Rig Veda Sukta 129
Mandala 10Sukta 1297 Mantras

Sukta 129

Sukta 10.129

Rishi

Prajāpati Parameṣṭhin (traditionally ascribed for RV 10.129, Nā́sadīya)

Devata

Bhāva/Abhāva and the One (tad ekam) as the implicit absolute; not a single anthropomorphic devatā

Chandas

Triṣṭubh

Ang Nā́sadīya Sūkta ay nagmumuni-muni sa misteryo ng mga pinagmulan, tumatangging magbigay ng madaling katiyakan tungkol sa kung ano ang umiral "bago" ang pagiral at hindi pagiral. Sinusubaybay nito ang isang banayad na kilos mula sa hindi natatanging pagkubli patungo sa mga unang paggising ng isipan at pagnanais, habang paulit-ulit na pinagtanong ang mga limitasyon ng kaalaman. Ang layunin ng himno ay hindi upang salaysayin ang kosmogoniya nang dogmatiko, kundi upang pagpalain ang pagmamangha, pagsisiyasat, at mapagpitaganang agnostisismo sa harapan ng Ganap (tad ekam).

Recitation with translationRig Veda 10.129

Mantras

Mantra 1

नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत् । किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥

Nang panahong iyon ay wala pang hindi nabuo at wala pang nabuo; wala pang kalagitnaang mundo, wala pang kalawakang langit sa kabila. Ano ang tumatakip sa lahat, at saan, at sa kaninong kanlungan? Iyon bang isang malawak na baha - siksik, nakatago, at malalim sa loob?

Mantra 2

न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः । आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किं चनास ॥

Wala pang kamatayan noon, ni wala mang walang-kamatayang kalagayan; walang senyales ng gabi o araw na nagpapakita. Ang Isa ay humihinga nang walang hininga sa sarili niyang kapangyarihan; bukod sa Niyaon, walang iba pang umiiral.

Mantra 3

तम आसीत्तमसा गूळ्हमग्रेऽप्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वमा इदम् । तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥

Sa pasimula ay ang kadiliman ay nakatago ng kadiliman; ang lahat ng ito ay isang walang anyong karagatan na walang natatanging senyas. Ang nakatakip sa kawalan at sa hindi masaklaw - sa kadakilaan ng panloob na init ay Iyon ay ipinanganak.

Mantra 4

कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् । सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥

Ang pagnanais ay bumangon sa pasimula sa Niyaon - ang pagnanais, ang unang binhi ng isipan. Ang mga mangunguhit, na naghahanap sa puso na may pag-unawa, ay nakita ang ugnayan ng nabuo sa loob ng hindi nabuo.

Mantra 5

तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासी३दुपरि स्विदासी३त् । रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥

Ang sinag nila ay unat na pahalang - mayroon ba sa ibaba, o mayroon ba sa itaas? Mayroong mga tagapagtaguyod ng binhi, mayroong mga makapangyarihang kapangyarihan: ang sariling batas sa ilalim, at ang pasulong na pagtulak sa kabila.

Mantra 6

को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः । अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥

Sino ang tunay na nakakaalam, at sino dito ang makapagsasabi - saan ito ipinanganak, saan nagmula ang pagkakabuhos na ito? Ang mga diyos mismo ay huli sa likhang ito; kaya sino ang nakakaalam kung saan ito unang bumangon?

Mantra 7

इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न । यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥

Ang likhang ito - saan ito bumangon - kung ito ay tinangkilik, o kung hindi: ang tagapagmasid nito sa pinakamataas na langit, siya ay tiyak na nakakaalam... o baka kahit siya ay hindi nakakaalam.

Inside Sukta 129

How it unfolds

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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
Verse 10.129.1Sets the hymn’s method: apophatic (via negation) and interrogative, dismantling ordinary cosmological categories before any ‘creation story’ can begin.Read verse 10.129.1 →
kāmas tad agre
Verse 10.129.4Introduces Kāma as the first movement and links inner realization with cosmology—seers find the bond of sat within asat through heart-searching insight.Read verse 10.129.4 →
so aṅga veda yadi vā na veda
Verse 10.129.7The culminating verse on the limits of knowledge; it famously suspends certainty about whether even the highest witness knows the origin.Read verse 10.129.7 →

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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