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www.geocities.com/udakashanti Last updated on: Friday, November 14, 2003 j¢¢v¢Q®p¢v¢≠≠}“o¢¿¿ &j¢¢v¢Q¢v¢®p¢v¢≠}“o¢¿'

j¢¢Õv¢Q¢Ãv¢®ç¢¢æ v¢ÕQ¢v¢®ÃÉ¢Q¢Œj¢®o¢¿y j¢¢Ãv¢®Q≈Ãc¢¢æ j¢¢æ Õsp¢¢æo¢¢ Ãk¢S¢æ p¢g¢¿y

•K“o¢¢Õs¢S®Ãs¢° K™“ÃU—K“Ãvp¢ t¢o¢»Õ碿y ? †Ãn¢° •K“Õo¢¢Ãv¢®ÖÕU—j¢† _¢Ãn¢®So¢¿y j¢Ão¢∞gp¢™ÃSo¢∞Ãg¢† g¢S¿Ã•Uj¢y S¢Õ•Ç¢Ãp¢¢ ? Õî— ? ¢v¢®gk¢ƒÃKæ“g¢°y

? ¢Õj¢®QÃs¢¢g¢__¢¿ Ãvs¢i¢Ãp¢¢ g¢QæK“Œo¢¿y g¢Œvo¢¢Ãà ¢jp¢† j¢ Ãk¢S° •K“† Ãa¢ j¢¢Õv¢y g¢Õo¢ ? ¢Ãv¢®É¢Õo¢v¢¢ Ã_¢≠P—o¢Œ_¢ƒæ k¢ƒÃKæ“g¢o¢¿y Ãv¢Ã¶q¢q¢_¢¿† v¢Õs¢»o¢¢ ÃAQo¢¿y

Ãg¢™aLæ—Ãj¢¢ns¢Õ•k¢•U—Ãg¢† p¢Q¢Œv¢®g¢¿y g¢Õo¢Ãv¢vg¢Õjo¢Ã•U—j¢¢ Õc¢¢Ãp¢g¢øK“Œo¢¿y

K“¢Ão¢vg¢QÃ_¢ƒæ v¢Õo¢s¢Ãg¢»g¢¢Õ¶i¢y o¢Õj¢Ãv¢¢æ SæÕg¢° k¢ƒÃh¢o¢† p¢Q¢Œv¢®g¢¿y

Ãv¢g¢¢æ m¢†Ãi¢™o¢Õv¢Ã•g¢ •j¢ÕS•s¢†Q碿y ÃU±—•Q Ãk¢ƒg¢®Õup¢¢ ÃK“s¢Õp¢¢æ o¢Ãj¢®u¢¢y

Õg¢ÃSꢮÃj¢¢æ •s¢Õg¢g¢¢æ ÃSßto¢ÕSæu¢¢o¢¿y Ã? i¢Õßvs¢ÃQ¢v¢® 1 ÃQ´k¢Õ§Sßvs¢Q¢v¢® 1 g¢¿y

ÃSæÃg¢¢æi¢¢ Õ? ¢v¢jo¢Ã•U—o¢¢Õj¢ ? ¢v¢ç¢¿y Ãvs¢i¢¢ Ã? s¢Ãvg¢¢gk¢ƒÕp¢•g¢° Ãk¢SŒvg¢¢g¢¿y

K“¢æ Ã? à ¢ Õs¢æÃQ K“ ÃAU— k¢ƒÕs¢¢æa¢g¢¿y K™“Ãg¢ ? ¢Õc¢¢Ãg¢¢ K™“Õg¢ ÃAp¢† •s¢Õv¢∞•ë°y

Ã? s¢¢»Ã_Qæs¢¢ Ã? vp¢ Õs¢v¢Õc¢»j¢¢p¢y ? Ãh¢¢ K“¢æ Õs¢æÃQ p¢Õg¢ ? ¢Ãm¢n¢≠Õs¢y

ÃAp¢† •s¢Õv¢∞Õëp¢»Õg¢ ? ¢Ãm¢n¢≠Õs¢y p¢Õ•Q s¢¢ ÃQi¢æ p¢Õ•Q Ãs¢¢ j¢y p¢¢æ Ã? vp¢¢Õip¢Xu¢° k¢ÃSo¢æ sÕp¢¢æo¢ç¢¿y v¢¢æ Ã? †_¢ Õs¢æÃQ p¢Õ•Q Ãs¢¢ j¢ s¢æÕQyy nAsadeeya sUktam translation R’g vEda 10.129 (also a part of the yajurvEda and the udakashAnti)

At first was neither Being nor Nonbeing. á•ú§x•ùßá≠™√ß
ú§x•ùßt§øx•àßé§g”z


j¢¢v¢Q¢v¢®ç¢¢æ v¢Q¢v¢®É¢Q¢j¢®o¢¿y There was not air nor yet sky beyond. á•ùßx§ c≠™ß
á≠™ß
é≠´…ßé§g•
â§e≠™ß
?g§®t”z
j¢¢v¢®Q≈c¢¢æ j¢¢æ sp¢¢æo¢¢ k¢S¢æ p¢g¢¿y What was its wrapping? Where? In whose protection? Oé§g•é§hßé§@
N§®û§N§ú§…
ï§é§®‘á”z


