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Hinduism encompasses a rich tapestry of creation narratives drawn from ancient texts like the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas, reflecting diverse philosophical and mythological perspectives. These stories often portray creation as cyclical, eternal, and multifaceted, without a single definitive beginning, emphasizing the interplay of divine forces, desire, and cosmic order (dharma).

One prominent account from the Rig Veda’s Nasadiya Sukta (Hymn of Creation) describes a primordial state where neither existence nor non-existence prevailed. There was no air, no sky beyond, no death or immortality, no day or night. Darkness concealed darkness in an undifferentiated void, like an ocean without light. Through the power of tapas (heat or austerity), desire arose as the first seed of mind. Sages, searching with wisdom, pondered the bond between being and non-being, but concluded that even the gods might not know, as creation’s overseer in the highest heaven remains a mystery.

Another narrative involves the trimurti: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. Vishnu reclines on the cosmic serpent Ananta-Shesha in the ocean of milk during the period of dissolution (pralaya). From Vishnu’s navel emerges a lotus, upon which Brahma appears. Brahma, feeling alone, divides the lotus into three: heavens, earth, and skies. He then splits himself into male (Purusha) and female (Shatarupa), from whose union all beings descend. In the Puranas, creation begins with a golden egg (Hiranyagarbha), floating in the primordial waters, which hatches to reveal Brahma. He creates the elements—space, air, fire, water, earth—and then gods, demons, humans, and all life forms.

The Purusha Sukta from the Rig Veda depicts the sacrifice of the cosmic being Purusha: his mouth becomes the Brahmins, arms the Kshatriyas, thighs the Vaishyas, and feet the Shudras; his mind the moon, eye the sun, breath the wind, and navel the atmosphere. This illustrates the interconnectedness of society and cosmos.

These stories convey Hinduism’s view of creation as an ongoing, repetitive process through yugas (ages) and kalpas (eons), where universes expand and contract. They encourage contemplation on the ultimate reality (Brahman) beyond manifest creation, with diversity in accounts allowing for multiple truths.