Vedic cosmology unfolds less as a single system and more as a tapestry of complementary visions. A central thread is ṛta, the cosmic order that sustains both the movements of the heavens and the integrity of moral life. This order is guarded by deities and mirrored in ritual, so that correct sacrifice is not merely symbolic but participates in maintaining the stability of the worlds. The deities themselves often personify aspects of this structure: sky and earth as Dyaus and Pṛthivī, fire as Agni, and other powers that together articulate how the universe coheres.

Accounts of origin in the Vedas are strikingly plural. Some hymns speak of primordial waters from which a golden embryo or egg, Hiraṇyagarbha, arises as the seed of all that exists. Others center on the cosmic person, Puruṣa, whose sacrificial dismemberment gives rise to the various realms, beings, and social orders, suggesting that differentiation and relationship are born from a primordial unity. The famous Nasadiya Sukta goes further, contemplating a state beyond being and non‑being, where creation emerges through heat and desire, while still questioning whether even the highest deity truly knows the ultimate origin.

The structure of the cosmos is typically envisioned as threefold: earth (pṛthivī), the atmospheric or intermediate region (antarikṣa), and heaven (dyauḥ or svar). These three worlds, sometimes expanded into multiple realms (lokas), form the stage upon which divine, human, and other beings interact. Time within this cosmos is not simply linear; the Vedic vision hints at cycles of creation and dissolution, with recurring patterns that echo the regularity of days, seasons, and ritual performances. Such cycles underscore that the universe is sustained through ongoing processes rather than a single, once‑for‑all event.

Underlying the multiplicity of gods and myths is a subtle movement toward unity. Certain hymns praise different deities as supreme while affirming that reality itself is one, expressed in many names and forms. In this way, Puruṣa can be understood not only as a mythic figure but as a symbol of a cosmic consciousness that is both transcendent and immanent. The Vedic seers thus speak of a universe emerging from an ineffable source, ordered by ṛta, articulated in layered worlds, and continually renewed through sacrifice, desire, and the ever‑present search for the One behind the many.