HYMNS OF CREATION: RIG-VEDA

NAASADIYA SUKTA OF RIG-VEDA

Rig-Veda happens to be the most ancient book on this planet. The modern scientists, of course, have done a lot of research on cosmology and creation, but to do that they have all the scientific resources at their disposal. The modern man’s intelligence stands on the powerful plinth of millenniums of observations and scientific inventions. But our Rishis did not have that privilege. Think of some such visionary of extreme past, (more than six thousand years back) sitting on the banks of Ganges, on the side of some Himalayan ice capped hill and meditating on cosmology and creation and reveals the most wonderful and divine hymn of all the time.

I would like you to see the beauty of Naasadiya Sukta of Rig-Veda popularly known as Hymns of Creation. The internet is full of various translations of this beautiful Sukta appearing in the last chapter of this sacred book. Every translation is good and encompasses a different meaning of the Mantras the translator could grasp out of the Sukta.

I, first time, read the translation of ‘Hymns of Creation’ in a book called ‘Wonder, That was India’ some fifty years ago and was so thrilled by its poetry that I copied it down in one of my diaries. Then, year after year, my diaries got changed but this Sukta has to remain there. It was quite later I read Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s book “Eternal India” and found the same translation there too. To me this translation is more attractive and meaningful. But the real beauty lies in the Mantras of the Sukta it self. If you know little bit of Vedic Sanskrit, I would advice you to read the Mantras directly and try to grasp the meaning, because I very strongly believe that no translation, however beautiful and accurate, can reproduce the exact beauty of Naasadiya Sukta.

CONTENTS

The title word ‘Naasadiya’ is made out of the first word of this Sukta ‘Na Asad’. The seven Mantras of this Sukta are in Trishthup  (त्रिष्टुप) meter, a very popular meter in Vedas. It has four padas of eleven syllables each (total 44 syllables)  making a mantra of this meter. It is the most prevalent meter of the Rig-veda, accounting for roughly forty percent of its verses. Its Rishi or Seer is Parmeshthi Prajaapati (परमेष्ठी प्रजापति) who, as per my knowledge, is the Rishi of only this Sukta. Here please know that a Rishi does not mean author. ऋषयो मंत्र द्रष्टार: (निरुक्त २/११). That means the seer of the mantra is a rishi. Prajaapati is not a cast or title but most of the rishis of vedas including Vahisth and Viswamitra etc are preceeded or followed by ‘Prajaapati’ meaning ‘god or king who protects’. The names of the Rishis are also indicative of some quality or Vedic truth and are not proper nouns.  This Sukta is dedicated to the Vedic Devata called Bhava Vrittam (भाववृत्तम्). Here again I would like to state that Devatas in Vedas are only the subject matter of the mantras and are not personal gods.

PRESENTATION

I am placing here the seven Mantras the way they are written in the Vedas, I mean, with the stresses controlling the sound of particular letters with respect to the meter in use plus the sense and meaning of the total word. Some of you may not have any use of these stresses, but to them who know the Vedas, these stresses are extremely important. They would not tolerate a text of Vedas without proper stressing marks. Keeping everything in view, I am putting the text as it is with the poetic translation of the same below each mantra.

RIG-VEDA MANDAL 10, SUKTA 129

NAASADIYA SUKT OR HYMNS OF CREATION

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 un-illumined 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 that 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 may be even HE DOES NOT KNOW.