The Nāsadīya Sūkta (after the incipit , or "not the non-existent"), also known as the Hymn of Creation, is the 129th hymn of the 10th mandala of the Rigveda (10:129). It is concerned with cosmology and the origin of the universe.[1] The Nāsadīya Sūkta has been the subject of extensive scholarly attention.
There are numerous translations and interpretations of its profound and mysterious verses.[2] Nasadiya Sukta begins with the statement: "Then, there was neither existence, nor non-existence." It ponders when, why, and through whom the universe came into being in a contemplative tone, and provides no definite answers. Rather, it concludes that the gods too may not know, as they came after creation, and that even the surveyor of that which has been created, in the highest heaven may or may not know.[3] To this extent, the conventional English title Hymn of Creation is perhaps misleading, since the verse does not itself present a cosmogony or creation myth akin to those found in other religious texts, instead provoking the listener to question whether one can ever know ALL the details of origins of the universe.
The hymn has attracted a large body of literature of commentaries both in Indian darsanas and in Western philology.[4] The hymn, as Mandala 10 in general, is late within the Rigveda Samhita, and expresses thought more typical of later Vedantic philosophy.[5] Even though untypical of the content of the Vedic hymns, it is one of the most widely received portions of the Rigveda.An atheist interpretation sees the Creation Hymn as one of the earliest accounts of skeptical inquiry and agnosticism.[6] Astronomer Carl Sagan quoted it in discussing India's "tradition of skeptical questioning and unselfconscious humility before the great cosmic mysteries."[7]
The text begins by paradoxically stating "not the non-existent existed, nor did the existent exist then" (), paralleled in verse 2 by "then not death existed, nor the immortal" (). But already in verse 2 mention is made that there was "breathing without breath, of its own nature, that one" ). In verse 3, being unfolds, "from heat (tapas) was born that one" (). Verse 4 mentions desire (kāma) as the primal seed, and the first poet-seers (kavayas) who "found the bond of being within non-being with their heart's thought".
Karel Werner describes the author's source for the material as one not derived from reasoning, but a "visionary, mystical or Yogic experience put into words."[8]
Brereton (1999) argues that the reference to the sages searching for being in their spirit is central, and that the hymn's gradual procession from non-being to being in fact re-enacts creation within the listener (see ), equating poetic utterance and creation (see śabda).
Nasadiya Sukta consists of seven trishtubhs, although para 7b is defective, being two syllables short,
"if he has created it; or if not [...]"Brereton (1999) argues that the defect is a conscious device employed by the rishi to express puzzlement at the possibility that the world may not be created, parallel to the syntactic defect of pada 7d, which ends in a subordinate clause without a governing clause:
"he verily knows; or maybe he does not know [...]"[9]
| Devanagari | Transliteration[10] | Translation (Basham 1954)[11] |
किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥ १॥ न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किञ्चनास ॥२॥ तम आसीत्तमसा गूहळमग्रे प्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वाऽइदम् तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥३॥ कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥४॥ तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासीदुपरि स्विदासीत् रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥५॥ को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥६॥ इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥७॥ | 2. ná mr̥tyúr āsīd amŕ̥taṃ ná tárhiná rā́triyā áhna āsīt praketáḥā́nīd avātáṃ svadháyā tád ékaṃtásmād dhānyán ná paráḥ kíṃ canā́sa 3. táma āsīt támasā gūháḷam ágreapraketáṃ saliláṃ sárvam ā idámtuchyénābhú ápihitaṃ yád ā́sīttápasas tán mahinā́jāyataíkam 4. kā́mas tád ágre sám avartatā́dhimánaso rétaḥ prathamáṃ yád ā́sītsató bándhum ásati nír avindanhr̥dí pratī́ṣyā kaváyo manīṣā́ 5. tiraścī́no vítato raśmír eṣāmadháḥ svid āsī́d upári svid āsītretodhā́ āsan mahimā́na āsansvadhā́ avástāt práyatiḥ parástāt 6. kó addhā́ veda ká ihá prá vocatkúta ā́jātā kúta iyáṃ vísr̥ṣṭiḥarvā́g devā́ asyá visárjanenaáthā kó veda yáta ābabhū́va 7. iyáṃ vísr̥ṣṭir yáta ābabhū́vayádi vā dadhé yádi vā náyó asyā́dhyakṣaḥ paramé vyomansó aṅgá veda yádi vā ná véda | 2. Then there was neither death nor immortalitynor was there then the torch of night and day.The One breathed windlessly and self-sustaining.There was that One then, and there was no other. 3. At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness.All this was only unillumined cosmic water.That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing,arose at last, born of the power of knowledge. 4. In the beginning desire descended on it -that was the primal seed, born of the mind.The sages who have searched their hearts with wisdomknow that which is, is kin to that which is not. 5. And they have stretched their cord across the void,and know what was above, and what below.Seminal powers made fertile mighty forces.Below was strength, and over it was impulse. 6. But, after all, who knows, and who can sayWhence it all came, and how creation happened?the gods themselves are later than creation,so who knows truly whence it has arisen? 7. Whence all creation had its origin,the creator, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not,the creator, who surveys it all from highest heaven,he knows — or maybe even he does not know. |