•K“o¢¢s¢S®s¢° K™“U—K“vp¢ t¢o¢»j¢¿y Was Water there, unfathomable and deep? A?åq§@
Oé§g•ùßx§≤û§á§?
S§ç‡ße§é§g”z
? †n¢° •K“o¢¢v¢®ÖU—j¢† _¢n¢®So¢¿y

There was no death then, nor yet deathlessness; á§é§®¨t§®…e§é§®¨t§?
t§ü ‘á§z


j¢o¢∞gp¢™So¢∞g¢† g¢•U»—j¢y of night or day there was not any sign. e•u ?g§g•
Aû§√
Bùßt§ƒÀN≠ßt§@z
S¢•Ç¢p¢¢ ? î— ? ¢v¢®gk¢ƒKæ“g¢°y The One breathed without breath, by its own impulse. Bàßx§é•t§S”≤
ú§Õxq§?g§g•
t§x≠ßN§é§g”z


? ¢j¢®Qs¢¢g¢__¢¿ vs¢i¢p¢¢ g¢QæK“o¢¿y Other than that was nothing else at all. t§ú•»x•¬á§…?
á§
â§e§@
O?
X§
á•ú§z
g¢vo¢¢à ¢jp¢† j¢ k¢S° •K“† a¢ j¢¢v¢y

Darkness was there, all wrapped around by darkness, t§é§®
Bùßt§ø駮ú•
S§™oq§é§®S≠ ß
⧠N≠ßt§é§g”z

g¢o¢ ? ¢v¢®É¢o¢v¢¢ _¢≠P—o¢_¢ƒæ k¢ƒKæ“g¢o¢¿y and all was Water indiscriminate. ú§îíS”?
ú§é§‘é§g•
Cx§é§g”z
v¢¶q¢q¢_¢¿† v¢s¢»o¢¢ AQo¢¿y Then that which was hidden by the Void, t§®X≠∂ßá•åq§Õäü t§?
?g§®x•ùßt”z


g¢™aLæ—j¢¢ns¢•k¢•U—g¢† p¢Q¢v¢®g¢¿y that One, emerging, stirring, t§é§®ú§ú§ø᧻ü á•
c•?g§®t≠ÆN§é§g”z
g¢o¢v¢vg¢jo¢•U—j¢¢ c¢¢p¢g¢øK“o¢¿y through power of Ardor (Tapas), came to be.

In the beginning Love arose, which was N•é§®ú§øx§S≠ ß
ú§é§®é§t§‘t•Ü‡z


K“¢o¢vg¢Q_¢ƒæ v¢o¢s¢g¢»g¢¢¶i¢y the primal germ cell of the mind. 駮á§ú≠™ß
e≠ßt§@
⧠v§é§®?
?g§®x•ùßt”z
o¢j¢v¢¢æ Sæg¢° k¢ƒh¢o¢† p¢Q¢v¢®g¢¿y The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom, ú§t≠™ß
ã?xq§®é§®ú§u
àe§è?x§á”z


v¢g¢¢æ m¢†i¢™o¢v¢•g¢ •j¢S•s¢†Qj¢¿y discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing. û§¨Ü
⧠ußô•…
N§é§?g≠™ß
駮àßô•z
U±—•Q k¢ƒg¢®up¢¢ K“s¢p¢¢æ o¢j¢®u¢¢y

A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing. ue§ñµßá≠™ß
èt§t≠™ß
e§ñ»e≠ßô•é§g”z


•g¢Sꢮj¢¢æ •s¢g¢g¢¢æ Sßto¢Sæu¢¢o¢¿y What was described above it, what below? Axq§ùÕx•ùß
x§®â§hùÕx•ùßt”z
? i¢ßvs¢Q¢v¢® Q´k¢§Sßvs¢Q¢v¢®g¢¿y Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces, e≠ßt≠™ßxq•
Bú§á§»ü é§g•á§
Bú§á”z


Sæg¢¢æi¢¢ ? ¢v¢jo¢•U—o¢¢j¢ ? ¢v¢j¢¿y thrust from below and forward move above. ú§Õxq•
Aé§ú•øt§ƒÀ?g§®u@
â§e§ú•øt”z
vs¢i¢¢ ? s¢vg¢¢gk¢ƒp¢•g¢° k¢Svg¢¢g¢¿y

Who really knows? Who can presume to tell it? N≠™ß
Ax•¬
é≠ßx§
N§
Cû§
⧠é≠´ßX§t”z


K“¢æ ? à ¢ s¢æQ K“ AU— k¢ƒs¢¢æa¢g¢¿y Whence was it born? Whence issued this creation? N§®t§
Bc•t•
N§®t§
C?g§®?
èú§¨ö∫@z
K™“g¢ ? ¢c¢¢g¢¢ K™“g¢ Ap¢† •s¢v¢∞•ë°y Even the Gods came after its emergence. Aé•‘S≠¡ßé•
Aú§…
èú§b‘á•?g§®z


