Stellar Antiquity

NOTE: My interpretations of the Vedic treatises are based on the available translations. Until such time when I can understand Sanskrit, I will continue using the translated works of these timeless texts.

The Satapatha Brahmana,  dated around 700BCE, is not only a commentary on Vedic rituals but also a compendium on ancient Indian mythology. As with all cultures, the Vedics too had a creation myth: a cosmic egg arising from the primordial waters of the universe. The shell of this cosmic egg is transformed into Earth. The wind is then born from the union of the Earth and the primordial waters, then subsequently the Sun is born. The hymns (see below) describing the creation myth make no mention of whether the Vedics held a geo-centric or helio-centric view. It has been suggested that the hymns drive home the point that the Vedics held a geo-centric view of the cosmos[3], given the chronology of the events described, the Earth is created before the Sun and sky. If we consider the Rig Veda hymns 1.35.7-9, and the creation myth described below, it becomes quiet clear that the Vedics held a geo-centric view of the cosmos.

सो ऽकामयत आभ्यो॒ऽद्भ्यो॑ऽधि प्र॑जायेये॑ति सो॒ऽन॑या त्रय्या॑विद्य॑या सहा॒पः प्रा॑विशत्त॑त आण्डं स॑मवर्तत त॑दभ्य॑मृशदस्त्वित्य॑स्तु भू॑यो ऽस्त्वि॑त्येव त॑दब्रवीत्त॑तो ब्र॑ह्मैव॑प्रथम॑मसृज्यत त्रय्ये॒व॑विद्या त॑स्मादाहुर्ब्र॑ह्मास्य स॑र्वस्य प्रथमजमित्य॑पि हि त॑स्मात्पु॑रुषाद्ब्र॑ह्मैव पू॑र्वम॑सृज्यत त॑दस्य तन्मु॑खमेवा॒सृज्यत त॑स्मादनूचान॑माहुरग्नि॑कल्प इ॑ति मु॑खं ह्ये॒त॑दग्नेर्यद्ब्र॑ह्म

अ॑थ यो ग॑र्भो ऽन्तरासीत् सो ऽग्रि॑रसृज्यत स य॑दस्य स॑र्वस्या॑ग्रम॑सृज्यत त॑स्मादग्रि॑रग्रि॑र्ह वै त॑मग्निरित्या॑चछते परो॑ऽक्षम्परो॑ऽक्षकामा हि॑देवा अ॑थ यद॑श्रु स॑ंक्षरितमा॑सीत्सो॑ऽश्रुरभवद॑श्रुर्ह वै तम॑श्व इत्या॑चक्षते परो॑ऽक्षम्परो॑ऽक्षकामा हि॑देवा अ॑थ यद॑रसदिव स रा॑सभो ऽभवद॑थ य॑ः कपा॑ले र॑सो लिप्त आ॑सीत्सो॒ऽजो॒ऽभवद॑थ य॑त्कपा॑लमा॑सीत्सा॑पृथिव्य॑भवत्

सो ऽकामयत आभ्यो ऽद्यो॑ऽधीमाम्प्र॑जनयेयमि॑ति ता॑ं संकॢश्याप्सु प्रा॑विध्यत्त॑स्यै यः प॑राङ्र॑सो ऽत्य॑क्षरत्स॑कूर्मो॒ऽभवद॑थ य॑दूर्ध्व॑मुदउ॑क्ष्यतेदं तद्य॑दिद॑मूर्ध्व॑मद्भ्यो॑ऽधि जा॑यते से॒यं स॑र्वाप॑एवा॒नुव्यइ॒त्त॑दिदमे॑कमेव॑रूपं स॑मदृश्यता॑प एव

सो ऽकामयत भू॑य एव॑स्यात्प्र॑जायेते॑ति सो॒ऽश्राम्यत्स त॑पो ऽतप्यत स॑श्रान्त॑स्तेपानः फे॑नमसृजत सो॒ऽवेदन्यद्वा॑एत॑द्रूपम्भू॑यो वइ॑भवति श्रा॑म्याण्येवे॑ति स॑श्रान्त॑स्तेपानो मॄदं शु॑ष्कापमूषसिकतं श॑र्कराम॑श्मानम॑यो हि॑रण्यमोषधिवनस्पत्य॑सृजत ते॑नेमा॑म्पृथिवीम्प्रा॑छादयत्

