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

《那萨迪耶颂》(Nā́sadīya Sūkta)沉思起源之谜,拒绝对“存在与非存在之前”究竟为何作出轻易的断言。它描绘从无差别的隐蔽幽冥中,微妙地转向心识与欲求的最初萌动,同时一再追问知识所能抵达的边界。此颂并非以教条方式叙述宇宙生成,而是要在“唯一者”(tad ekam)这一绝对之前,神圣化惊异、探问与敬虔的不可知。

Recitation with translationRig Veda 10.129

Mantras

Mantra 1

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

彼时既无非有,亦无有;那时无空界,亦无其上之远天。何物覆蔽一切?在何处?在谁之庇护中?彼时是否唯有洪水——幽密、隐覆而深邃?

Mantra 2

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

彼时无死,亦无不死;夜与昼之相,亦未显现。唯“一者”凭自性(svadhā)而息,虽无气息;除彼之外,实无他物。

Mantra 3

तम आसीत्तमसा गूळ्हमग्रेऽप्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वमा इदम् । तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥

初时唯暗,以暗覆暗;此一切皆为无相之水,未有可识之征。彼物为虚无与不可执所遮覆;由热力(tapas)之大能,“一者”遂生。

Mantra 4

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

欲(kāma)最初在彼上生起——那是心意(manas)之最初种子。诸仙圣(kavi)以慧观(manīṣā)在心中寻求,遂于无相(asat)之中发现有相(sat)之系缚与关联。

Mantra 5

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

他们的光线横向铺展:是在下,抑或在上?有持种者(retodhā),亦有大威力者;自法(svadhā)在下,而前趋之冲力(prayatiḥ)在彼岸之上。

Mantra 6

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

谁真知其然?谁能在此宣说:它从何而生,此倾泻之造化从何而来?诸天(deva)亦在此创造之后;那么,谁知它最初从何而起?

Mantra 7

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

此一创造——从何处生起——或被安立,或竟未被安立:在至高天穹中为其主宰者者,确然知晓……或许连他也不知。

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.

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