Hiraṇyagarbha (
Sanskrit: हिरण्यगर्भः ; literally the 'golden womb' or 'golden egg', poetically rendered in translation as 'universal germ') is the source of the creation of the
universe or the manifested
cosmos in
Hindu philosophy. It finds mention in one hymn of the
Ṛgveda (
RV 10.121), known as the
Hiraṇyagarbha Sūkta, suggesting a single creator deity (verse 8: , Griffith: "He is the God of gods, and none beside him."), identified in the hymn as
Prajāpati. The concept of the "golden womb" is again mentioned in the
Vishvakarman Sūkta (RV 10.82).