Creation Stories from India

India has many creation stories -- in the Vedas, Brahamanas, and Upanishads.
Recurring motifs include creation as the spilling of the seed of the creator god,
the cosmic egg, and the primal waters. The central theme is that
reality comes into being as a spirit (manas) or soul (atman) from nothingness.
The following two stories illustrate this central theme and also the seed motif.
The selection from the Rig Veda dates from c. 2000-1700 BCE,
while the one from the Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad dates from c. 450 BCE;
the date for the Chandogya Upanishad is unknown.

The Cosmology Hymn

Rig Veda (10:129)
At first was neither Being nor Nonbeing.
There was not air nor yet sky beyond.
What was wrapping? Where? In whose protection?
Was Water there, unfathomable deep?
There was no death then, nor yet deathlessness;
of night or day there was not any sign.
The One breathed without breath by its own impulse.
Other than that was nothing at all.
Darkness was there, all wrapped around by darkness,
and all was Water indiscriminate,
Then that which was hidden by Void, that One, emerging,
stirring, through power of Ardor, came to be.
In the beginning Love arose,
which was primal germ cell of mind.
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,
discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.
A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.
What was described above it, what below?
Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces,
thrust from below and forward move above.

Who really knows? Who can presume to tell it?

Whence was it born? Whence issued this creation?
Even the Gods came after its emergence.
Then who can tell from whence it came to be?
That out of which creation has arisen,
whether it held it firm or it did not,
He who surveys it in the highest heaven,
He surely knows - or maybe He does not!
Translation by Prof. Raimundo Panikkar,
The Vedic Experience- Mantra-manjari
(Motilal Banarasidas), p. 58)

Brihad-Aranyaka Upanishad 1.4.1-7

In the beginning this cosmos was self (atman) alone, in the shape of a person. He
looking round saw nothing but his Self. He first said, 'This is I', therefore he
became 'I' by name. Therefore even now, if a man is asked, he first says, 'This is
I' and then pronounces the other name which he may have. And because before
all this he burnt down all evils, therefore he was a person. Truly the one who
knows this burns down every one who tries to be before him. He feared, and
therefore anyone who is lonely fears. He thought, 'As there is nothing but myself,
why should I fear?' Thence his fear passed away. For what should he have
feared? Truly, fear arises only from a second. But he felt no delight. Therefore a
man who is lonely feels no delight. He wished for a second. He was as large as
man and wife together. He then made his Self fall in two, and thence arose
husband and wife. That is why it is said, 'We two are thus like half a shell.'
Therefore the void which was there is filled by the wife. He embraced her, and
men were born. She thought, 'How can he embrace me, after having produced
me from himself? I shall hide myself.' She then became a cow, the other became a
bull and embraced her, and hence cows were born. The one became a mare, the
other a stallion; the one a male ass and the other a female ass. He embraced her,
and hence one-hoofed animals were born. The one became a she-goat, the other a
he-goat; the one became a ewe, the other a ram. He embraced her, and hence
goats and sheep were born. And thus he created everything that exists in pairs
down to the ants. He knew, 'I indeed am this creation, for I created all this.'
Hence he became the creation, and he who knows this lives in this his creation.

Chandogya Upanishad
TAT TVAM ASI (THOU THAT ART)
As the bees prepare honey by collecting the essences of different trees and reduce
these essences to a unity, even so all creatures on earth, though they reach Being,
know not that "We have reached Being." Like honey, that which is the finest
essence--this entire world has that as its self. That is Atman. Thou that art.
These rivers flow--the eastern toward the east, the western toward the west. They
go just from the ocean to the ocean. They become the ocean itself. As these rivers
know not "I am this one," or "I am that one," even so all creatures here, though
they have come forth from being, now not "we have come forth from Being."
Whatever they are in this world, whether tiger or lion, or wolf or boar, or worm
or fly or gnat--that they become. That which is the finest essence--this whole
world has that as its self. That is Atman. Thou that art.
Bring here a fig. Divide it. What do you see? Now of the seeds within, divide one,
what do you see now? Truly that finest essence which you do not perceive--truly
from that finest essence this great sacred fig tree thus arises. Believe me. That
which is the finest essence--this whole world has that as its self. That is Atman.
Thou that art.
Place this salt in water. In the morning bring it to me. Where now is the salt? It is
dissolved. Take a sip from the top. How is it? Salty? Using a straw, take a sip
from the middle. How is it? Salty? Take a sip from the bottom. How is it? Salty?
Yes, truly it is the same. You do not perceive Being here. Yet, indeed, it is here.
That which is the finest essence--this whole world has that as its self. That
is Atman. You that are (Thou that art).

Less reliable accounts dahil di indicated which text sila galing.

