Hiranyagarbha

For the ritual, see Hiranyagarbha (donation).
Pahari painting of Golden cosmic egg Hiranyagarbha by Manaku, c. 1740

Hiranyagarbha (Sanskrit: हिरण्यगर्भ, lit. 'golden womb', IAST: Hiraṇyagarbha, poetically translated as 'universal womb')[1] is the source of the creation of the universe or the manifested cosmos in Vedic philosophy. It finds mention in one hymn of the Rigveda (RV 10.121), known as the Hiraṇyagarbha Sūkta, suggesting a single creator deity (verse 8: yo deveṣv ādhi devā eka āsīt, Griffith: "He is the God of gods, and none beside him."), identified in the hymn as Prajāpati. The concept of the "golden womb" is first mentioned in the Vishvakarma Sūkta (RV 10.82.5,6) which picturized the "primeval womb" as being rested set upon the navel of Vishvakarman. This imagery was later transferred to Vishnu and Surya.[citation needed]

The Upanishad calls it the Soul of the Universe or Brahman,[2] and elaborates that Hiraṇyagarbha floated around in emptiness and the darkness of the non-existence for about a year, and then broke into two halves which formed the Svarga and the Pṛthvi.[citation needed]

In classical Purāṇic Hinduism, Hiraṇyagarbha is the term used in the Vedanta for the "creator". Hiraṇyagarbha is also Brahmā, so called because it is said he was born in a golden egg (Manu Smṛti 1.9),[3][4] while the Mahābhārata calls it the Manifest.[5]

Some classical yoga traditions consider a person named Hiraṇyagarbha as the originator of yoga, though this may also be a name for Sage Kapila.[6][7]

  1. ^ Ved aur SwasamVed, Ch 14 Atharv Veda, Dr. Buddhi Prakash Bajpayi, Diamond Books, India
  2. ^ The Philosophy of the Upanishads, by Paul Deussen, Alfred Shenington Geden. Published by T. & T. Clark, 1906. Page 198.
  3. ^ Bühler, G. (1886). "Ch. 1, The Creation". In Müller, F. Max (ed.). The Laws of Manu: translated with extracts from seven commentaries. Sacred Books of the East. Vol. XXV. Oxford University Press. p. 5 (1.9). 9. That (seed) became a golden egg, in brillance equal to the sun; in that (egg) he himself was born as Brahman [(Brahma)], the progenitor of the whole world.
  4. ^ Olivelle, Patrick (2005). Manu's Code of Law. Oxford University Press. p. 87 (1.9). ISBN 0-19-517146-2. 9. That became a golden egg, as bright as the sun; and in it he himself took birth as Brahma, the grandfather of all the worlds.
  5. ^ The Mahābhārata, Book 12: Santi Parva. Kisari Mohan Ganguli, tr. Section CCCIII The Mahabharata.
  6. ^ Feuerstein, Georg (2001). The Yoga Tradition: Its History, Literature, Philosophy and Practice. Arizona, USA: Hohm Press. p. Kindle Locations 7299–7300. ISBN 978-1890772185.
  7. ^ Aranya, Swami Hariharananda (2000). "Introduction". Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali with Bhasvati. Calcutta, India: University of Calcutta. p. xxiii-xxiv. ISBN 81-87594-00-4.