As it happened, whatever brief time I’ve been able to devote to
Hinduism has no doubt been saturated with the romanticism of a novice who
is very far indeed from any experience of it on the ground. Nevertheless,
for a million reasons Hinduism still seems the greatest sponge for and
expression of the religious impulse, and it all starts (in writing, anyway)
with the Rig Veda <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigveda>, that vast
collection of more than 1,000 hymns, prayers, and tales.
Dating from 8000 BC, the Rig Veda is one of the oldest collections
of religious writing, while the Rig Veda was passed down by word of mouth.
A. L. Basham writes about the moment in the late eighteenth century when
brahmans in Calcutta were convinced to recite it to Western scholars, so
that it could be written down for the first time: “once the text was made
public other brahmans from other parts of India followed them. When
versions had been collected from all over the land it was found, to the
great surprise of Western scholars, **that the text as transmitted in
Kashmir was scarcely different from that transmitted in Tamil Nadu.* *The
Rig-Veda had been passed on orally for nearly many thousand years, with
hardly an error.”*
The remarkable verse is in Nasadiya suktam: *10:129 (Creation
Hymn – **Nasadiya* <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasadiya_Sukta>*) IYA
SUKTA= IS NA ASAD OR NA SAD SUKTA =NASADIYA SUKTAM. SUKTAM WHEN THERE WAS
NO EXISTENCE NOR NON-EXISTENCE. =NASADIYA SUKTAM. *Then what really
existed? Purusha and the Prakriti the matter in the darkness.
*Devanagari* <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari>
नास॑दासी॒न्नो सदा॑सीत्त॒दानीं॒ नासी॒द्रजो॒ नो व्यो॑मा प॒रो यत् ।
किमाव॑रीव॒: कुह॒ कस्य॒ शर्म॒न्नम्भ॒: किमा॑सी॒द्गह॑नं गभी॒रम् ॥१॥
न मृ॒त्युरा॑सीद॒मृतं॒ न तर्हि॒ न रात्र्या॒ अह्न॑ आसीत्प्रके॒तः ।
आनी॑दवा॒तं स्व॒धया॒ तदेकं॒ तस्मा॑द्धा॒न्यन्न प॒रः किं च॒नास॑ ॥२॥
तम॑ आसी॒त्तम॑सा गू॒ळ्हमग्रे॑ऽप्रके॒तं स॑लि॒लं सर्व॑मा इ॒दम् ।
तु॒च्छ्येना॒भ्वपि॑हितं॒ यदासी॒त्तप॑स॒स्तन्म॑हि॒नाजा॑य॒तैक॑म् ॥३॥
काम॒स्तदग्रे॒ सम॑वर्त॒ताधि॒ मन॑सो॒ रेत॑: प्रथ॒मं यदासी॑त् ।
स॒तो बन्धु॒मस॑ति॒ निर॑विन्दन्हृ॒दि प्र॒तीष्या॑ क॒वयो॑ मनी॒षा ॥४॥
ति॒र॒श्चीनो॒ वित॑तो र॒श्मिरे॑षाम॒धः स्वि॑दा॒सी३दु॒परि॑ स्विदासी३त् ।
रे॒तो॒धा आ॑सन्महि॒मान॑ आसन्त्स्व॒धा अ॒वस्ता॒त्प्रय॑तिः प॒रस्ता॑त् ॥५॥
को अ॒द्धा वे॑द॒ क इ॒ह प्र वो॑च॒त्कुत॒ आजा॑ता॒ कुत॑ इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टिः ।
अ॒र्वाग्दे॒वा अ॒स्य वि॒सर्ज॑ने॒नाऽथा॒ को वे॑द॒ यत॑ आब॒भूव॑ ॥६॥
इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टि॒र्यत॑ आब॒भूव॒ यदि॑ वा द॒धे यदि॑ वा॒ न ।
यो अ॒स्याध्य॑क्षः पर॒मे व्यो॑म॒न्त्सो अ॒ङ्ग वे॑द॒ यदि॑ वा॒ न वेद॑ ॥७॥
*IAST* <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IAST>
*1. nā́sad āsīn nó **sád* <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sat_(Sanskrit)>
* āsīt tadā́nīṃ nā́sīd rájo nó víomā paró yát kím ā́varīvaḥ kúha kásya
śármann ámbhaḥ kím āsīd gáhanaṃ gabhīrám 2. ná **mr̥tyúr*
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrtyu>* āsīd **amŕ̥taṃ*
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amrita>
* ná tárhi ná rā́triyā áhna āsīt praketáḥ ā́nīd avātáṃ svadháyā tád ékaṃ
tásmād dhānyán ná paráḥ kíṃ canā́sa 3. **táma*
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamas_(philosophy)>
