Sukta 129
Sukta 10.129
Prajāpati Parameṣṭhin (traditionally ascribed for RV 10.129, Nā́sadīya)
Bhāva/Abhāva and the One (tad ekam) as the implicit absolute; not a single anthropomorphic devatā
Triṣṭubh
ບົດສັນທະຍາ ນາສາດິຍະ ພິຈາລະນາ ຄວາມລຶກລັບ ຂອງການກໍາເນີດ, ປະຕູເຫັນ ຄວາມແນ່ໃຈ ທີ່ງ່າຍດາຍ ກ່ຽວກັບ ສິ່ງທີ່ມີຢູ່ ກ່ອນ ການມີຢູ່ ແລະ ການບໍ່ມີຢູ່. ມັນຕິດຕາມ ການເຄື່ອນໄຫວ ທີ່ລຶກ ຈາກ ຄວາມບໍ່ແຈ້ງ ທີ່ບໍ່ມີການແຍກຕ່າງ ໄປສູ່ ການຕື່ນຂຶ້ນ ຄັ້ງທໍາອິດ ຂອງ ຈິດໃຈ ແລະ ຄວາມປາຖະຫນາ, ໃນຂະນະ ທີ່ ຕັ້ງຄໍາຖາມ ຊ້ໍາໆ ກ່ຽວກັບ ຂອບເຂດ ຂອງ ຄວາມຮູ້. ຈຸດປະສົງ ຂອງ ບົດສັນທະຍາ ນີ້ ບໍ່ແມ່ນ ເພື່ອ ເລົ່າເລື່ອງ ການສ້າງໂລກ ຢ່າງເປັນຫຼັກການ, ແຕ່ ເພື່ອ ເຮັດໃຫ້ ຄວາມອັດສະຈັນ, ການສອບຖາມ, ແລະ ການບໍ່ຮູ້ ຢ່າງເຄົາລົບ ຕໍ່ຫນ້າ ສິ່ງທີ່ເປັນສັດທຽມ (ຕັດ ເອກັມ) ມີຄວາມສັກສິລະ.
Mantras
Mantra 1
नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत् । किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥
ໃນຄາວນັ້ນບໍ່ມີທັງສິ່ງທີ່ຍັງບໍ່ທັນເກີດ ແລະ ສິ່ງທີ່ເກີດແລ້ວ; ບໍ່ມີໂລກກາງ, ບໍ່ມີສະຫວັນທີ່ໄກກວ່ານັ້ນ. ສິ່ງໃດທີ່ປົກຄຸມທັງປວງ, ແລະ ຢູ່ທີ່ໃດ, ແລະ ໃນທີ່ພັກພາຂອງຜູ້ໃດ? ຫຼືເປັນນໍ້າຖ້ວມທີ່ກວ້າງໃຫຍ່, ໜາແໜ້ນ, ເຊື່ອງຊ້ອນ, ແລະ ເລິກລັບຢູ່ພາຍໃນ?
Mantra 2
न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः । आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किं चनास ॥
ໃນຄາວນັ້ນບໍ່ມີຄວາມຕາຍ, ບໍ່ມີສະພາບທີ່ບໍ່ຕາຍ; ບໍ່ມີເຄື່ອງໝາຍຂອງກາງຄືນ ຫຼື ກາງວັນປາກົດ. ພຣະຜູ້ດຽງຊົງຫາຍໃຈໂດຍບໍ່ມີລົມຫາຍໃຈ ຕາມພະລັງຂອງພະອົງເອງ; ນອກຈາກພະອົງ, ບໍ່ມີສິ່ງໃດອື່ນທີ່ມີຢູ່ເລີຍ.
Mantra 3
तम आसीत्तमसा गूळ्हमग्रेऽप्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वमा इदम् । तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥
ໃນຕອນເລີ່ມຕົ້ນ ຄວາມມືດຖືກເຊື່ອງໄວ້ດ້ວຍຄວາມມືດ; ທັງໝົດນີ້ເປັນມະຫາສະໝຸດທີ່ບໍ່ມີຮູບຮ່າງ ໂດຍບໍ່ມີເຄື່ອງໝາຍສະແດງ. ສິ່ງທີ່ຖືກປົກຄຸມດ້ວຍຄວາມວ່າງເປົ່າ ແລະ ສິ່ງທີ່ຈັບຕ້ອງບໍ່ໄດ້, ໄດ້ເກີດຂຶ້ນເປັນພຣະຜູ້ດຽງ ໂດຍຄວາມຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່ຂອງຄວາມຮ້ອນພາຍໃນ.
Mantra 4
कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् । सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥
ຄວາມປາຖະໜາໄດ້ເກີດຂຶ້ນໃນຕອນເລີ່ມຕົ້ນເທິງພຣະຜູ້ນັ້ນ, ຄວາມປາຖະໜາທີ່ເປັນເມັດພັນທາງໃຈທຳອິດ. ພະໄຖຍະຊົນຜູ້ຊົງຄົ້ນຫາໃນຫົວໃຈດ້ວຍປັນຍາ, ໄດ້ຄົ້ນພົບສາຍພັນຂອງສິ່ງທີ່ເກີດແລ້ວ ພາຍໃນສິ່ງທີ່ຍັງບໍ່ທັນເກີດ.