? s¢¢»_Qæs¢¢ ? vp¢ •s¢v¢c¢»j¢¢p¢y Then who can tell from whence it came to be? Av•
N≠™ß
é≠ßx§
?g§®t§
Bãåq§™é§z
? h¢¢ K“¢æ s¢æQ p¢g¢ ? ¢m¢n¢≠s¢y

That out of which creation has arisen, C?g§®?
èú§¨ö∫?g§®‘t§
Bãåq§™é§z


Ap¢† •s¢v¢∞•ëp¢»g¢ ? ¢m¢n¢≠s¢y whether it held it firm or it did not, ?g§®Ü
é•
x§xq≠ß
?g§®Ü
é•
á§z
p¢•Q s¢¢ Qi¢æ p¢•Q s¢¢ j¢y He who surveys it in the highest heaven, ?g≠™ß
Aú•…xq§…P œ@
â§e§é≠®ß
é≠´…ß駮á”z

p¢¢æ ? vp¢¢ip¢Xu¢° k¢So¢æ sp¢¢æo¢j¢¿y He surely knows or maybe He does not! ú≠™ß
A?S§
é≠ßx§
?g§®Ü
é•
á§
é≠ßx§z v¢¢æ ? †_¢ s¢æQ p¢•Q s¢¢ j¢ s¢æQy

Translation by Prof. Raimundo Panikkar (Ref. 3, pp 58, "The Vedic Experience- Mantra-manjari" Pub. by Motilal Banarasidas The nAsadeeya sUktam is one of the most important pieces in all of the vEdas, and IM HO, ranks with other prominent components such as the puruSHA sUktam and the IshAvAsyOpanishat. It originally comes from the R'g vEda, but is also repeated in the yajurvEda, and is also a part of the udakashAnti mantrams. This short passage is extraordinarily profound, and has fascinated philosophers and theologians around the world. Perhaps the most thought-provoking part of it all is the statement, “He surely knows, or may be He does not!”. This is a refreshing change from the dogma pushed by most religions, and immensely appealing to the modern, scientific mind, allowing spirituality to coexist with science, technology and the space-age [Prasad].

Here are some additional comments on the sUkta (downloaded from various sources):

Nasadiya Sukta in the R’g Veda also gives another account which says "In the beginning there was neither existence nor non-existence, no realm, no sky, no air, no earth. There was neither mortality nor immortality, neither any form nor name, neither day nor night.; Darkness concealed darkness. There was, however, only one thing: 'Breath which breathed breathlessly.' This breath desired to create and there was creation. How was it formed or was it not formed at all? God only knows; Maybe he knows; Maybe he may not know ?!"

But this breath is called "The Vedas"

Thus desire- Kama ( desire or lust ) is found to be the cause of creation. Whose desire was that? No one knows. From 'ASAT' - (Non-being) arose 'SAT'- (being). The opposites that are yet complementary entities whose interaction produced and maintained everything. Does this not sound like the saying "The Lord said 'let there be light' and there was light"?

“Then there was neither death nor deathlessness, Nor any indication of day and night. The one breathed without breath by its self-law In the beginning was darkness hidden by darkness, And all was an ocean of Inconscience.”

(Or is it what is described in the Katha Upanishad):

There the sun cannot shine and the moon has no lustre: all the states are blind: there our lightnings flash not, neither any earthy fire.

BhagavadgItA chapter 15 (na tadbhAsayatE sUryO… .na nivartantE) has a similar verse.

This process of Involution is again beautifully described in the Nasadiya Sukta:

“In the beginning that moved as desire within, Which was the first seed of mind, The seers, having meditated in their hearts Discovered the connection of the Existent in the Non-Existent. A ray stretched out that cut the Existent from the Non-Existent. What was there below? what was above? There were impregnators, there were mighty forces, There was self-law below, and a Will above. Who truly knows? Who here may declare it? Whence it is born? Whence indeed this creation? Even the gods were subsequent to the world’s emergence; Then who knows from whence it arose?” The Nasadiya-Sukta of the Rig-Veda proclaims, for the first time, intimations of the Seer's sounding the depths of being. The astounding vision of the Transcendent by the relative is the apparent theme of this famous hymn. The Ultimate State is here depicted as not capable of being designated either as existence or as non-existence, for there was none, then, to perceive it, before the manifestation of the heaven and the earth. There was only an indescribable stillness as it were, deep in its content and defying approach to it by anyone. The Sukta says that there was neither death nor immortality, for there was no differentiation whatsoever. Naturally, there was neither day nor night. There was only That One Presence, throbbing in all splendour and glory but appearing as darkness to the eye that would like to behold it. There was nothing second to it; It alone was. From It creation arose. However, how it all happened no one can say, for everyone came after creation. This is the central point of the Nasadiya Hymn, varied forms of the development of which lead to many ramifications of philosophic and religious meditations, in the Upanishads and the later established forms of religion. In a famous Mantra, the R’g-Veda declares that "Existence (or Reality) is One, though the wise ones call It by various epithets like Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Yama, Vayu", thus unifying all the gods in a singleness of Being.