Nasadiya Sukta

rdf:langString Nasadiya Sukta

rdf:langString right

rdf:langString #FFE0BB

rdf:langString He indeed knows, if not, no one knows

rdf:langString That One by force of heat came into being; Who really knows? Who will here proclaim it?

rdf:langString Gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.

rdf:langString No distinguishing sign of night nor of day;

rdf:langString Perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not;

rdf:langString That One breathed, windless, by its own impulse;

rdf:langString That which, becoming, by the void was covered;

rdf:langString Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?

rdf:langString Without distinctive marks, this all was water;

rdf:langString Who then knows whence it has arisen? Whether God's will created it, or whether He was mute;

rdf:langString Other than that there was nothing beyond. Darkness there was at first, by darkness hidden;

rdf:langString The Supreme Brahman of the world, all pervasive and all knowing

rdf:langString Nasadiya Sukta : There was neither non-existence nor existence then;

rdf:langString What stirred? Where? In whose protection? There was neither death nor immortality then;

rdf:langString Neither the realm of space, nor the sky which is beyond;

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rdf:langString —Rigveda 10.129

rdf:langString The Nāsadīya Sūkta (after the incipit ná ásat, 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. 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. To this extent, the conventional English title Hymn of Creation is perhaps misleading, since the poem 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 the origins of the universe. Nasadiya Sukta (Hymn of non-Eternity, origin of universe): There was neither non-existence nor existence then;Neither the realm of space, nor the sky which is beyond;What stirred? Where? In whose protection? There was neither death nor immortality then;No distinguishing sign of night nor of day;That One breathed, windless, by its own impulse;Other than that there was nothing beyond. Darkness there was at first, by darkness hidden;Without distinctive marks, this all was water;That which, becoming, by the void was covered;That One by force of heat came into being; Who really knows? Who will here proclaim it?Whence was it produced? Whence is this creation?Gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.Who then knows whence it has arisen? Whether God's will created it, or whether He was mute;Perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not;The Supreme Brahman of the world, all pervasive and all knowing He indeed knows, if not, no one knows —Rigveda 10.129 (Abridged, Tr: Kramer / Christian)