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Purusha Sukta

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The first two verses of the Purusha sukta, with Sayana's commentary. Page of Max Müller's Rig-Veda-sanhita, the Sacred Hymns of the Brahmans (reprint, London 1974).

Purusha sukta (puruṣa sūkta) is hymn 10.90 of the Rigveda, dedicated to Purusha, the "cosmic man". It has 16 verses, 15 in the anuṣṭubh meter, and the final one in the triṣṭubh meter. It is the only Rigvedic hymn dedicated to Purusha, and thus, even though appearing in a late book of the Rigveda, the oldest attestation of the Purusha myth.

As a creation hymn, its archaic mythological setting is in striking contrast to the famous creation account of RV 10.129-130 with its monotheistic and philosophical speculation. Vaishnavite scholars such as Shukavak N. Dasa have commentated that Purusha sukta identifies Vishnu as the Supreme Being, and it is regularly chanted in Hindu worship.

The Purusa-sukta is found in all the four Vedas and is therefore mentioned in the Pancaratras and the Puranas as the most important Vedic hymn (along with the Gayatri mantra).

Content

Purusha is described as a primeval giant, not unlike the Norse Ymir, that is sacrificed by the gods (see Purushamedha) and from whose body the world and the varnas (castes) are built. He is described as having a thousand heads and a thousand feet. He emanated Viraj, the female creative principle, from which he is reborn in turn before the world was made out of his parts.

In the sacrifice of Purusha, the Vedic chants were first created. The horses and cows were born, the Brahmins were made from Purusha's mouth, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs, and the Shudras from his feet. The Moon was born from his spirit, the Sun from his eyes, the heavens from his skull. Indra and Agni emerged from his mouth.

The parallel to Norse Ymir is often considered to reflect the myth's origin in Proto-Indo-European religion.

Text

The hymn is repeated in the Atharvaveda (19.6), the Samaveda (6.4), the Yajurveda (VS 31.1-6), the Taittiriya Aranyaka (3.12,13), and it is commented upon in the Shatapatha Brahmana, the Taittiriya Brahmana, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad and the Mudgala Upanishad. It is one of the few Rigvedic hymns still current in contemporary Hinduism (like, for example, the Gayatri mantra), its Vedantic interpretation taking it to allegorize the principles of meditation (upasana), knowledge (jnana), devotion (bhakti), and rituals and duties (dharma and karma).

Translation

In the Translation of Ralph T.H. Griffith (1896) and summaries of interpretations cited from Swami Amritananda's translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam,, Ramakrishna Mission, Chennai.:

1. A thousand heads hath Purusa, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet.
On every side pervading earth he fills a space ten fingers wide.
2. This Purusa is all that yet hath been and all that is to be;
The Lord of Immortality which waxes greater still by food.
3. So mighty is his greatness; yea, greater than this is Purusa.
All creatures are one-fourth of him, three-fourths eternal life in heaven.
4. With three-fourths Purusa went up: one fourth of him again was here.
Thence he strode out to every side over what eats not and what eats.
5. From him Viraj was born; again Purusa from Viraj was born.
As soon as he was born he spread eastward and westward o'er the earth.
6. When Gods prepared the sacrifice with Purusa as their offering,
Its oil was spring, the holy gift was autumn; summer was the wood.
7. They balmed as victim on the grass Purusa born in earliest time.
With him the Deities and all Sadhyas and Rsis sacrificed.
8. From that great general sacrifice the dripping fat was gathered up.
He formed the creatures of-the air, and animals both wild and tame.
9. From that great general sacrifice Rcas and Sama-hymns were born:
Therefrom were spells and charms produced; the Yajus had its birth from it.
10. From it were horses born, from it all cattle with two rows of teeth:
From it were generated kine, from it the goats and sheep were born.
11. When they divided Purusa how many portions did they make?
What do they call his mouth, his arms? What do they call his thighs and feet?
12. The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya made.
His thighs became the Vaisya, from his feet the Sudra was produced.
13. The Moon was gendered from his mind, and from his eye the Sun had birth;
Indra and Agni from his mouth were born, and Vayu from his breath.
14. Forth from his navel came mid-air the sky was fashioned from his head
Earth from his feet, and from his ear the regions. Thus they formed the worlds.
15. Seven fencing-sticks had he, thrice seven layers of fuel were prepared,
When the Gods, offering sacrifice, bound, as their victim, Purusa.
16. Gods, sacrificing, sacrificed the victim these were the earliest holy ordinances.
The Mighty Ones attained the height of heaven, there where the Sidhyas, Gods of old, are dwelling.

