The Hymns to creation of Rig Veda

The Hymns to creation of Rig Veda

Following is the Nasdiya Sukta of Rig Veda as translated by A.L. Basham:-

नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत् | 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॥

Then even nothingness was not, nor existence,
There was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it.
What covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping?
Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?

Then there was neither death nor immortality
nor 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.

At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness.
All this was only unillumined water.
That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing,
arose at last, born of the power of heat.

In the beginning desire descended on it -
that was the primal seed, born of the mind.
The sages who have searched their hearts with wisdom
know that which is kin to that which is not.

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.

But, after all, who knows, and who can say
Whence it all came, and how creation happened?
the gods themselves are later than creation,
so who knows truly whence it has arisen?

Whence all creation had its origin,
he, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not,
he, who surveys it all from highest heaven,
he knows - or maybe even he does not know.^[11]

(Courtesy: Wiki)

This sukta of Rigveda is a speculation about the creation of the universe and the one who created it. Rigveda, according to historians, was formulated around 2000 BC. It is called Apurushaya i.e. it is not a work of mankind. Hence, probably it is the first instance of serious speculation about the nature of origin, the genesis, and the creator.

One thing that is striking about this hymn is that it is very agnostic or sceptical. The author/ authors do not claim anything with certainty unlike other account of genesis. Perhaps, it is characteristic of serious philosophical inquiry.

The one, who is the creator as referred from this hymn was alone in the beginning. He breathed without any breath. Then a desire came top his mind to multiply. To became many from the one. This desire was the seed to creation. Gods came later, later then the creation itself.

But ultimate stunning thing is that according to the authors/ author is that even the creator knows not what he has fashioned or whether he has fashioned anything at all. The one primeval who is residing in the highest heaven may have created something knowingly or unknowingly i.e in his ignorance or dream. Ultimately, what are our dreams but sum projection of our desires, anticipation, hope and fear. Maybe, the world as it seems could have been dreamt by the one at the beginning.