translation

transliteration

|| nāsadīya sūktam ||

• Existence was not then, nor non-existence,
  The world was not, the sky beyond was neither.
  What covered the mist? Of whom was that?
  What was in the depths of darkness thick?
• Death was not then, nor immortality,
  The night was neither separate from day,
  But motionless did That vibrate
  Alone, with Its own glory one — Beyond That nothing did exist.
• At first in darkness hidden darkness lay,
  Undistinguished as one mass of water,
  Then That which lay in void thus covered
  A glory did put forth by Tapah!
• First desire rose, the primal seed of mind,
  (The sages have seen all this in their hearts
  Sifting existence from non-existence.)
  Its rays above, below and sideways spread.
• Creative then became the glory,
  With self-sustaining principle below.
  And Creative Energy above.
• Who knew the way? Who there declared
  Whence this arose? Projection whence?
  For after this projection came the gods.
  Who therefore knew indeed, came out this whence?
• This projection whence arose,
  Whether held or whether not,
  He the ruler in the supreme sky, of this
  He, O Sharman!^[1] knows, or knows not He perchance!