nAsadiya sUkta

नास॑दासी॒न्नो सदा॑सीत्त॒दानीं॒ नासी॒द्रजो॒ नो व्यो॑मा प॒रो यत् ।
किमाव॑रीवः॒ कुह॒ कस्य॒ शर्म॒न्नम्भः॒ किमा॑सी॒द्गह॑नं गभी॒रम् ॥ १ ॥

nāsa̍dāsī̱nno sadā̍sītta̱dānī̱ṃ nāsī̱drajo̱ no vyo̍mā pa̱ro yat |
kimāva̍rīva̱ḥ kuha̱ kasya̱ śarma̱nnambha̱ḥ kimā̍sī̱dgaha̍naṃ gabhī̱ram || 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?

न मृ॒त्युरा॑सीद॒मृतं॒ न तर्हि॒ न रात्र्या॒ अह्न॑ आसीत्प्रके॒तः ।
आनी॑दवा॒तं स्व॒धया॒ तदेकं॒ तस्मा॑द्धा॒न्यन्न प॒रः किं च॒नास॑ ॥ २ ॥

na mṛ̱tyurā̍sīda̱mṛta̱ṃ na tarhi̱ na rātryā̱ ahna̍ āsītprake̱taḥ |
ānī̍davā̱taṃ sva̱dhayā̱ tadeka̱ṃ tasmā̍ddhā̱nyanna pa̱raḥ kiṃ ca̱nāsa̍ || 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.

<तम॑ आसी॒त्तम॑सा गू॒ळ्हमग्रे॑ऽप्रके॒तं स॑लि॒लं सर्व॑मा इ॒दम् ।
तु॒च्छ्येना॒भ्वपि॑हितं॒ यदासी॒त्तप॑स॒स्तन्म॑हि॒नाजा॑य॒तैक॑म् ॥ ३ ॥

tama̍ āsī̱ttama̍sā gū̱l̤hamagre̍'prake̱taṃ sa̍li̱laṃ sarva̍mā i̱dam |
tu̱cchyenā̱bhvapi̍hita̱ṃ yadāsī̱ttapa̍sa̱stanma̍hi̱nājā̍ya̱taika̍m || 3 ||

At first there was only darkness wrapped in darkness.
All this was only unillumined cosmic water.
That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing,
arose at last, born of the power of heat.

काम॒स्तदग्रे॒ सम॑वर्त॒ताधि॒ मन॑सो॒ रेतः॑ प्रथ॒मं यदासी॑त् ।
स॒तो बन्धु॒मस॑ति॒ निर॑विन्दन्हृ॒दि प्र॒तीष्या॑ क॒वयो॑ मनी॒षा ॥ ४ ॥

kāma̱stadagre̱ sama̍varta̱tādhi̱ mana̍so̱ reta̍ḥ pratha̱maṃ yadāsī̍t |
sa̱to bandhu̱masa̍ti̱ nira̍vindanhṛ̱di pra̱tīṣyā̍ ka̱vayo̍ manī̱ṣā || 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 kin to that which is not.

ति॒र॒श्चीनो॒ वित॑तो र॒श्मिरे॑षाम॒धः स्वि॑दा॒सी३दु॒परि॑ स्विदासी३त् ।
रे॒तो॒धा आ॑सन्महि॒मान॑ आसन्स्व॒धा अ॒वस्ता॒त्प्रय॑तिः प॒रस्ता॑त् ॥ ५ ॥

ti̱ra̱ścīno̱ vita̍to ra̱śmire̍ṣāma̱dhaḥ svi̍dā̱sī3du̱pari̍ svidāsī3t |
re̱to̱dhā ā̍sanmahi̱māna̍ āsansva̱dhā a̱vastā̱tpraya̍tiḥ pa̱rastā̍t || 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.

को अ॒द्धा वे॑द॒ क इ॒ह प्र वो॑च॒त्कुत॒ आजा॑ता॒ कुत॑ इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टिः ।
अ॒र्वाग्दे॒वा अ॒स्य वि॒सर्ज॑ने॒नाथा॒ को वे॑द॒ यत॑ आब॒भूव॑ ॥ ६ ॥

ko a̱ddhā ve̍da̱ ka i̱ha pra vo̍ca̱tkuta̱ ājā̍tā̱ kuta̍ i̱yaṃ visṛ̍ṣṭiḥ |

a̱rvāgde̱vā a̱sya vi̱sarja̍ne̱nāthā̱ ko ve̍da̱ yata̍ āba̱bhūva̍ || 6 ||

But, after all, who knows, and who can say

Whence it all came, and how creation happened?

the Devas (minor gods) themselves are later than creation,

so who knows truly whence it has arisen?



i̱yaṃ visṛ̍ṣṭi̱ryata̍ āba̱bhūva̱ yadi̍ vā da̱dhe yadi̍ vā̱ na |

yo a̱syādhya̍kṣaḥ para̱me vyo̍ma̱nso a̱ṅga ve̍da̱ yadi̍ vā̱ na veda̍ || 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.[1]


— Translated by A.L.Basham