya called Upamanyu and handed over him a few cows and asked him to come back when their number increased to 1000. Upamanyu started taking care of them. Now Dhaumya did not care of his food. After a few days Guru Jee found him as hale and hearty as he was before, so he asked him - "Upamanyu, You don't get food here then what do you eat, you look healthy." Upamanyu said - "Guru Jee, I drink some milk of cows." Guru Jee said - "It is not good because this will make cows' milk short for their calves." "Yes, Guru Jee." After a few days Guru Jee still found him hale hearty, so he asked him - "You don't eat here, you don't drink milk of cows, then what do you eat, you still look healthy." "Guru Jee, I drink the cows' milk after the calves have taken their milk." Guru Jee said - "Son, This is not good as the calves would be drinking less milk and leaving the milk for you. Thus they will remain hungry." "Yes, Guru Jee." After a few days Guru Jee still found him healthy, so he asked him - "You don't eat food here, you don't drink cows' milk, you don't drink cows' remaining milk, then how come you, look healthy?" Upamanyu said - "Guru Jee, I drink the foam of milk which falls down on the ground after the calves have taken their milk." Guru Jee said - "Son, This is not good, because the calves must be leaving more foam on the ground seeing you taking it." "Yes, Guru Jee."

Now Upamanyu did not get anything to eat. To satisfy his hunger he started eating Aak leaves and he became blind eating them. Once Upamnyu did not return home in the evening, so Guru Jee asked his other disciples about him. Nobody knew where was he, so Guru Jee took his disciples and came to the forest and started calling his name - "Where are you Upamanyu? Where are you?" As Upamanyu had got blind, he could not see and fell in a dry well, so he cried from there - "Guru Jee, I am here in this dry well." Guru Jee came there and asked him to pray Ashwinee Kumaar. He prayed Ashwinee Kummar, they came there and gave him a cake to eat which would cure his sight. But Upamanyu politely refused to take that he could not accept it until his Guru Jee has permitted him to take it. Ashwinee Kumaar told him that this had happened with his Guru Jee also, and he took it without the permission of his Guru. But Upamanyu did not agree to take it. Then Dhaumya permitted him to take it and eat it. As he ate that cake, his eye sight came back and Guru Jee took him out of the well.

(6) Ashwinee Kumaar and Atri
From "Ashwini Kumars" Amar Chitra Katha

Atri Rishi lived in his hermitage happily with his family. one day his sons came and told him that some Dasyu (Shoodra) have come in that forest and started living there, so he should not go to that forest, but Atri said, "Why, The forest was very large, and many people could live there." He did not listen to them, and proceeded in the same direction. His sons decided to follow him for his safety. Atri arrived in the thick part of the forest where he saw a very tall tree, so he thought, "Let me see climbing this how the Earth looks like from this tree." So he climbed the tree and he liked the view. He thought, "Let me see how does it look like from the skies." But he was so much enjoying that sight that he sat down on a branch and started meditating there. In the morning he got down from there, took bath and sat for Poojaa. That a Dasyu had got him. he cried taking all Deities names. His sons found him in trouble, so they ran, but suddenly they were tripped and fell. Dasyu took all of them to a hollow of a tree and pushed Atri in that hollow. Atri started falling down and fell on the ground. Then he heard the voice of his sons and his sons also followed him. They told him that those Dasyu were going to set fire there. What should they do? So they prayed Ashwinee Kumaar, they came and saved everybody.

(7) Ashwinee Kumaar and Bhujyu
From "Ashwini Kumars" Amar Chitra Katha

There was a king named Tugra. Once some ships were coming after doing trade, that some robbers spotted them from an island. As they came near they attacked them, looted their ships but spared their lives. Thos traders came to the King's court and told their saga. The King assured them that he would try his best to make the sea safe for their trade. He called his son Bhujyu and told him that he was going to the island to subdue their residents. Bhujyu said - "No Father, Not you, I will go there." "But you are very young and inexperienced." "For the same reason I should go." and he got ready to go. he worshipped many Deities and set off to the island. It took him three days and three nights to reach that island. he blew his conch to attack the islanders that a great storm came and his ship broke and he had to swim to come to the shore, but he was too tired to reach to the shore so he prayed Ashwinee Kumaar and he saw a log floating in front of him. He climbed on that log and just lay on it. After a while he saw a man-eating fish so he threw the log towards him and now he was again in the water. He again prayed Ashwins, "If I have to die, I should die in a battlefield, not like this in water. You have saved Vandanaa, Rebhaa, Deerghtamaa and many others, please save me too. I am worshiping you."

Then some boats appeared on the surface of the sea and one of them spotted him. The boatmen of that boat took their boat to him, picked him up. He was unconscious. When he got his consciousness back, he said - "You must be Ashwins who save people." Then Ashwins gave him some energy drink and they came on the shore after three days and three nights. The King Tugra came to receive his son. As the King looked for the boatmen to thank them, they had already gone to horizon. Bhujyu went again to that island and defeated those islanders and made the sea safe to sail for his people.

Note
I have never read these last two stories anywhere, I do not know how true they are and where do they appear in our scriptures.

(8) Ashwinee Kumaar and Yuvanaashwa
This story comes in Mahaabhaaarat, Drone Parv, 70/1-24, when Naarad Jee consoles Srinjaya on the death of his only son Swarnanishthivi. he gives 16 peoples' examples in which they had to die with their desires unfulfilled. In that reference he tells the story of the King Yavanaashwa who being felt thirsty drank sacrificial butter and conceived. Ashwinee Kumaar had to come and do surgery to take out the child - that was his son Maandhaataa.

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