Chant with meaning

Each verse chanted, then read in English.

Verse 1 · Neither being nor non-being

नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत् ।

किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥

nāsad āsīn no sad āsīt tadānīṃ nāsīd rajo no vyomā paro yat |

kim āvarīvaḥ kuha kasya śarmann ambhaḥ kim āsīd gahanaṃ gabhīram ||

Then there was neither non-being nor being. There was no air, and no sky beyond it. What stirred? Where? In whose keeping? Was there water, fathomless and deep?

Verse 2 · No night, no day

न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः ।

आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किञ्चनास ॥

na mṛtyur āsīd amṛtaṃ na tarhi na rātryā ahna āsīt praketaḥ |

ānīd avātaṃ svadhayā tad ekaṃ tasmād dhānyan na paraḥ kiṃ canāsa ||

There was neither death nor immortality then. There was no sign of night or day. That One breathed, windless, by its own power. Other than that there was nothing at all.

Verse 3 · Darkness hidden in darkness

तम आसीत्तमसा गूळ्हमग्रेऽप्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वमा इदम् ।

तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥

tama āsīt tamasā gūḷham agre 'praketaṃ salilaṃ sarvam ā idam |

tucchyenābhv apihitaṃ yad āsīt tapasas tan mahinājāyataikam ||

Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning. All this was water without distinguishing sign. The life force that was covered by emptiness, that One, was born through the power of heat.

Verse 4 · The first seed of mind

कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत् ।

सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन्हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥

kāmas tad agre sam avartatādhi manaso retaḥ prathamaṃ yad āsīt |

sato bandhum asati nir avindan hṛdi pratīṣyā kavayo manīṣā ||

In the beginning desire arose in it, which was the first seed of mind. Searching in their hearts with wisdom, the poets found the bond of being in non-being.

Verse 5 · A cord stretched across

तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासीदुपरि स्विदासीत् ।

रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥

tiraścīno vitato raśmir eṣām adhaḥ svid āsīd upari svid āsīt |

retodhā āsan mahimāna āsan svadhā avastāt prayatiḥ parastāt ||

Their cord was stretched across. Was there a below? Was there an above? There were seed-placers, there were powers. Impulse below, giving forth above.

Verse 6 · The gods came later

को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः ।

अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥

ko addhā veda ka iha pra vocat kuta ājātā kuta iyaṃ visṛṣṭiḥ |

arvāg devā asya visarjanenāthā ko veda yata ābabhūva ||

Who truly knows? Who here can declare it? From where was it born, from where this creation? The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this world. Who then knows from where it has arisen?

Verse 7 · Or perhaps he does not know

इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न ।

यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥

iyaṃ visṛṣṭir yata ābabhūva yadi vā dadhe yadi vā na |

yo asyādhyakṣaḥ parame vyoman so aṅga veda yadi vā na veda ||

From where this creation has arisen, whether it was made or whether it was not, the one who looks down upon it from the highest heaven, he surely knows. Or perhaps he does not know.

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