* āsīt támasā gūháḷam ágre apraketáṃ saliláṃ sárvam ā idám tuchyénābhú
ápihitaṃ yád ā́sīt **tápasas*
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapas_(Indian_religions)>
* tán mahinā́jāyataíkam 4. kā́mas tád ágre sám avartatā́dhi mánaso rétaḥ
prathamáṃ yád ā́sīt sató bándhum ásati nír avindan hr̥dí pratī́ṣyā kaváyo
manīṣā́ 5. tiraścī́no vítato raśmír eṣām adháḥ svid āsī́d upári svid āsīt
retodhā́ āsan mahimā́na āsan svadhā́ avástāt práyatiḥ parástāt 6. kó addhā́
veda ká ihá prá vocat kúta ā́jātā kúta iyáṃ vísr̥ṣṭiḥ arvā́g **devā́*
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_(Hinduism)#Vedic_literature>
* asyá visárjanena áthā kó veda yáta ābabhū́va 7. iyáṃ vísr̥ṣṭir yáta
ābabhū́va yádi vā dadhé yádi vā ná yó asyā́dhyakṣaḥ paramé vyoman só aṅgá
veda yádi vā ná véda*
Since time immemorial humans have been trying to make sense of the Self
and the World around. Endowed with the faculty to think, our ancestors
started observing patterns and causalities of nature and were overcome with
विस्मय. I like the word विस्मय (Vismaya). Simply put, it means wonder or
amazement or curiosity. Vismaya comes from वि+√स्मि (vi+ √smi), where वि is
a prefix. √स्मि is the root word. One of its meanings is ‘to smile’, but
the other is ‘to be proud and arrogant’. Hence, विस्मय could mean causing
to smile as well as ‘becoming free from pride’. In this context the latter
is apt – ‘becoming free from pride of knowing it all’. There’s isn’t
anything more humbling than प्रकृति (Prakriti – nature). Thus, amazed and
curious our ancestors sought answers to the mysteries of Universe – Who
makes this Nature work and How? When, How and by whom was it created? Was
there a time when this wasn’t so? If this wasn’t then what was?…
This quest for Truth of our ancestors led to the discovery of Vedas.
Subsequently, Brahmasutras, Darshanas, Puranas etc. got composed which
built upon the Vedas. The Brahmasutras begin with “अथातो ब्रह्म जिज्ञासा”
– Now exploration of the Ultimate Truth . *I say discovery of Vedas
because we believe Vedas are not written by people. No one has any IP right
on it because this knowledge hasn’t been invented, it was there around us.
The Rishis through their tapas discovered this knowledge.*
The idea of all powerful Creator God is also an outcome of this quest of
humans across civilizations – the one who couldn’t be questioned. This was
a positive double whammy – no further questions needed to be answered and
creation of a subservient society that could be made to comply in the name
of God.
In the Indian knowledge systems however, a hint of doubt or what
intellectuals today call Skepticism, is inherent. The stress has always
been on self-enquiry and self-realization. No idea was accepted on face
value, not even that of God. There was a healthy culture of Shastras
(debate and discussions) where multiple point of views were debated. People
had the freedom to accept a view that resonated with them and also change
over time, if need be. While there is acknowledgement of the potential of
each individual to realize the ultimate Truth, there was also a general
acceptance of the limitations of ordinary human mind to grasp ideas beyond
the purview of the manifest world. So yes, skepticism is not a modern day
concept as many would like to believe. Says who?
