What is Light?

Religious texts are the equivalence to a blueprint when it comes to a specific way of life. Within these texts there are a variety of themes and morals to be taught to those who follow them.  Individually, they each have their own basis. One could argue whether the principles remain the same or similar to that of another religious text. The anatomy of these books is all very much the same, as would any book be. The difference is what’s written, how it was written by whom it was written, religious text or not. The Rig Veda and King James Bible are two religious text that may be cross referenced on a lot of topics. In terms of characters, setting, time, or the mere introduction of the two, there are multiple aspects that can be similar to one another. The creation of the cosmos, for instance within both texts are relatively short. Though, the basis of the text is their own, with mere interpretation they can easily be either the same or different.

The creation of the cosmos is not described in the way one might think of it. Within these two texts, the creation is rather vague. Yet the order in which it occurs and how it happens sets the two creations of the cosmos on opposite ends. The order in which the creation is described is either plain or complex, neither of which give any sort of indication of how the creator is creating. It appears to be similar to Kent’s philosophical view of synthetic judgments where the predicate of the judgment is not within the subject. For instance, starting with King James Bible, God began creation with just “the heaven and earth” (King James The Bible, Gen. 1.1-8). There is no indication of how this done, where or why. All we know as the reader, is that it was simply done, and it was done by God. It is God who is doing and deciding on the creating and creation. Simply bringing whatever it is into existence. In the text The Rig Veda, Cosmic Heat is the hymn that best describes the creation of the cosmos and all that comes with it. In the creation of The Rig Veda, there is no one “being” who decided on what is created and what is not. It is simply born – born “from heat” (Wendy Doniger The Rig Veda, Create. 10.190 – 1). The existence of order and truth was derived from this so-called heat – the Cosmic Heat – the source, the mother of the other creations. Signifying that something needed to be in existence before the birth of another. The verse later describes the night and the ocean being born from the very same heat as well. The short hymn then continues to tell the birth of each cosmic particle that we know of today.

 Moving further in the chapter within The Bible, we are able to evaluate that God created light by merely saying “Let there be light” (Gen. 1.3-8). With that being said – by God himself apparently, then it can also be said that darkness existed without God. There is no point in which it is indicated, nor said that darkness was created. Only that it was named “Night” (Gen. 1.5-8) by God.  Its existence was present prior to light. This is written the other way around in The Rig Veda, where night was existent before light. In addition to, in the same hymn we know that both night and light were brought into existence, as opposed to in The Bible where only one was created and the other was merely named. The existence of darkness was present, however to the reader, darkness did not exist until God said that it existed – not creating it into existence. After God names darkness, his creations of other aspects of the world come into play. Starting with day and night then the waters and then the division of heaven and earth. Compared to The Rig Veda, the first to be born is “Order and truth” (Create. 10.190 – 1), then from there on out – night, waters, the division of day and night all arrangements of the sun and moon, the earth and sky – then finally sunlight. The way that each portion was brought to existence before light itself, even in the presence of the sun adds to the complexity of The Rig Veda as a whole.

These two texts share the telling of the beginning of its time. They both introduce with the creation/birth of something- yet the length of either part in which focuses on the creation of the cosmos are significant. The Rig Veda is straight forward; there was a source, from that source birthed elements of the cosmos, which birthed other elements of the cosmos until sunlight was born. There are only 3 verses in the hymn Cosmic Heat. However, in The Bible, there are about 31 verses, in the first chapter, yet only 10 refer to the creation of the cosmos. The creation is spaced out, and the time is different. It is said in The Bible that the light “was good” (Gen. 1.4-8). After this, God divides the light and the darkness. The real need for separation of two things is when they collide with one another.  By saying the light was good, this gives the reader the association of light and goodness. Though, in The Rig Veda, the reader is immediately assured that “order and truth” were born first. The association between light and order is not made, since light was born last of the Cosmic elements.

By the end there was light, and there was darkness. The two in which were born and created at different times. The difference that lie between The Bible and The Rig Veda, are minute, yet hold an impact stance. One tells the reader the creation of the cosmos that being The Bible. The Rig Veda shows the reader the creation of the cosmos. They hold the same principles within their texts, that being the religious creation of what we now as our cosmos. Both equally drive the reader to conjure question in regard to either texts. Questions that may or may not be answered within the text itself. The origin of the darkness remains unanswered by both.