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Monday 17 August 2015

NAsadIya SUkta ॥ नासदीय सूक्त (ऋग्वेद ) ॥



नासदीय सूक्त (ऋग्वेद )

                                NAsadIya SUkta


This is the famous नासदीय सूक्त  the 129-th sukta of the 10-th mandala of the Rigveda . It has been translated and discussed by many scholars and there have been volumes dedicated to just this one sukta . The current translation is by A . L . Basham, from his book entitled “The Wonder that was India”.

This sukta can be divided into three parts by virtue of the topics discussed in it .The first two ruchas describe the situation of yore (singularity)  pre-existing to primordial existence  itself .The ruchas 3 to 5 delve into the enquiry of the beginning & process the birth of the Universe .The ruchas 6 & 7 discuss about the entity (creator) who may have created this Universe , whether really did he create it ? , If not , whether at least  he knows or not who created it ? The seer of this sukta finally leaves this pertinent question un answered , uncertain about the true origins of creation .The reader is left to derive his own conclusion as per his own belief .

नासदासीन्नोसदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमापरो यत्
किमावरीवः कुहकस्यशर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरं

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?

मृत्युरा॑सीद॒मृतं॒ तर्हि॒ रात्र्या॒।आह्न॑।आअसीत्प्रके॒तः
आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्नपरः किञ्चनास

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.

तम॑।आअसी॒त्तम॑सा गू॒ह्ळमग्रे॑ प्रके॒तं स॑लि॒लं सर्व॑माऽइ॒दं
तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिना जायतैकं

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 (tapas ).

काम॒स्तदग्रे॒ सम॑वर्त॒ताधि मन॑सो॒ रेतः॑ प्रथ॒मं यदासी॑त्
सतोबन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा

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 is kin to that which is not.

ति॒र॒श्चीनो॒ वित॑तो र॒श्मिरे॑षाम॒धः स्वि॑दा॒सी दु॒परि॑स्विदासी त्
रेतोधा।आअसन्महिमान।आअसन्त्स्वधा।आवस्तात् प्रयतिः परस्तात्

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.

को।आ॒द्धा वे॑द॒ कऽइ॒ह प्रवो॑च॒त् कुत॒।आअजा॑ता॒ कुत॑ऽइ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टिः
अर्वाग्देवा।आस्य विसर्जनेनाथाको वेद यत।आअबभूव

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?

इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टि॒र्यत॑।आअब॒भूव॑ यदि॑ वा द॒धे यदि॑ वा॒
यो।आस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो।आङ्ग वेद यदि वा वेद

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.

                                   ~.~.~.~.~.~