A similarity exists between the two when dealing with the actual creation. In Genesis, creation began when God intended for there to be light. He then created light, saw that it was good and then “God separated the light from the darkness.” (Fisher & Bailey, 2000, p. 186). This statement proves that in Genesis, God is the creator. In the Vedic Creation Hymn, a similar type of desire and impulse is what created life through the power of heat and is shown as follows, “The life force that was covered with emptiness, that One arose through the power of heat. Desire came upon that One in the beginning, that was the first seed of mind.” (Oxtoby, 2002, p. 24). In the Hymn, the creator is still not established and therefore causes the reader to question who the “One” is. Personal interpretation of the Hymn thus begins here by readers. One can interpret that desire was the first seed of mind, which reflects the first thoughts, which are what continue creation.
Various parts of the poem give the reader an insight into the religion of Hinduism and a few of its components. For example, the Vedic Creation Hymn mentions the “Poets (the ancient sages, called Rishis) seeking in their heart with wisdom found the bond of existence and non-existence” (Oxtoby, 2002, p. 24). The Rishis are visionary authors of Vedic hymns heard within, in meditation, according to “An Anthology of Living Religions” by Fisher and Bailey. Through this meditation, they are the ones who found the bond between existence and non-existence. This is where the Atman, which is the human soul, becomes aware of the Brahman, the Supreme Being. Through this experience, one can realize that Brahman exists. One can then conclude that Brahman is the “One”. The hymn continues to say “Their cord was extended across. Was there below? Was there above? There were seed-placers, there were powers. There was impulse beneath, there was giving forth above.” (Oxtoby, 2002, p. 24). Interpretation can lead a reader to connect this with the Gods of Hinduism. Since the discussion of seed-placers and their powers is written in plural, one can interpret this to mean that there are several energies or in other words, manifestations of the one Brahman. In comparison, it is clearly stated, in Genesis, that God is a personal and the creator of all the earth and its living beings. God is in the singular form which reflects the monotheistic view of Judaism.
The creation story of Genesis shows a very clear and personal creation by the work of God. The story shows that God puts thought into what he creates and why he needs to create it. The God in Genesis is so personal that he creates man in his own image. All the things that he created in the prior days were for man to rule and he instructs humans to, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.” (Fisher & Bailey, 2000, p. 187). All the things that God speaks of in this quote, like the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things, he created on different days, prior to Man, for Man. In the Vedic Creation Hymn, there is no mention of man at all which leaves one to question when man came in to existence. This shows how each creation story has a much different focus. Both creation stories are also different in the aspects of time that they cover. God planned and created a perfect world through a series of days. In Genesis, the creation started and finished within seven days, whereas in the Vedic Creation Hymn, creation must have taken a much longer time to create. The seed-placers and the various powers could be the primordial energies through which creation took place. The Hymn speaks mostly of cosmic evolution, whereas in Genesis the cosmos already exist. This is proven in the Hymn where it states “The gods came afterwards, with the creation of this universe. Who then knows whence it has arisen?” (Oxtoby, 2002, p. 24). The quote then ends with yet another question that is left unanswered allowing the readers to expand on their own knowledge.
One main difference between the two creation texts is the difference in questions that one would propose to themselves. In Genesis, we know who creates everything; this is God. We know how long it took; 7 days, and where he made it; on earth. The only questions we do not know the answers to “how” and “when”. We do not know how God was able to make all of the things he made, how did he create light, or the sky, or the living creatures. We also do not know when he made all this. In the Vedic Creation Hymn, there are many questions that are proposed. The answers are to be sought out by the reader and the reader themselves are to ask other questions of the text. Some questions that the reader is forced to ask include who created, why is there creation, when did it occur, where it occurred and most importantly what was produced. How did everything that exists now come about or begin? Whereas Genesis reveals that God made all these things, the Hymn leaves it all a mystery.
The two texts leave the reader to wonder two separate things after reading them. In Genesis, there is a clear ending of the creation story. God rests on the 7th day after 6 days of creation. He is then finished all of his work of creation, and even declares that day as holy. After reading Genesis, the reader feels as if he/she has read a full story with a complete beginning, middle, and end. The reader feels satisfied and sure of what he/she has read. Genesis finishes like a story with a very conclusive ending. On the other hand, the Vedic Hymn, being a poem, is allegorical and subtle. Hence, it leaves the reader in awe of the mystery of creation. Not only is the reader full of questions, but the text questions itself, for example, “Whence this creation has arisen – perhaps it formed itself, or perhaps it did not – the One who looks down on it, in the highest heaven, only He knows or perhaps He does not know.” (Oxtoby, 2002, p. 24). The Hymn discusses possibilities of how creation started but yet it questions itself in the end. Near the end, after reading most of the Hymn, one feels as if they know the possibilities of creation but it still ends on a note of uncertainty. It is quite amusing to read that perhaps “in the highest heaven, only He knows, or perhaps He does not know” (Oxtoby, 2002, p. 24). This reflects on the Hindu tradition that attempts to coax its followers to question themselves and to use devotion, meditation and self-knowledge to come to their own conclusions.
The Vedic Hymn of Creation is left as a mystery, whereas Genesis is told as a complete story. It is possible to relate certain aspects of Hinduism to the Hymn such Brahman and Atman, the Rishis, the different manifestations of God, the tradition of meditation and more. The interpretations of the Hymn are endless and differ according to who is interpreting it. The questions one asks of themselves also differ. The Hymn for many does not make sense due to its allegorical nature and inconclusive ending. However, many Hindus consider the Hymn sacred because it is a revelation to the Rishis in the divine language of Sanskrit. When it is read in the original Sanskrit, it has an entirely different sound, meaning and outcome for the reader. The translation reflects the ideas of the poem, but for some it fails to convey the original essence. This is why interpretation may vary. Genesis is a very smooth and interesting story. The story reflects the importance of one God as the creator and protector of all living things and the earth. It stresses the significance of man being the ruler of all things, and of man being made in the image of God. Genesis, being one part of the five books of Moses, also known as The Torah, has very special meaning to its religious readers. Torah is defined as “teaching” or “law” and this shows its importance to its people. Both creation stories have importance to their respective religions and their followers. Comparatively they have different focuses which are very obvious.
When the restless soul of mankind goes on an intellectual quest to understand life, the world and his purpose there in, he wonders at the phenomenon of Creation and God. He tries to fulfill the urge to know, through the pursuit of Truth and through the “Path of Knowledge”. It is very fascinating to know, from two of the world’s most ancient religious practices, Judaism and Hinduism, their intellectual vision about creation and God. Hinduism saying that creation is an effortless projection of divine play, and that there is neither beginning nor end because the cosmic creator is always there. He manifests everything in the world. Understanding the story of creation in Genesis at a deeper level confirms the same. In studying the two texts one can come closer to realizing the truth and the reason for our existence.
References:
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Fisher, Mary Pat, and Lee W. Bailey. An Anthology of Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000.
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Oxtoby, Willard G., ed. World Religions: Eastern Traditions. Second edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2002.
