నాసదీయ సూక్త

naasadiiya suukta


This is the famous నాసదీయ సూక్త the 129-th suukta 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 suukta The current translation is by A L Basham, from his book entitled The Wonder that was India''


నాసాదాసీన్నొసదా'సీత్తదానీం నాసీద్రజొ నొ వ్యోమాపరొ యత్ |
కిమావారీవహ్ కుహకస్యషర్మన్నంభహ్ కిమా'సీద్గహానం గభీరం || 1 ||


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?




న మృఇత్యురా'సీదమృఇతం న తర్హి న రాత్ర్యాఅహ్నాఆసీత్ప్రకెతహ్ |
ఆనీ'దవాతం స్వధయా తదెకం తస్మా'ద్ధాన్యన్నపరహ్ కిఝ్ణ్చనాసా || 2 ||


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


తమాఆసీత్తమాసా గూహ్ళమగ్రే ప్రకెతం సాలిలం సర్వామాఇదం |
తుచ్చ్హ్యెనాభ్వపీహితం యదాసీత్తపాసస్తన్మాహినా జా'యతైకాం || 3 ||


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




కామస్తదగ్రె సమావర్తతాధి మనాసొ రెతాహ్ ప్రథమం యదాసీ'త్ |
సతొబంధుమసాతి నిరావిందణృఇది ప్రతీష్హ్యా' కవయో మనీష్హా || 4 ||


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



తిరష్చీనొ వితాతొ రష్మిరేష్హామధహ్ స్వీదాసీ 3 దుపరీస్విదాసీ 3 త్ |
రెతొధాఆ'సన్మహిమానాఆసంత్స్వధాఅవస్తాత్ ప్రయాతిహ్ పరస్తా'త్ || 5 ||


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



కోఅద్ధా వేద కాఇహ ప్రవోచత్ కుతాఅజా'తా కుతాఐయం విసృఈష్హ్టిహ్ |
అర్వాగ్దెవాఅస్య విసర్జానెనాథాకొ వేద యతాఆబభూవా || 6 ||


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?


ఇయం విసృఈష్హ్టిర్యతాఆబభూవా యదీ వా దధె యదీ వా న |
యోఅస్యాధ్యాక్షహ్ పరమె వ్యోమంత్సోఅంగ వేద యదీ వా న వెదా || 7 ||


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