THE HINDU CREATION STORY
This is not the first world, nor is it the first universe. There have been and will be many more
worlds and universes than there are drops of water in the holy river Ganges. The universes are
made by Lord Brahma the Creator, maintained by Lord Vishnu the Preserver and destroyed by
Lord Shiva. Since the universes must be destroyed before they can be recreated, Lord Shiva is

called the Destroyer and Re-creator. These three gods are all forms of Supreme One and part of
the Supreme One. The Supreme One is behind and beyond all.
There was neither non-existence nor existence. There was neither the realm of space nor the sky
which is beyond. There was neither death neither immortality. There was no distinguishing sign
of day or night. That One breathed by its own impulse. Other than that, there was nothing
beyond.
After each old universe is destroyed nothing is left but a vast ocean. Floating on this ocean,
resting on the great snake Ananta, is Lord Vishnu. Some say that a lotus flower springs from his
navel and from this comes Lord Brahma. And it is from Lord Brahma that all creation comes.
Darkness was hidden by darkness in the beginning. With no distinguishing sign, all this was
water. The life force was covered with emptiness. That One arose with the power of heat.
How dies Lord Brahma create? Some tell of how he grows lonely and splits himself in two to
create male and female. Then he becomes one again and human beings are created. In the same
way he creates all the other living things, from the great animals to the tiniest insects. Others say
that everything comes from different parts of Lord Brahma's body. All the different animals and
all the people come from his mouth, arms, thighs and feet. Everything comes from one - Lord
Brahma, who is part of the Supreme One - so everything is part of the Supreme One. For this
universe, this world and this Lord Brahma, like all those before and all those to come, will be
destroyed by Lord Shiva.
How long is the life of a universe? Its length is beyond imagination. One day to Lord Brahma is
longer than four thousand million of the years that we know. Every night when Lord Brahma
sleeps the world is destroyed. Every morning when he awakes it is created again. When the Lord
Brahma of this universe has lived a lifetime of such days the universe is completely destroyed by
Lord Shiva.
Desire upon That One in the beginning. That was the first seed of mind. Poets, seeking in their
hearts with wisdom, found the bond of existence in non-existence. Their cord was extended
across. Was there below? Was there above?
Everything disappears into the Supreme One. For an unimaginable period of time chaos and
water alone exist. Then once again Lord Vishnu appears, floating on the vast ocean. From Lord
Vishnu comes forth Lord Brahma of the new universe and the cycle continues for ever.
This belief in reincarnation, in the cycle of life, strongly influences the lifestyle of many Hindus.
It can best be explained by the terms 'dharma' and 'karma'. Dharma may be translated as 'duty'
and for Hindus, part of that duty is to respect and care for all living things. The belief that after
death we are reborn in another body, not necessarily human, leads to a great respect for all life
and results in many cases of vegetarianism. Karma is the result or product of what we do. If we

do our duty, then we create good karma, since the next life we may have is directly related to the
actions of our present life. To the Hindu, everything is part of the Supreme One, and thus every
living thing is equally important in the great cycle of life.
Who really knows? Who here proclaim it? Whence was it produced? The gods came afterwards.
Who then knows whence it has a reason. Perhaps it formed itself or perhaps it did not. The One
who looks down upon it in highest heaven, only he knows, or perhaps he does not know?

Another HINDU CREATION STORY

Hindus believe that there is One Supreme Spirit of the universe. This Spirit is God. Hindus also
believe that God can be seen in many different ways, so for Hindus God can take on the shape of
different gods and goddesses. There are several creation stories in Hinduism. Here is one of the
creation stories from Hindu mythology.
Before this time began, there was no heaven, no earth and no space between. A vast dark ocean
washed upon the shores of nothingness and licked the edges of the night. A giant cobra floated on
the waters. Asleep within its endless coils lay the Lord Vishnu. He was watched over by the
mighty serpent.
Everything was so peaceful and silent that Vishnu slept undisturbed by dreams or motion. From
the depths a humming sound began to tremble, Aum. It grew and spread, filling the emptiness
and throbbing with energy.
Aum, or Om
The night had ended, Vishnu awoke. As the dawn began to break, from Vishnus navel grew a
magnificent lotus flower. In the middle of the blossom sat Vishnus servant, Brahma. He awaited
the Lords command. Vishnu spoke to his servant: It is time to begin. Brahma bowed. Vishnu
commanded: Create the World. A wind swept up the waters. Vishnu and the serpent vanished.
Brahma remained in the lotus flower, floating and tossing on the sea. He lifted up his arms and
calmed the wind and the ocean. Then Brahma split the lotus flower into three. He stretched one
part into the heavens. He made another part into the earth. With the third part of the flower he
created the skies.
The earth was bare. Brahma set to work. He created grass, flowers, trees and plants of all kinds.
To these he gave feeling. Next he created the animals and the insects to live on the land. He made
birds to fly in the air and many fish to swim in the sea. To all these creatures, he gave the senses
of touch and smell. He gave them power to see, hear and move.
The world was soon bristling with life and the air was filled with the sounds of Brahmas
creation.