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Re: Origins of life...
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To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Subject: Re: Origins of life...
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From: Prasad Gokhale <f0g1@unb.ca>
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Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 13:58:31 -0400
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In-Reply-To: <4j2tmp$6gb@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: University of New Brunswick
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References: <4j2tmp$6gb@babbage.ece.uc.edu>
On 24 Mar 1996, arjun karavadi wrote:
> I am looking for some info. regarding theories in Hinduism on the
> origins of life. As far as I know Hinduism has some good philosophical
> and intellectual discussions in this matter (rather than the simplistic
> 'God created everything' theory). Any help in this regard will be
Subject: 'Creation Hymn' of Rg Veda
One of the most beautiful and profound examples of Indian literature is
the famous 'Hymn of Creation' of the Rg Veda, written by an unknown poet
perhaps about 1000 BC. The two versions given below are from A.L. Basham's
"The Wonder that was India" and S. Radhakrishnan's "Indian Philosophy" but
there are other published translations.
I would very much like to receive copies of other versions of this
poem or references to where they may be found.
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Hymn of Creation (Nasadiya hymn) from Rg Veda
Version 1 (Basham, 1968):
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?
Then there were 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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
(From pp. 249-250, "The Wonder that was India" by A. L. Basham, 1968,
3rd revised edition, Taplinger Publishing Company, New York.)
Version 2 (Max Muller, in Radhakrishnan, 1929):
There was then neither what is nor what is not,
there was no sky, nor the heaven which is beyond.
What covered? Where was it, and in whose shelter?
Was the water the deep abyss (in which it lay)?
There was no death, hence was there nothing immortal.
There was no light (distinction) between night and day.
That One breathed by itself without breath,
other than it there has been nothing.
Darkness there was,
in the beginning all this was a sea without light;
the germ that lay covered by the husk,
that One was born by the power of heat (tapas).
Love overcame it in the beginning,
which was the seed springing from mind,
poets having searched in their heart found by wisdom
the bond of what is in what is not.
Their ray which was stretched across,
was it below or was it above?
There were seed-bearers, there were powers,
self-power below, and will above.
Who then knows, who has declared it here,
from whence was born this creation?
The gods came later than this creation,
who then knows whence it arose?
He from whom this creation arose,
whether he made it or did not make it,
the highest seer in the highest heaven,
he forsooth knows, or does even he not know?
(Max Muller's translation, from pp. 100-101, "Indian Philosophy" by
S. Radhakrishnan, 1929, 2nd edition, George Allen & Unwin Ltd.,
London, Vol. 1).
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Originally posted by: Priyantha Wijesinghe
vhwbc@cunyvm.cuny.edu
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