How often have we encountered the phrase "And God said, ’Let there be light’"?

It is from the Bible, specifically from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, Genesis 1:3.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And how often have you read about Nasadiya Sukta (Creation Hymn) from the Rigved 10.129?

नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमापरो यत्।

किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम्

The meaning of the complete hymn is:

1. Then, even non-existence was not there, nor existence. There was no air then, nor the space beyond it. What covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping? Was there then the cosmic fluid in depths unfathomed?
2. Then there was neither death nor immortality nor was there then the torch of night and day. The One breathed windlessly and self-sustaining. There was that One then, and there was no other.
3. At first, there was only darkness wrapped in darkness. All this was only unillumined cosmic water. That One which came to be, enclosed in nothing, arose at last, born of the power of heat.
4. In the beginning, desire descended on it - that was the primal seed born of the mind. The sages who have searched their hearts with wisdom know which is kin to which is not.
5. And they have stretched their cord across the void, knowing what was above and below. Seminal powers made fertile mighty forces. Below was strength, and over it was impulse.
6. But, after all, who knows, and who can say when it all came and how creation happened? The gods are later than creation, so who knows whence it has arisen?
7. Whence all creation had its origin, the creator, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not, the creator, who surveys it all from the highest heaven, he knows — or maybe even he does not know.

Simple English Meaning

The Nasadiya Sukta questions the origin of the universe. It suggests that before creation, there was neither existence nor non-existence. It ponders what existed then - was it emptiness or fullness?

The hymn speaks of a time before life and death, light and dark. It describes a primordial unity that breathed by itself without wind. The hymn then talks about the first stirring of desire or will as the beginning of creation. It acknowledges the efforts of wise men to understand these mysteries.

Finally, it humbly admits that even the gods came after creation, so perhaps no one - not even the creator - truly knows how it all began.

The Nasadiya Sukta is the 129th hymn of the 10th Mandala (book) of the Rigved, one of the oldest known religious texts in the world. It’s believed to have been composed sometime between 1700 and 1100 BCE. The name "Nasadiya" comes from the first words of the hymn, "nāsad āsīn no sad āsīt tadānīm," which roughly translates to "Then even non-existence was not there, nor existence."

This hymn is remarkable for its philosophical depth and its contemplation of the origins of the universe.

Unlike many creation myths that confidently describe how the world came to be, the Nasadiya Sukta takes a more agnostic approach, questioning the very nature of existence and non-existence before creation.

This hymn is notable for its intellectual honesty in admitting the limits of knowledge and its willingness to question fundamental assumptions about existence and creation. It is an early example of philosophical inquiry and continues to inspire thinkers and seekers today.

Philosophical Significance

1. Questioning fundamental assumptions: The hymn challenges basic concepts like existence and non-existence.