The Rig Veda is the oldest surviving literature in the Sanskrit tradition. Indeed it is perhaps the oldest amongst all Indo-European languages. It is rather unique in that it has been passed down from master to pupil in an oral tradition rather than a written one. What is remarkable is that in all the different places where the Rig Veda survives, it can be reproduced exactly because of various techniques that have been employed to keep it accurate. Indeed, it is like listening to a CD from thousands of years ago. It preserves faithfully an ancient world and its world view. The Nasadiya Sukta is widely regarded as the Creation hymn of the Rig Veda. Unlike reading about the views of a people, we can hear them in their own voice.

नास॑दासी॒न्नो सदा॑सीत्त॒दानीं॒ नासी॒द्रजो॒ नो व्यो॑मा प॒रो यत् ।
किमाव॑रीव॒: कुह॒ कस्य॒ शर्म॒न्नम्भ॒: किमा॑सी॒द्गह॑नं गभी॒रम् ॥ 1 ॥

nāsadāsīnno sadāsīttadānīṃ nāsīdrajo no vyomā paro yat |
kimāvarīvaḥ kuha kasya śarmannambhaḥ kimāsīdgahanaṃ gabhīram ||

There was neither existence nor non-existence then, there was no earth nor the heaven above.
What covered it, where, in whose protection? Was there water so very deep?

न मृ॒त्युरा॑सीद॒मृतं॒ न तर्हि॒ न रात्र्या॒ अह्न॑ आसीत्प्रके॒तः ।
आनी॑दवा॒तं स्व॒धया॒ तदेकं॒ तस्मा॑द्धा॒न्यन्न प॒रः किं च॒नास॑ ॥ 2 ॥

na mṛtyurāsīdamṛtaṃ na tarhi na rātryā ahna āsītpraketaḥ |
ānīdavātaṃ svadhayā tadekaṃ tasmāddhānyanna paraḥ kiṃ canāsa ||

There was neither death nor immortality then, there was no night nor was there day,
That One breathed, windless, on its own, apart from that there was nothing else.

तम॑ आसी॒त्तम॑सा गू॒ळ्हमग्रे॑ऽप्रके॒तं स॑लि॒लं सर्व॑मा इ॒दम् ।
तु॒च्छ्येना॒भ्वपि॑हितं॒ यदासी॒त्तप॑स॒स्तन्म॑हि॒नाजा॑य॒तैक॑म् ॥ 3 ॥

tama āsīttamasā gūळ्hamagre'praketaṃ salilaṃ sarvamā idam |
tucchyenābhvapihitaṃ yadāsīttapasastanmahinājāyataikam ||

Darkness was enveloped in darkness in the beginning, all this here flowed indistinguishably,
Emptiness was hidden within emptiness when The Great One was born through heat.

काम॒स्तदग्रे॒ सम॑वर्त॒ताधि॒ मन॑सो॒ रेत॑: प्रथ॒मं यदासी॑त् ।
स॒तो बन्धु॒मस॑ति॒ निर॑विन्दन्हृ॒दि प्र॒तीष्या॑ क॒वयो॑ मनी॒षा ॥ 4 ॥

kāmastadagre samavartatādhi manaso retaḥ prathamaṃ yadāsīt |
sato bandhumasati niravindanhṛdi pratīṣyā kavayo manīṣā ||

Desire arose in equanimity at the beginning, this was the first seed of the mind,
Searching in their hearts, poets and sages, discovered the bond between non-existence and existence.

ति॒र॒श्चीनो॒ वित॑तो र॒श्मिरे॑षाम॒धः स्वि॑दा॒सी३दु॒परि॑ स्विदासी३त् ।
रे॒तो॒धा आ॑सन्महि॒मान॑ आसन्त्स्व॒धा अ॒वस्ता॒त्प्रय॑तिः प॒रस्ता॑त् ॥ 5 ॥

tiraścīno vitato raśmireṣāmadhaḥ svidāsī3dupari svidāsī3t |
retodhā āsanmahimāna āsantsvadhā avastātprayatiḥ parastāt ||

Rays of light were drawn out horizontally (like a bow), was there an above, was there a below,
There was seed, there was great power, there was will below, there was giving above.

को अ॒द्धा वे॑द॒ क इ॒ह प्र वो॑च॒त्कुत॒ आजा॑ता॒ कुत॑ इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टिः ।
अ॒र्वाग्दे॒वा अ॒स्य वि॒सर्ज॑ने॒नाथा॒ को वे॑द॒ यत॑ आब॒भूव॑ ॥ 6 ॥

ko addhā veda ka iha pra vocatkuta ājātā kuta iyaṃ visṛṣṭiḥ |
arvāgdevā asya visarjanenāthā ko veda yata ābabhūva ||

Who truly knows, who here can say, where it came from, this grand creation,
The Gods here came after, who now knows how it arose?

इ॒यं विसृ॑ष्टि॒र्यत॑ आब॒भूव॒ यदि॑ वा द॒धे यदि॑ वा॒ न ।
यो अ॒स्याध्य॑क्षः पर॒मे व्यो॑म॒न्त्सो अ॒ङ्ग वे॑द॒ यदि॑ वा॒ न वेद॑ ॥ 7 ॥

iyaṃ visṛṣṭiryata ābabhūva yadi vā dadhe yadi vā na |
yo asyādhyakṣaḥ parame vyomantso aṅga veda yadi vā na veda ||

From what grasp did this creation arise, whether it was given or whether it was not,
Its eye-witness who is in the highest heaven, maybe He knows or maybe not.