The 129th hymn of the 10th Mandala of Rigveda is called नासदीय सूक्त
(Naasadiya
Sukta). The name comes from the first word of the hymn which reads *“*
*नासदासीन्नो* *सदासीत्त**..”** (Na asat aasit na sat aasit). *Typically,
the Naasadiya Sukta is translated as the Hymn of Creation as it posits a
theory of how this universe might have come into existence. However, I
believe categorising it as a hymn of Creation is scratching only the
surface of real essence of the Sukta. The closing line of the Sukta is one
of the most profound statements ever made – one that establishes the
un-certainty and un-knowability of concepts such as God-hood – *वे॑द॒*
*यदि॑* *वा॒* *न* *वेद॑*.
Why profound? Because umpteen lives have been lost and societies destroyed
to enforce the dominance of “That Only One True God”. (a process that is
going on even today – conversions, by hook or crook).
The hymn begins by illustrating what could have been when there was
nothing, nothing at all – neither existence, nor non-existence, neither
matter nor space, no day or night, no birth nor death. (*In fact saying
that there was nothing is not quite correct because it assumes existence of
something as opposed to nothing. Seems paradoxical isn’t it. But here the
hymn is talking about a stage when even the words didn’t exist and hence
words cannot really describe it, nor can Time, because both words and time
are the constructs of this already existing Universe, and so is the concept
of nothingness)*
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Scientific Perspectives on the Origin of the Universe
1. Big Bang Theory: The Big Bang theory is the dominant scientific
model for the origin of the universe. According to this theory, the
universe began approximately 21 billion years ago from an infinitely dense
point (singularity) and has been expanding ever since. The early universe
was extremely hot and dense, and over time, it cooled, leading to the
formation of matter, galaxies, stars, and eventually planets. The Nasadiya
Sukta’s depiction of the universe’s beginning in a state of "non-being" or
"unmanifest" has a striking resemblance to the initial singularity
described in the Big Bang model. Both suggest a state where time, space,
and matter were not yet defined. This primordial state could correspond to
the "unmanifest" potential of the universe, as described in the Sukta. 2.
2 Quantum Mechanics and the Multiverse Hypothesis Quantum mechanics,
with its probabilistic nature and the idea of quantum fluctuations,
provides another intriguing parallel to the Nasadiya Sukta. The concept
that the universe could arise from a quantum vacuum or fluctuating energy
field aligns with the idea of creation from a formless or unmanifest state.
Furthermore, the multiverse theory, which proposes the existence of
multiple universes arising from different quantum fluctuations, mirrors the
speculative nature of the Nasadiya Sukta. Just as the hymn hints at
multiple possibilities for the origin of the universe, the multiverse
theory suggests that our universe may be just one among many, each with its
own laws of physics.
3. Cosmological Models and Evolution The idea of the universe as a
constantly evolving entity is central to modern cosmology. The expansion of
the universe and the eventual formation of structures, such as galaxies and
stars, can be seen as part of an ongoing process that began at the Big
Bang. The Nasadiya Sukta’s emphasis on uncertainty and the unknown reflects
the scientific reality that we may never fully understand the entire
process of cosmic evolution, given the limitations of our current
knowledge. Philosophical Implications of the Nasadiya Sukta 1.
Epistemological Limitations One of the key philosophical themes of the
Nasadiya Sukta is the acknowledgement of human epistemological limitations.
The hymn suggests that ultimate knowledge of the origin of the universe may
be beyond human grasp, and even the gods themselves are uncertain about the
truth. This resonates with modern scientific humility, where certain
questions—such as what occurred before the Big Bang or what caused
it—remain elusive. This uncertainty can be seen as a reflection of the
Vedic tradition’s broader view of knowledge. In ancient Indian thought, the
quest for knowledge is not just about acquiring facts but also about
recognizing the limits of knowledge and the importance of humility in the
face of the infinite.
4. Non-theistic Cosmology The Nasadiya Sukta does not propose a
theistic or anthropomorphic explanation for the origin of the universe.
