Rig Veda
Rig Veda
The Rig Veda or Rgveda (after rks, meaning mantra) is the oldest of the collections (samhitas) of Indo-Aryan mantras and hymns, dating from about 2000–1700 b.c.e. These are hymns “revealed” directly to seers (Rishis) by a higher power. In short, the Rig Veda, like the other Vedic literature, is what is called Shruti or the most sacred sort of Hindu text. There are ten books or mandalas in the Rig Veda, each attributed to a privileged family of seer-sages. These books are the primary source for our knowledge of the most ancient Indian mythology, and they form the basis for the development of Hinduism. The development of mythology within the Rig Veda begins in the most ancient period, that dominated by the god Varuna, the fire god Agni, and the cult of soma; moves to the phase centered on the warrior gods led by Indra; and then to the later phase out of which Hinduism comes. In that final phase, both non-Aryan Indus Valley– Dravidian gods such as Rudra-Shiva, the Goddess (Devi), and popular Aryan figures such as Vishnu become increasingly important. The Rig Veda is perhaps best known for its cosmogonic or creation myths.
At the center of Vedic creation is the idea of creation as separation, or sacrifice, which leads to the ordering of chaos. Incest plays a role in creation. The Rig Veda tells how the unnamed creator's phallus reached out to his daughter and how during the act of union some of his seed fell onto the earth, resulting in the sacred words, or vedas, and the sacred rituals. Perhaps earth itself (Prithivi) may be thought of as the womb or yoni of the daughter.
A more complex Rig Veda creation story, which is further developed in the more philosophical Upanishads is that of the primal man, the Purusha, who must unite with the active female principle, Prakriti (“Nature”), in order for creation to be realized. In the Rig Veda, the Purusha himself becomes the animistic creation. Three-quarters of him is made up of the gods; one-quarter is the earthly creation. Purusha is divided up as the first sacrifice, and from that sacrifice comes the sacred chants and formulae—the Vedas. His breath becomes the wind (Vayu); Indra and Agni also come from his mouth, the moon from his brain, the sun from his eye, Heaven from his head, earth from his two feet, and so on.
