Reference: Religion
This is the Nasadiya Sukta (sometimes called Nasidya Sukta), which is the 129th hymn (sukta) of the 10th Mandala of the Rig Veda. This hymn is widely known as the “Hymn of Creation,” but more accurately, it is a profound meditation on the mystery and unknowability of cosmic origins.
Following is a translation by Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty. From the Book “The Rig Veda – Anthology”
There was neither non-existence nor existence then.
There was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond.
What stirred?
Where?
In whose protection?
Was there water, bottomlessly deep?
There was neither death nor immortality then.
There was no distinguishing sign of night nor of day.
That One breathed, windless, by its own impulse.
Other than that there was nothing beyond.
Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning,
with no distinguishing sign, all this was water.
The life force that was covered with emptiness,
that One arose through the power of heat.
Desire came upon that One in the beginning,
that was the first seed of mind.
Poets seeking in their heart with wisdom
found the bond of existence and non-existence.
Their cord was extended across.
Was there below?
Was there above?
There were seed-placers, there were powers.
There was impulse beneath, there was giving forth above.
Who really knows?
Who will here proclaim it?
Whence was it produced?
Whence is this creation?
The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.
Who then knows whence it has arisen?
Whence this creation has arisen
– perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not –
the One who looks down on it,
in the highest heaven, only He knows
or perhaps He does not know.
Vinaire’s comments:
There was neither non-existence nor existence then.
There was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond.
What stirred?
Where?
In whose protection?
Was there water, bottomlessly deep?
There were no considerations. There was no awareness of anything. None of the dichotomies were present then; but something stirred.
There was neither death nor immortality then.
There was no distinguishing sign of night nor of day.
That One breathed, windless, by its own impulse.
Other than that there was nothing beyond.
That primary sensation emerged on its own.
Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning,
with no distinguishing sign, all this was water.
The life force that was covered with emptiness,
that One arose through the power of heat.
Nothing had any meaning other than a primeval force emerging out of emptiness.
Desire came upon that One in the beginning,
that was the first seed of mind.
Poets seeking in their heart with wisdom
found the bond of existence and non-existence.
A desire to know arose. A meaning was assigned. Thus was found a bond from non-existence to existence.
Their cord was extended across.
Was there below?
Was there above?
There were seed-placers, there were powers.
There was impulse beneath, there was giving forth above.
Postulates extended across. Meanings manifested themselves. Thus there were maker of postulates and the power to postulate. Underlying the manifestation was the impulse.
Who really knows?
Who will here proclaim it?
Whence was it produced?
Whence is this creation?
The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe.
Who then knows whence it has arisen?
We may only speculate about the makers of postulates and their powers to postulate. For the whole creation and even the gods are the outcome of these postulates.
Whence this creation has arisen
– perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not –
the One who looks down on it,
in the highest heaven, only He knows
or perhaps He does not know.
Who to say what occurred! There can only be postulates, speculations and assumptions.
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The basic questions are: “Where?”, “When?”, Who?” or “What?”
Neither such questions, nor their answers are there in the beginning.
There is only manifestation, and awareness of that manifestation.
In case of absolute beginning, there is no “prior.”
In the “after,” there are these questions, and speculations for answers.
The questions manifest, and the speculations manifest
There is awareness of these manifestations.
This awareness then generates more questions and speculations.
Such speculations then going forward, as well as going backwards
Hide the unknowable.
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Reference: The Quest for Certainty
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