Mantra 5
तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासी३दुपरि स्विदासी३त् । रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥
ຮົ່ວແສຂອງພວກເຂົາຖືກຍືດອອກຂວາງ, ຢູ່ລຸ່ມ ຫຼື ຢູ່ເທິງ? ມີຜູ້ຖືເມັດພັນ, ມີພະລັງຍິ່ງໃຫຍ່: ກົດເກນຂອງຕົນຢູ່ລຸ່ມ, ແລະ ການຊົງນຳໄປຂ້າງໜ້າຢູ່ເທິງ.
Mantra 6
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः । अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥
ຜູ້ໃດຊົງຮູ້ແທ້, ແລະ ຜູ້ໃດສາມາດກ່າວໄດ້ທີ່ນີ້, ວ່າມັນເກີດມາຈາກໃສ, ວ່າການສ້າງນີ້ມາຈາກໃສ? ທິດເຈົ້າເອງກໍຍັງມາທີ່ຫຼັງການສ້າງນີ້; ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ຜູ້ໃດຈະຮູ້ວ່າມັນເລີ່ມຕົ້ນມາຈາກໃສ?
Mantra 7
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न । यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥
ການສ້າງນີ້, ຈາກທີ່ມັນເກີດຂຶ້ນ, ໄດ້ຮັບການສົມຮັບຄົມ ຫຼື ບໍ່ຮັບການສົມຮັບຄົມ: ຜູ້ຊົງເບິ່ງແຍ່ງຂອງມັນໃນສະຫວັນສູງສຸດ, ພະອົງນັ້ນຊົງຮູ້ແນ່ນອນ... ຫຼື ບາດກໍ່າລະພະອົງບໍ່ຊົງຮູ້ກໍ່ໄດ້.
Inside Sukta 129
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Begins with radical negation: neither non-being nor being, no space, no sky—only the question of what covered what and where.
- Development
Moves through images of concealment and potentiality, then introduces the first differentiating impulse: Kāma as the seed of mind; seers discover a bond between sat and asat by inner search.
- Climax
The hymn reaches its peak in epistemic daring: it questions whether anyone can truly know the origin of creation, even the highest ‘overseer’ in the supreme heaven.
- Where it settles
Ends not with doctrine but with a sanctified uncertainty—affirming that ultimate origins may remain beyond definitive statement.
The deity: Bhāva/Abhāva and Tad Ekam
- In the VedaNot an anthropomorphic deity but the implicit Absolute: “tad ekam” beyond being (sat) and non-being (asat), approached through paradox, negation, and questioning. The hymn also names Kāma (desire) as the first seed of mind arising upon That.
- Cosmic functionGround of manifestation: the unconditioned basis from which differentiation, order, and the knowable cosmos may emerge—if emergence can even be spoken of meaningfully.
- Inner significanceRepresents the pre-conceptual depth of awareness before thought divides experience into opposites; Kāma signifies the first intentional movement—attention, urge, or will—through which mind and meaning begin to form.
The seer
- Prajāpati ParameṣṭhinTraditionally credited as the seer of the Nā́sadīya Sūkta (RV 10.129), famed for its philosophical, probing approach to creation and the limits of knowing.
Famous verses
nāsad āsīn no sad āsīt
kāmas tad agre
so aṅga veda yadi vā na veda
Attributes of the deity
- Ineffable and non-anthropomorphic
- Beyond sat/asat duality
- Known through inquiry and negation
- Source of order and manifestation without being reducible to a ‘creator’ figure
- Kāma as first impulse/seed of mind
- Epistemic humility (even the ‘overseer’ may not know)
Also by this seer
- RV 10.121 (Hiraṇyagarbha Sūkta) is often associated in later tradition with Prajāpati themes, though attribution varies by recension and scholastic lists.
- Cosmogonic and Prajāpati-centered speculation in late Ṛgvedic strata is linked to this rishi-name in traditional anukramaṇī-style attributions.
The rite, step by step
- Ācamana and mental saṅkalpa for svādhyāya (study/recitation) and brahma-jijñāsā (inquiry).
- Kindle or face the sacred fire (if in agnihotra/śrauta setting) or sit in a clean, quiet place for recitation.
- Recite the 7 mantras in Triṣṭubh cadence with measured pauses, preserving the hymn’s interrogative tone.
- Brief silent contemplation after each mantra, especially after 10.129.1, 10.129.4, and 10.129.7.
- Conclude with śānti-pāṭha or a short prayer for clarity (medhā) and discernment (viveka).
Offerings
- Ghee into fire (optional, if performed with agni)
- Water oblation (optional)
- Primary ‘offering’ is mental: attention, inquiry, and reverent silence
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a philosophical hymn on the mystery of creation. It questions what existed before the cosmos and points to “tad ekam,” the One beyond being and non-being.
The verse highlights humility about ultimate origins. It suggests that creation’s beginning may be beyond ordinary knowledge and even beyond any describable ‘overseer’.
Kāma is not merely desire in a worldly sense; it indicates the first impulse or intention—the earliest stir of mind that allows differentiation and manifestation to begin.
Ask anything about Sukta 129 of the Rig Veda
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