The Hebrews, the Chinese, and the Hindus have creation stories about the beginning of

man. The Hebrews had their creation story concerning the relationship between man and God

and man’s downfall. P’an ku was China’s creation concerning the existence of man threatened

by conflicts of the spirits. In Rig Veda, the social ladder for man and his death are necessary for

universal order. Yet with the geographical differences between each story, all three are similar in

that man’s role is dominion over the Earth.

Humans are created to serve the Earth they dominate. The cultures that emphasize the

creation of living things commonly share that out of a void a light sparked the beginning of time.

The designs for the Earth were laid out, continuing with the animals and finally the creation of

man. Unlike the Hindu creation story Rig Veda, in the Hebrew context and the Chinese creation

stories, man is in need of a companion to someone of the opposite sex. Eve was created to be a

companion to Adam in the Hebrew script. In China’s P’an Ku, man was also taught the ways of

marriage and how to be faithful towards one another. Yet, the Hindu creation story, Rig Veda,

man was separated in classes to fill a cosmic order. The Kshatriya came out as warriors, the

Vaisya worked in agriculture, and the sudra were servile. All humans eventually die to serve as

sacrifices to the gods; death is embraced in the Indian culture as a natural part of life making

suicide acceptable among widows. The connection between all three of these creation stories are

that mankind plays a role in the world and (in the case of Rig Veda) the cosmological order.

Overall, humans were deliberately created to communicate with their creator. The

Hebrews believed that God created man to enjoy the world and fill their role in the world. God

gave them free will without original sin to enjoy the Garden of Eden. It was until the serpent

tempted them to eat the fruit of the tree that caused their downfall. Like, the Hebrews, in the

story of P’an Ku, man enjoyed marriage and its ways. Men were able to weave nets and had a
conscious and spoke their thoughts. It was until a conflict from Heaven between the Spirit of

Water, Kung-Kung and the Spirit of Fire, Chi-Jung. The conflict threatened to put an end to all

creation until peace was restored by the goddess, Nu-kua. Rig-veda depicted the Parusa as

offerings for the Gods only necessary to be reincarnated.

Hebrews, unlike the Chinese and the Hindus, believe in free will of the individual. Adam

and Eve chose to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The world was

created from the word of God and from light, the world was created. Man was created to enjoy

the fruits of the garden God created. Eve was created to be the companion of Adam. P’an-Ku

also touched up on how man learned the ways of marriage. The Chinese and the Indians

believed that man has no free will, and that the gods and goddesses control the lives of man and

to balance the cosmological order. China’s creation story pitted man in a war between the Water

spirit and the fire spirit. In Rig Veda, The Gods and goddesses feed off the humans and be

designated to classes with certain roles for the universe. Humans in all three-creation stories play

a special role to rule over the other living things whether their fate is determined by a higher

power.