Nasadiya Sukta
Also called: Hymn of creation · Topic: The Vedic Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Nāsadīya Sūkta is the "Hymn of Creation" in the tenth book of the Ṛigveda. Its name comes from its first words, nāsad, "there was neither non-being". It asks how the universe began, at a time when there was neither being nor non-being. It does not give one fixed answer. Instead it ends with a doubt: perhaps even the one who watches from the highest heaven knows, or perhaps he does not know. It shows the questioning spirit of the Vedic seers, and the Upaniṣhads later carried this spirit forward.
Example
Ṛigveda 10.129 is the Nāsadīya Sūkta. It asks: who really knows where this creation came from? It is often quoted as one of the earliest written-down examples of philosophical doubt in the world.
Don't confuse with
- Puruṣhasūkta: also in Book 10 of the Ṛigveda. It describes creation from a cosmic being (Puruṣha) and gives the earliest mention of the four varṇas (social classes). The Nāsadīya Sūkta only asks questions and names no social classes.