The Nasadiya Suktam is the creation hymn of the Rigveda, hymn 129 of the tenth book. Its name comes from its first word, na asat, “not non-being”, and the opening line says that then there was neither non-being nor being. In seven short verses it tries to picture a state before the world, before even death and day and night, and it does so without naming a creator god or a story.
What makes the hymn so memorable is its tone. It is not a doctrine but an inquiry. It speaks of darkness hidden in darkness, of water without markings, of a single One breathing without breath, and of desire arising as the first seed of mind. Its final verses turn to doubt and ask who really knows how it all came about. Many readers find it one of the most open-minded passages in any ancient scripture.
On this page you will find the seven verses in Devanagari with a simple transliteration and a plain meaning for each, followed by notes on how it is read, the questions it raises and how to say the words. Another famous cosmic hymn from the same book is the Purusha Suktam, which pictures creation as a sacrifice, quite a different approach.
The text, transliteration and meaning
Read the seven verses in order. The hymn moves from a description of the void, to the first stirring, to the questions that close it.
Verse 1
नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत्।
किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥
Nasadasinno sadasittadanim nasidrajo no vyoma paro yat
Kimavarivah kuha kasya sharmannambhah kimasidgahanam gabhiram
MeaningThen there was neither non-being nor being, no realm of air and no sky beyond. What covered everything? Where, and in whose keeping? Was there water, deep and unfathomable?
Verse 2
न मृत्युरासीदमृतं न तर्हि न रात्र्या अह्न आसीत्प्रकेतः।
आनीदवातं स्वधया तदेकं तस्माद्धान्यन्न परः किं चनास ॥
Na mrityurasidamritam na tarhi na ratrya ahna asitpraketah
Anidavatam svadhaya tadekam tasmaddhanyanna parah kim chanasa
MeaningThere was no death and no immortality then, and no sign to tell night from day. That One breathed without wind, by its own inherent power. Apart from it, there was nothing else at all.
Verse 3
तम आसीत्तमसा गूळ्हमग्रेऽप्रकेतं सलिलं सर्वमा इदम्।
तुच्छ्येनाभ्वपिहितं यदासीत्तपसस्तन्महिनाजायतैकम् ॥
Tama asittamasa gulhamagre'praketam salilam sarvama idam
Tuchchhyenabhvapihitam yadasittapasastanmahinajayataikam
MeaningAt first there was darkness hidden by darkness, and all this was undistinguished water. That which was covered by emptiness, that One, came to be through the greatness of heat (tapas).
Verse 4
कामस्तदग्रे समवर्तताधि मनसो रेतः प्रथमं यदासीत्।
सतो बन्धुमसति निरविन्दन् हृदि प्रतीष्या कवयो मनीषा ॥
Kamastadagre samavartatadhi manaso retah prathamam yadasit
Sato bandhumasati niravindan hridi pratishya kavayo manisha
MeaningDesire arose first upon it, which was the first seed of mind. Seers searching in the heart, with insight, found the link between being and non-being.
Verse 5
तिरश्चीनो विततो रश्मिरेषामधः स्विदासी३दुपरि स्विदासी३त्।
रेतोधा आसन्महिमान आसन्त्स्वधा अवस्तात्प्रयतिः परस्तात् ॥
Tirashchino vitato rashmireshamadhah svidasi3dupari svidasi3t
Retodha asanmahimana asantsvadha avastatprayatih parastat
MeaningTheir dividing cord was stretched across. Was there something below, was there something above? There were seed-bearers and great powers, with inherent energy below and impulse above. (This verse is read in several ways.)
Verse 6
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः।
अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥
Ko addha veda ka iha pra vochatkuta ajata kuta iyam visrishtih
Arvagdeva asya visarjanenatha ko veda yata ababhuva
MeaningWho truly knows, and who here can say, from where this creation was born? The gods came later than the creation of this world, so who knows from where it came?
Verse 7
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न।
यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥
Iyam visrishtiryata ababhuva yadi va dadhe yadi va na
Yo asyadhyakshah parame vyomantso anga veda yadi va na veda
MeaningFrom where this creation came, whether it was made or not: he who watches over it in the highest heaven, he surely knows, or perhaps he does not know.
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource, page “ऋग्वेदः सूक्तं १०.१२९”. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
When and how it is traditionally recited
The Nasadiya Suktam is more often studied and reflected on than used in ritual. It is part of the Vedic chanting tradition, learned by students of the Rigveda in the accented manner, and it is also read and recited in schools and cultural gatherings in India as an example of early Indian thought.
There is no fixed schedule of days or counts for it. People who recite it usually do so for reflection, sitting quietly and letting the questions in the last verses settle. A short recitation in the morning, followed by a few minutes of silence, is one gentle way some readers use it. Customs vary among teachers and families.
What the tradition says it is for
Tradition treats this hymn as a landmark of philosophical inquiry. It does not name a creator. It asks what existed before the world, how a single One could stir into being, and whether anyone, even a god, can really know. Different schools of thought have read these questions as support for their own views, which shows how open the text is.
Some readers see in the hymn an early form of the idea of a single underlying reality. Others stress its agnostic ending, where even the highest overseer may or may not know. Scholars also differ on how to translate several words, especially in verses 3 to 5, so any translation, including the one here, is an interpretation.
The hymn is a text of wonder rather than instruction, and it does not promise any outcome from reciting it. It is not a remedy for any health or financial matter. If you enjoy this kind of cosmic questioning, you may also like the Gayatri Mantra, another Rigveda verse about awakening the mind.
Pronunciation notes
Begin with the very first word: na asat joins into nasad, said “na-sad”, and the full opening nasad asit runs together as “na-sa-da-seet”. Say long vowels about twice as long as short ones, and keep the t and d crisp, with the tongue touching the back of the upper teeth, not the ridge behind them.
A few sounds need care. The aspirated dh and bh are breathy consonants, as in gabhiram (deep), and the j in rajas is as in jar. In verse 3 the word gulham has a Vedic l sound, which sounds close to a soft “d”. Verse 5 contains long drawn-out vowels, a mark of Vedic chanting. A teacher or a good recording will help you with the pitch accent.
Related mantras and pages
- Purusha Suktam: another creation hymn from the tenth book
- Gayatri Mantra: a Rigveda verse about awakening thought
- Devi Suktam: Rigveda 10.125, nearby in the same book
- Agni Suktam: the opening hymn of the Rigveda
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Nasadiya Suktam about?
It is about the origin of the world. It describes a state before being and non-being, then a first stirring of desire and heat, and finishes by asking whether anyone truly knows how creation came about.
↳ Which Rigveda hymn is the Nasadiya Suktam?
It is Rigveda 10.129, the 129th hymn of the tenth book, with seven verses. It is also called the creation hymn or the Nasadiya Sukta, after its opening words.
↳ Does the Nasadiya Suktam name a creator?
No. It speaks of an unnamed One that breathed without breath, and of an overseer in the highest heaven who may or may not know. The hymn leaves the question open.
↳ Why does the hymn end with doubt?
The last verse says the overseer in the highest heaven knows, or perhaps does not know. Many readers take this as an honest recognition of the limits of knowledge. Others read it as a quiet play on words. The text does not settle it.
↳ Is the Nasadiya Suktam recited for worship?
It is mainly studied and reflected on, and recited as part of Vedic learning. It has no fixed ritual use or day. Some people read it quietly as a contemplation on beginnings.