ता वा॑एता न॑व सॄष्टयः इय॑मसृज्यत त॑स्मादाहुस्त्रिवॄदग्निरि॑तीयं ह्य॑ग्नि॑रस्यै हि स॑र्वो ऽग्नि॑श्चीय॑ते

अ॑भूद्वा॑इय॑म्प्रतिष्ठे॑ति तद्भू॑मिरभवत्ता॑मप्रथयत्सा॑पृथिव्य॑भवत्से॒यं स॑र्वा कृत्स्ना म॑न्यमानागायद्यद॑गायत्त॑स्मादिय॑ं गायत्र्य॑थो आहुरग्नि॑रेवा॒स्यै पृष्ठे स॑र्वः कृत्स्नो म॑न्यमानो ऽगायद्यद॑गायत्त॑स्मादग्नि॑र्गायत्र इ॑ति त॑स्मादु हैतद्यः स॑र्वः कृत्स्नो म॑न्यते गा॑यति वैव॑गीते॑वा रमते

सो ऽकामयत प्रजा॑पतिः भू॑य एव॑स्यात्प्र॑जायेते॑ति सो॒ऽग्नि॑ना पृथिवी॑म्मिथुनं स॑मभवत्त॑त आण्डं स॑मवर्तत त॑दभ्य॑मृशत्पु॑ष्यत्वि॑ति पु॑ष्यतु भू॑यो ऽस्त्वि॑त्येव त॑दब्रवीत्

स यो ग॑र्भो ऽन्तरा॑सीत् स॑वायु॑रसृज्यता॑थ यद॑श्रु स॑ंक्षरितमा॑सीत्ता॑नि व॑यांस्यभवन्न॑थ य॑ः कपा॑ले र॑सो लिप्त आ॑सीत्ता म॑रीचयो ऽभवन्न॑थ य॑त्कपा॑लमा॑सीत्त॑दन्त॑रिक्षमभवत्

सो ऽकामयत भू॑य एव॑स्यात्प्र॑जायेते॑ति स॑वायु॑नान्त॑रिक्षम्मिथुनं स॑मभवत्त॑त आ॑ण्डं स॑मवर्तत त॑दभ्य॑मृशद्य॑शो बिभृही॑ति त॑तो ऽसा॑वादित्यो॒ऽसृज्यतैष वै यशो॑ऽथ यद॑श्रु स॑ंक्षरितमा॑सीत्सो॑ऽश्मा पॄश्निरभवद॑श्रुर्ह वै तमश्मेत्या॑चक्षते परो॑ऽक्षम्परो॑ऽक्षकामा हि॑देवा अ॑थ य॑ः कपा॑ले र॑सो लिप्त आ॑सीत्ते॑रश्म॑यो ऽभवन्न॑थ य॑त्कपा॑लमा॑सीत्सा द्यउ॑रभवत्

सो ऽकामयत भू॑य एव॑स्यात्प्र॑जायेते॑ति स॑आदित्ये॑न दि॑वम्मिथुनं स॑मभवत्त॑त आ॑ण्डं स॑मवर्तत त॑दभ्य॑मृशद्रे॑तो बिभृही॑ति त॑तश्चन्द्र॑मा असृज्यतैष वै रेतो॑ऽथ य॑दश्रु स॑ंक्षरितमा॑सीत्ता॑नि न॑क्षत्राण्यभवन्न॑थ य॑ः कपा॑ले र॑सो लिप्त आ॑सीत्ता॑अवान्तरदि॑शो ऽभवन्न॑थ य॑त्कपा॑लमा॑सीत्ता दि॑शो ऽभवन् [1]

He desired, ‘May I be reproduced from these waters!’ He entered the waters with that triple science. Thence an egg arose. He touched it. ‘Let it exist! let it exist and multiply!’ so he said. From it the Brahman (neut.) was first created, the triple science. Hence they say, ‘The Brahman (n.) is the first-born of this All.’ For even before that Person the Brahman was created: it was created as his mouth. Hence they say of him who has studied the Veda, that ‘he is like Agni;’ for it, the Brahman (Veda), is Agni’s mouth.

