Nasadiya Sukta
The Creation Hymn, questioning the origin of all
Introduction
The Nasadiya Sukta (Rig Veda 10.129) is one of the most philosophically profound hymns in world literature. Composed over 3,000 years ago, it contemplates the mystery of creation with remarkable intellectual honesty and humility.
Rather than providing definitive answers, it raises profound questions about the origin of existence, questions that remain unanswered even today. This hymn is celebrated for its extraordinary admission of uncertainty: even the gods cannot know what preceded creation, and perhaps not even the highest being knows.
Key Verses
Verse 1, Beyond Being and Non-Being
नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत् ।
किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥
nāsadāsīnno sadāsīttadānīṃ nāsīdrajo no vyomā paro yat |
kimāvarīvaḥ kuha kasya śarmannambhaḥ kimāsīdgahanaṃ gabhīram ||
"There was neither existence nor non-existence then. There was no realm of space, nor the sky beyond. What covered it? Where was it? In whose protection? Was there water, deep and unfathomable?"
Before creation, there was no "something" or "nothing" as we understand them. Even space and sky did not exist. This verse transcends the duality of being and non-being, pointing to a state beyond all categories of thought.
Verse 2, That One
न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः ।
आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किञ्चनास ॥
na mṛtyurāsīdamṛtaṃ na tarhi na rātryā ahna āsītpraketaḥ |
ānīdavātaṃ svadhayā tadekaṃ tasmāddhānyannapara ḥkiñcanāsa ||
"There was neither death nor immortality then. There was no sign of night or day. That One breathed, windless, by its own power. Other than That, there was nothing else."
"Breathing without wind" suggests consciousness or life-force that needs no external support. This "That One" (tad ekam) is the ultimate reality beyond all dualities, neither mortal nor immortal, neither temporal nor eternal.
Verse 4, Desire as the First Seed
कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् ।
सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन् हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥
kāmastadagre samavartatādhi manaso retaḥ prathamaṃ yadāsīt |
sato bandhumasati niravindanhṛdi pratīṣyā kavayo manīṣā ||
"In the beginning, desire arose, The first seed of mind. Sages, searching in their hearts with wisdom, Found the connection between existence and non-existence."
Kama here is not ordinary desire but the primordial creative impulse, the will to manifest. The sages (kavis) found this truth not through external observation but through inner search, in the heart (hṛdi).
Verse 6, The Limits of Divine Knowledge
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत् कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः ।
अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥
ko addhā veda ka iha pra vocat kuta ājātā kuta iyaṃ visṛṣṭiḥ |
arvāgdevā asya visarjanenāthā ko veda yata ābabhūva ||
"Who really knows? Who can say here From where this creation arose, from where it came? The gods came later, after the creation of this world. So who knows from where it came into being?"
This remarkable verse admits uncertainty even about ultimate questions. Even the gods came after creation, so they cannot know what preceded them. This is not despair but profound humility.
Verse 7, Perhaps Even He Does Not Know
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न ।
यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन् त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥
iyaṃ visṛṣṭiryata ābabhūva yadi vā dadhe yadi vā na |
yo asyādhyakṣaḥ parame vyoman tso aṅga veda yadi vā na veda ||
"This creation, from where it arose, Whether it was made or whether it was not, He who surveys it from the highest heaven, He alone knows. Or perhaps even He does not know."
"Perhaps even He does not know" (yadi vā na veda) is one of the most remarkable statements in religious literature. It suggests that the mystery of existence may be so profound that even ultimate consciousness encounters it as mystery.
Main Themes
- Beyond Duality, Before creation, there was neither being nor non-being, neither death nor immortality.
- That One, A self-sustaining reality that breathes without air, the source of all manifestation.
- Desire as Creative Impulse, Kama (desire) was the first seed of mind, the will to manifest.
- Intellectual Humility, Even the gods don't know the ultimate origin; perhaps not even the highest overseer knows.
- Mystery as Sacred, Not-knowing is not failure but reverence before the unfathomable.
Reflection Questions
- How do you relate to the statement that "perhaps even He does not know"?
- What would it mean to honor mystery rather than needing all answers?
- What is your relationship to "That One", the self-sustaining source behind all existence?
Continue Your Study
Explore the Nasadiya Sukta, the ancient hymn that asks the deepest questions about existence and creation.