Instead, it emphasizes the mystery and formlessness of the primordial
state. This aligns with a non-theistic approach to cosmology, which focuses
on the impersonal and abstract aspects of the universe's existence. In
modern philosophy and science, this idea resonates with theories of the
universe that do not require the existence of a personal deity but instead
rely on impersonal principles such as quantum fields, the laws of physics,
or even mathematical structures as the foundational elements of reality.
5. The Role of Creation and Destruction Another important philosophical
theme in the Nasadiya Sukta is the cyclical nature of creation and
destruction. This is similar to concepts in modern cosmology, such as the
idea of the "oscillating universe" or cyclical models of cosmology, which
suggest that the universe goes through endless cycles of expansion and
contraction. In Vedic philosophy, creation and destruction are part of a
natural rhythm, a cyclical process of birth, death, and rebirth. This
cyclical understanding of the universe contrasts with linear conceptions of
time, offering a more dynamic and interconnected view of existence.
6 Comparative Analysis: Ancient and Modern Views The Nasadiya
Sukta, while ancient, aligns in several ways with modern cosmological
models. Both acknowledge a beginning that is beyond human comprehension, a
state of uncertainty, and the possibility of multiple causes or origins.
The speculative nature of the hymn allows for a range of interpretations,
much like how modern science grapples with various cosmological theories
and models that are still being refined and tested.
7 The philosophical outlook in the Nasadiya Sukta encourages an
acceptance of the unknown and underscores the limitations of human
understanding, a view that complements the scientific acknowledgment that
many aspects of the universe's origins may never be fully understood.
Conclusion The Nasadiya Sukta stands as a remarkable ancient text that
reflects both a deep philosophical inquiry into the nature of existence and
a sophisticated understanding of cosmology that resonates with contemporary
scientific ideas. Its speculative and open-ended nature invites us to
reflect on the limitations of human knowledge and the mysteries of the
cosmos. By examining the parallels between the hymn’s descriptions of
creation and modern scientific models like the Big Bang theory and quantum
cosmology, we gain a deeper appreciation for the shared quest of both
ancient Indian philosophers and modern scientists to understand the origins
of the universe. Though there are differences in approach—one philosophical
and the other empirical—both traditions recognize the fundamental mystery
of the universe's existence, leaving the question of "how" and "why"
unanswered. The Nasadiya Sukta, in this light, serves as a timeless
reminder of the complexity and wonder of the cosmos, a mystery that may
remain beyond human reach.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*1.1 **(I Pray to Agni)*
अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवम् ऋत्विजं होतारं रत्न धातमम्
agnimīḻe purohitaṁ yajñasya devam ṛtvijaṁ hotāraṁ ratna dhātamam 1 -1-1
of Rigvedam.
A simple word analysis.
अहम् I पुरोहितम् the priest, the one who leads us from the front
यज्ञस्य् देवम् the deity subject matter of a ritual, a yajna
ऋत्विजम् the ritvik.. who conducts and supervises the procedures of Yajna
होतारम् the one who makes the formal invocations in the yajna
रत्नधातमम् who is the source, storehouse and the bestower of all wealth,
gems, precious stones etc
अग्निम् The God of Fire Agni
ईळे ईडे। Praise, takes side with praises and for refuge..
aham purohitam yajñasy devam ṛtvijam hotāra
I pray to Agni, the household priest who is the god of the sacrifice, the
one who chants and invokes and brings most treasure.
Agni earned the prayers of the ancient sages, and of those of the present,
too; he will bring the gods here.
Through Agni one may win wealth, and growth from day to day, glorious and
most abounding in heroic sons.
Agni, the sacrificial ritual that you encompass on all sides—only that one
goes to the gods.
Agni, the prest with the sharp sight of a poet, the tru and most brilliant,
the god will come with the gods.
Whatever good you wish to do for the one who worships you, Agni, through
you, O Angiras, that comes true.
To you, Agni, who shine upon darkness, we come day after day, bringing our
thoughts and homage to you, the king over sacrifices, the shining guardian
of the Order, growing in your own house.
Be easy for us to reach, like a father to his son. Abide with us, Agni, for
our happiness.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx K RAJARAM IRS 13526
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