Now the embryo which was inside was created as the foremost (agri): inasmuch as it was created foremost (agram) of this All, therefore (it is called) Agri: Agri, indeed, is he whom they mystically call Agni; for the gods love the mystic. And the tear (asru, n.) which had formed itself became the ‘asru’ (m.): ‘asru’ indeed is what they mystically call ‘asva’ (horse), for the gods love the mystic. And that which, as it were, cried (ras), became the ass (râsabha). And the juice which was adhering to the shell (of the egg) became the he-goat (aga). And that which was the shell became the earth.

He desired, ‘May I generate, this (earth) from these waters!’ He compressed it and threw it into the water. The juice which flowed from it became a tortoise; and that which was spirited upwards (became) what is produced above here over the wafers. This whole (earth) dissolved itself all over the water: all this (universe) appeared as one form only, namely, water.

He desired, ‘May it become more than one, may it reproduce itself!’ He toiled and practised austerity; and worn out with toil and austerity, he created foam. He was aware that ‘this indeed looks different, it is becoming more (than one): I must toil, indeed!’ Worn out with toil and austerity, he created clay, mud, saline soil and sand, gravel (pebble), rock, ore, gold, plants and trees: therewith he clothed this earth.

This (earth), then, was created as (consisting of) these same nine creations. Hence they say, ‘Threefold (three times three) is Agni;’ for Agni is this (earth), since thereof the whole Agni (fire-altar) is constructed.

‘This (earth) has indeed become (bhû) a foundation!’ (he thought): hence it became the earth (bhûmi). He spread it out (prath), and it became the broad one (or earth, prithivî). And she (the earth), thinking herself quite perfect, sang; and inasmuch as she sang (gâ), therefore she is Gâyatrî. But they also say, ‘It was Agni, indeed, on her (the earth’s) back, who thinking himself quite perfect, sang; and inasmuch as he sang (gâ), therefore Agni is Gâyatra.’ And hence whosoever thinks himself quite perfect, either sings or delights in song

That Pragâpati desired, ‘May it multiply, may it be reproduced!’ By means (or, in the form) of Agni he entered into union with the Earth: thence an egg arose. He touched it: ‘May it grow! May it grow and multiply!’ he said.

And the embryo which was inside was created as Vâyu (the wind). And the tear which had formed itself became those birds. And the juice which was adhering to the shell became those sun-motes. And that which was the shell became the air.

He desired, ‘May it multiply, may it reproduce itself!’ By means of Vâyu he entered into union with the Air: thence an egg arose. He touched it, saying, ‘Bear thou glory!’ From it yonder sun was created, for he indeed is glorious. And the tear which (asru) formed itself became that variegated pebble (asman); for ‘asru’ indeed is what they mystically call ‘asman,’ for the gods love the mystic. And the juice which was adhering to the shell became those sunbeams. And that which was the shell became the sky.

He desired, ‘May it multiply, may it reproduce itself!’ By means of the Sun he entered into union with the Sky: thence an egg arose. He touched it, saying, ‘Bear thou seed!’ From it the moon was created, for he (the moon) is seed. And the tear which formed itself became those stars. And the juice which was adhering to the shell became those intermediate quarters; and that which was the shell became those (chief) quarters (points of the compass).[2]

Sources:

[1] Sanskritlibrary.org,. (2002). The Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa. [online] Available at: http://sanskritlibrary.org/tomcat [Accessed 11 Dec. 2014].

[2] Sacred-texts.com, (1999). Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. [online] Available at: http://www.sacred-texts.com [Accessed 11 Dec. 2014].

[3] Kak, S. (2008). Early theories on the distance of the Sun. 1st ed. [pdf] arxiv.org. Available at: http://arxiv.org [Accessed 1 Nov. 2014].