Interpretations

The President of the Ramakrishna Mission, at Chennai, in commentating on the introduction to Swami Amritananda's translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam, stated that the Vedas describe the essential nature of the Supreme Being and the Purusha sukta is one of those hymns which describe Parabrahman.

Shukavak N. Dasa states, "surprisingly, the name of Vishnu is not mentioned anywhere in the hymn, but still Vaisnavas universally take it as an address to Vishnu."

Verse 1: According to two commentators, Sayana and Bhatta Bhaskara, this verse identifies the Supreme Being, Vishnu in Vaishnavism. According to this site, , the Vaishnavite saint, Raghavendra Swami comments that Vishnu is in all Purushas or souls and that He is complete even in dust, grass,wood and in the small particles.

Verse 2: The same commentators state that the Supreme Lord is greater than the sum of His creation. The manifested world is only a fraction of Vishnu. This verse is an allusion to panentheistic concepts in Vaishnavism. Raghavendra Swami comments that "Vishnu is in the Past, is in the Present and will be in the Future,as He is the Complete- the Omniscient and Omnipotent."

Verse 3: The saint comments that everything in the universe acts as per the order of Hari.

Verse 4: Bhatta Bhaskar, the commentator has stated that many things such as elements and sense organs were created. Raghavendra Swami comments that Vishnu is omnipresent.

Verse 5: Raghavendra Swami comments that Sriman Narayana is the Lord of everything created.

Verse 6: Sayana states since many substances were not yet created so the devas mentally performed a yajna. The spring season became ghee, summer season became faggots and autumn season became havis, purodasa.

Raghavendra Swami comments that Vishnu created the seasons for this yajna.

Verse 7: The saint states that Vishnu, is the ultimate creater, preserver and destroyer.

Verse 8: Bhatta Bhaskara interprets this verse to mean that both wild and domesticated animals were created from Purusha who is the soul of everything. Sayana states a similar interpretation and like Bhatta, agrees that that Vayu, the wind deva is the presiding deity over space and animals are from the deity of space.

Verse 9: Bhatta Bhaskara, the commentator states that the Vedas such as Rig Veda and yajus were born from the sacrifice. Sayana additionally includes creation of the Gayatri mantra from this sacrifice. Raghavendra Swami states that Vishnu created the Vedas, the Gayatri mantra, etc.

Verse 10: Bhatta Bhaskara interprets the animal creation from this Purusha. He states that horses, animals with two rows of teeth in the upper and lower jaws such as donkeys were born. Additionally, cows, goats and sheep were created.

Raghavendra Swami states that Vishnu created horse, donkey, sheep, cow and goats for this yajna.

Verse 12: Both commentators state that the four classes of human society (castes) were born from Him.

Warriors were created from the arms of God and the priests were from his head and the merchants from his abdomen and the laborers from his legs. This may be interpreted as meaning that no one caste is more important than the other and that society cannot survive without all parts working together.

Verse 13: Both commentators state that the devas such as Indra, Agni and Vayu were born from various parts of the Supreme Being, The saint comments that Hari has created Chandra by his mind, Surya by his eyes, Indra and other devas from his face. Sri Hari created Vayu by his breath.

Verse 14: Sayana states that heaven emerges from his head, the earth from his feet and from his ears, the quarters were created. Bhatta Bhaskara interprets this verse to mean the various worlds were created from the Supreme Being.

Verse 16: Sayana states that from such worship came the dharmas which sustained the world emerged and the fruits of such worship. Bhatta Bhaskara states that all the elements which sustain the world emerged and the great ones reached heaven where there is only happiness.

The saint comments that all the devas performed the yajna and attained the fruits by Vishnu, i.e., moksha.

References

Swami Amritananda's translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam,, Ramakrishna Mission, Chennai.

Notes

  1. the term puruṣa itself is attested in other hymns of the tenth book, 10.51.8 and 10.165.3, but not in any of the older books, and not in connection with the Purusha myth
  2. The terms Vaishya and Shudra only occur in the Purusha Sukta hymn in the Rig Veda.

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