Hiranyagarbha
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Hiraṇyagarbha (Devanagari: हिरण्यगर्भः ; literally the 'golden womb' or 'golden egg', poetically rendered 'universal germ') is the source of the creation of the Universe or the manifested cosmos in Indian philosophy, it finds mention in one hymn of the Ṛkveda, known as the 'Hiraṇyagarbha Sūkta', suggesting a single creator deity, in the hymn identified as Prajāpati The concept golden womb is again mentioned in Viswakarma suktha Rg 10-82.
The Upaṇiṣad calls it the Soul of the Universe or Brahman, 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.
In classical Purāṇic Hinduism, Hiraṇyagarbha is a name of Brahmā, so called because he was born from a golden egg (Manu Smṛti 1.9), while the Mahābhārata calls it the Manifest.
Post-classical yoga traditions consider Hiranyagarbha as the originator of yoga.
See also
- Gold
- Womb
- Cosmic egg (world egg)
- Golden egg
- Hindu views on monotheism
- List of suktas and stutis
- Purusha Sukta (RV, 10:90), Nasadiya Sukta (RV, 10:129), Narayana sukta
