Sairam The Purusha Suktam is one of the most revered hymns from the Vedas, extolling the Supreme Being. This hymn offers a magnificent portrayal of the Vedic vision of the cosmos's creation.
The Nasadiya Suktam of the Rig Veda offers insights into the state of the universe before its origin and its subsequent evolution. Known as the Hymn of Creation, it addresses cosmology and the origin of the Universe. Further insights into creation are provided by the Hiranyagarbha Suktam and Viswakarma Suktam of the Rig Veda, Narayana Suktam, Isavasya Upanishad, Brahma Sutras, Satapata Brahmana, Matsya Purana, Srimad Bhagavatam, and the Mantra Pushpam, which is part of the Vedic texts known as Arunam.
Nasadiya Suktam
The Nasadiya Suktam, the Hymn of Creation, consists of seven verses, and it boldly poses questions and hints at answers through a mode of "edifying puzzlement." This masterpiece of religious cosmology ventures into realms where material cosmology has either hesitated or faltered. The Suktam questions what existed before the moment of creation. The first verse describes a state of "darkness wrapped in darkness," where the only presence was "unilluminated water." From this emerged That One, which came into being, enclosed in nothingness, and was born from the power of tapas. Initially, desire (kama), the primal seed born from the mind of That One, the self-manifested Svayambhu, descended upon the undifferentiated unknown, leading to the eventual manifestation of the world of names and forms.
Hiranya Garbha Sukta
The Hiranya Garbha Suktam from the Rig Veda is another hymn that enlightens us about Creation. It declares that God, manifested Himself at the beginning as the Creator of the universe, encompassing "the collective totality" of heaven and earth within Himself and instilling intelligence into the created entities.
Purusha Suktam
The Purusha Suktam offers a symbolic explanation of creation through the analogy of a Yajna (cosmic sacrifice), illustrating the spiritual web and unity of the universe. It details the attributes of Purusha, the Cosmic Being, in both His immanent and transcendent forms. This monograph delves deeply into the meanings and commentaries on the Purusha Suktam mantras found in all four Vedams. Commentators have noted that the Purusha Suktam describes "the spiritual unity of the universe" and presents the nature of Purusha as both immanent and yet transcendent.
Vedanta Sutras
Vedanta Sutrams identify Brahman, the Supreme Being, as the One from whom this universe originates,subsists and at the end returns.
The Bhagavata Puranam
The Bhagavata Purana reveres Lord Narayana as the sole existence at the beginning of time and identifies Him as the singular cause of creation, sustenance, and dissolution. He is acknowledged as the Supreme Seed of Creation, being subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest.
Matsya PurAnam
It begins with the state of the universe after the great dissolution (Maha Pralayam). Darkness enveloped everything, and all was in a state of stillness, with nothing in motion. During this time, the self-manifested One arose, first creating the primordial waters and then placing the seed of Creation within the waters. This seed transformed into a golden egg or womb, and Self-manifested One entered it to create the universe of names and forms.
Narayana Suktam
Everything in this created world, whether visible (vyaktam) or invisible (avyaktam), is pervaded by Narayana both within and outside.
Isavasya Upanishad
The universe is pervaded by Ishwara (God), who exists both within and outside. He is present in both the moving (chith) and non-moving (achith). He is both near and far.
The Bhagavad Gita
Excerpts: "I am also the seed of all beings, O Arjuna! Nothing that moves or does not move exists without Me" (10.39). "I sustain this whole universe with just a fragment of my Power" (10.42). "I uphold all beings, yet I am not within them. It is my will alone that causes their existence" (9.5). "I am the Father, Mother, Creator, and Grandfather of the Universe... I am the source of origin and dissolution, the base for the goal, the supporter and the Lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge, and friend. I am the source of origin and dissolution, the base for preservation, and the imperishable seed" (9.17-18).
Siva Agamam
The Shiva Agama text on the Nataraja doctrine - At the front entrance of CERN in Switzerland stands a statue of Nataraja, the king of dance, symbolizing the delicate balance between the forces of creation and destruction in the universe.
Nataraja is depicted within a ring of fire, representing the manifest universe, and holds fire in one of his four hands, symbolizing the annihilation at the end of each creation cycle and representing the forces of destruction.
In another hand, he holds a double-sided drum (damaru), producing sounds that mark the pulses of time and herald new creations. This signifies sound as the first element of creation in a rapidly unfolding universe, reflecting a rhythmic order. It is noted that time is perceived as cyclical in India, in contrast to the linear concept of time in the West.
One of Nataraja’s hands displays the gesture of grace (abhayam), symbolizing sustenance.
In Saiva Siddhanta, his uplifted leg represents the gesture that liberates souls from bondage,
while another leg steps on a dwarf, symbolizing ignorance.
The interplay of creation, protection, and dissolution is thus captured in the image of Lord Nataraja.
The plaque next to Nataraja’s statue at CERN reads: "Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the pattern of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art, and modern physics."
Great scientists, from Albert Einstein to Robert Oppenheimer, have suggested a kinship between Vedanta and modern science. May this kinship continue to grow and yield rich returns in the times to come!
Sairam 🙏
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