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InthischapterIwillanalysetheNdsadtyawithoutreferencetoitsearlier
cosmogoniccontext.Iwillconcentrateonitsabstractandgeneralmethodofthinking
whichisappropriatetoexpresssubtlephilosophicalideas.However,eveninsuch
adescriptionsomeempiricaldomainsmustbeactivatedinordertounderstand
creation.Themaindomainisthatofcognitionofthetermsbywhichthecreation
oftheworldistobeconceived.Thisdomainallowsthepoettoexpresscreation
inalogicalscenariowithaclearsequenceofevents.Suchaconceptualisationof
creationimpliesthephilosophicalmappingTheAbsoluteIsAHumanBeingwhich
isvalidforthewholeofancientIndianphilosophy2.
ThefurtherdomainsevokedbythehymnarethegeneraldomainofProcreation
andthedomainofthesunrise.Theiractivation,however,isnotnecessarytounderstand
thebasicconceptofcreationexpressedinthehymn.Activationofthegeneraldomain
ofProcreation,lessabstractthanthedomainofcognition,makesthescenarioof
theprocesseasiertounderstand.Activationofthedomainofthesunriseenriches
thedescriptionwithmetaphoricimagery.
2.1.RV10.129.1
nósaddstnnósdddstttadóntmnóstdrdjonóvyòmdparóydt|
k[móvartvahkúhakdsyaśdrmanndmbhahk[mdstdgdhanamgabhtrdm||
Therewasneitherbeing/truthnornon-being/untruththen.Therewasneither
spacenortheheavenwhichisabove.Whatwasconcealing/Whatwasmoving?
Where?Inwhoseprotection?Wastherethewaterunfathomable,deep?
Verseapresentstheprecreativestateasastateinwhichthereisneitherbeing/truth
(sdt)nornon-being/untruth(dsat).sdtanddsatareontologicalandepistemological
categorieswhichorganisenotonlyrealityitselfbutalsoitsdescription.Hence,verse
apresentsastateoftheinabilitytoorganiserealityanddescribeit3.
Accordingtoverseb,intheprecreativestatethereisneitherspace(rdjas)nor
heavenwhichisabove–orbeyond–thespace(vyòmdparóydt).Thewordrdjas
usuallydenotesthespaceofthecreatedworld4.Theformulationvyòmdparóydt
shouldbetreatedassynonymoustoparamdvyòmanmentionedatthelaststanza.
Asitwillbeshownlater,intheRVparamdvyòmanexpressesthestateofthevery
firstmanifestationofreality,thespatialandtemporalstartingpointofcreation(see
section12.2.1.3).Versebthendescribestheprecreativestateasthestateoflackof
anymanifestation;itisapureprecreativestate.
2
ThismappingistestifiedbynamingAbsolutepuruṣa,‘humanbeing’(beginningwithRV
10.90).
3
ThisdistinctionplaysanimportantrolefromtheperspectiveoftheEuropeanthoughtandisnot
recognisedintheVedicthought,whichcanbeattestedbytheveryfactthatthesamecategories
sdtanddsatwereappliedinreferencetobothorders,i.e.,therealityanditsdescription.
4
Cf.Burrow1947–1948.
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