--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Xenophaneros Anartaxius"
<anartaxius@...> wrote:
>
>
> There is that cryptic creation hymn from the Rig Veda which seems to be
> permeated with this kind of ambiguity:
>
> [Translation by Ralph T.H. Griffith in 1896 - perhaps cardmaister would have
> a shot at this verse]
>
> Then was not non-existent nor existent: there was no realm of air, no sky
> beyond it. What covered in, and where? and what gave shelter? Was water
> there, unfathomed depth of water? Death was not then, nor was there aught
> immortal: no sign was there, the day's and night's divider. That One Thing,
> breathless, breathed by its own nature: apart from it was nothing whatsoever.
> Darkness there was: at first concealed in darkness this All was
> indiscriminated chaos. All that existed then was void and form less: by the
> great power of Warmth was born that Unit. Thereafter rose Desire in the
> beginning, Desire, the primal seed and germ of Spirit. Sages who searched
> with their heart's thought discovered the existent's kinship in the
> non-existent. Transversely was their severing line extended: what was above
> it then, and what below it? There were begetters, there were mighty forces,
> free action here and energy up yonder Who verily knows and who can here
> declare it, whence it was born and whence comes this creation? The Gods are
> later than this world's production. Who knows then whence it first came into
> being? He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did
> not form it, Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows
> it, or perhaps he knows not.
>
I think that's called the naasadiiya-suukta, by its first
two words (naasad... < na + asat) + an adjectival suffix,
or whatever (iiya). It's one of my absolute favourites
in the Rgveda. I believe it belongs to the youngest parts
of Rk.
Here's the whole suukta in ITRANS transliteration, with
accents indicated, thus "a bit" hard to read:
nAsa\'dAsI\`nno sadA\'sItta\`dAnI\`M nAsI\`drajo\` no vyo\'mA pa\`ro yat |
kimAva\'rIva\`H kuha\` kasya\` sharma\`nnambha\`H kimA\'sI\`dgaha\'naM
gabhI\`ram || 10\.129\.01
na mR^i\`tyurA\'sIda\`mR^ita\`M na tarhi\` na rAtryA\` ahna\' AsItprake\`taH |
AnI\'davA\`taM sva\`dhayA\` tadeka\`M tasmA\'ddhA\`nyanna pa\`raH kiM
cha\`nAsa\' || 10\.129\.02
tama\' AsI\`ttama\'sA gU\`Lhamagre\'.aprake\`taM sa\'li\`laM sarva\'mA i\`dam |
tu\`chChyenA\`bhvapi\'hita\`M yadAsI\`ttapa\'sa\`stanma\'hi\`nAjA\'ya\`taika\'m
|| 10\.129\.03
kAma\`stadagre\` sama\'varta\`tAdhi\` mana\'so\` reta\'H pratha\`maM yadAsI\'t |
sa\`to bandhu\`masa\'ti\` nira\'vindanhR^i\`di pra\`tIShyA\' ka\`vayo\'
manI\`ShA || 10\.129\.04
ti\`ra\`shchIno\` vita\'to ra\`shmire\'ShAma\`dhaH svi\'dA\`sI3du\`pari\'
svidAsI3t |
re\`to\`dhA A\'sanmahi\`mAna\' Asansva\`dhA a\`vastA\`tpraya\'tiH pa\`rastA\'t
|| 10\.129\.05
ko a\`ddhA ve\'da\` ka i\`ha pra vo\'cha\`tkuta\` AjA\'tA\` kuta\' i\`yaM
visR^i\'ShTiH |
a\`rvAgde\`vA a\`sya vi\`sarja\'ne\`nAthA\` ko ve\'da\` yata\' Aba\`bhUva\' ||
10\.129\.06
i\`yaM visR^i\'ShTi\`ryata\' Aba\`bhUva\` yadi\' vA da\`dhe yadi\' vA\` na |
yo a\`syAdhya\'kShaH para\`me vyo\'ma\`nso a\`~Nga ve\'da\` yadi\' vA\` na
veda\' || 10\.129\.07
The same without accents:
nAsadAsInno sadAsIttadAnIM nAsIdrajo no vyomA paro yat |
kimAvarIvaH kuha kasya sharmannambhaH kimAsIdgahanaM gabhIram || 10.129.01
na mR^ityurAsIdamR^itaM na tarhi na rAtryA ahna AsItpraketaH |
AnIdavAtaM svadhayA tadekaM tasmAddhAnyanna paraH kiM chanAsa || 10.129.02
tama AsIttamasA gULhamagre.apraketaM salilaM sarvamA idam |
tuchChyenAbhvapihitaM yadAsIttapasastanmahinAjAyataikam || 10.129.03
kAmastadagre samavartatAdhi manaso retaH prathamaM yadAsIt |
sato bandhumasati niravindanhR^idi pratIShyA kavayo manIShA || 10.129.04
tirashchIno vitato rashmireShAmadhaH svidAsI3dupari svidAsI3t |
retodhA AsanmahimAna AsansvadhA avastAtprayatiH parastAt || 10.129.05
ko addhA veda ka iha pra vochatkuta AjAtA kuta iyaM visR^iShTiH |
arvAgdevA asya visarjanenAthA ko veda yata AbabhUva || 10.129.06
iyaM visR^iShTiryata AbabhUva yadi vA dadhe yadi vA na |
yo asyAdhyakShaH parame vyomanso a~Nga veda yadi vA na veda || 10.129.07
The chandas (meter) is triSTup (triSTubh), 4 times eleven
syllables:
The first line in "HK-ish" transliteration goes like this:
naasadaasiinno sadaasiittadaaniiM
The pada-paaTha (word reading without sandhis):
na + asat; aasiit na + u sat; aasiit tadaaniiM
Word-for-word that might be for instance:
not non-existent (a-sat) not, "er", existent (sat)
was (aasiit) then (tadaaniim: "before" the
Big Bang??).
Perhaps some more later...
