॥ 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 ॥ १ ॥
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?
न मृत्युरा॑सीद॒मृतं॒ न तर्हि॒ न रात्र्या॒।आह्न॑।आअसीत्प्रके॒तः ।
आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्नपरः किञ्चनास ॥ २ ॥
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 ॥ ३ ॥
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 ॥ ४ ॥
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 ३ दु॒परि॑स्विदासी ३ त् ।
रेतोधा।आअसन्महिमान।आअसन्त्स्वधा।आवस्तात् प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥ ५ ॥
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 ॥ ६ ॥
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 न ।
यो।आस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो।आङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥ ७ ॥
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.~.~.~.~.~.~
