Purusa Sukta

The Purusa (the Supreme Being) has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. He has enveloped this world from all sides and has (even) transcended it by ten angulas or inches.

All this is verily the Purusa. All that which existed in the past or will come into being in the future (is also the Purusa). Also, he is the Lord of immortality. That which grows profusely by food (is also the Purusa).

So much is His greatness. However, the Purusa is greater than this. All the beings form only a quarter (part of) Him. The three-quarter part of His, which is eternal, is established in the spiritual domain.

The Purusa with the three-quarters (of His energy) ascended above (the spiritual energy). His one quarter of material energy becomes this creation again (and again). Then He pervades this universe comprising a variety of sentient beings and insentient objects.

From Him (the Adi Purusa or original Supreme Being) was born the Virat (or Virat Purusa, the immense universal form). Making this Virat as the substratum (another) Purusa (or being, Brahma) (was born). As soon as he was born, he multiplied himself. Later, he created this earth and then, the bodies (of the living beings).

When the devas (the demigods or beings of light) performed a yajna (or sacrificial ritual), using the Purusa as the havis (sacrificial material) for the yajna (ritual), the Vasanta (spring) became the ajya (ghee), the Grishma (summer) served as idhma (pieces of wood) and the sharad (autumn) filled the place of havis (obligatory material like the purodasha or rice-cake).

For this (yajna or spiritual ceremony) there were seven paridhis (fuel pieces serving as borders). And, twenty-one items were made the samit or sacrificial fuel sticks. When the devas were performing this yajna or ceremony, they tied the Purusa (himself) as the pasu (sacrificial animal).

The devas, the sadhyas and the rsis performed the sacrifice by using that Purusa as the means of yajna, the Purusa who had been born in the beginning, after sprinkling him with water by the barhis (or sacrificial grass).

From that yajna (or sacrificial ritual) wherein the Cosmic Being was Himself the oblation, was produced the prasajya (or curds mixed with ghee). Birds flying in the air, wild animals of the forest as also the domesticated animals of the villages were also produced.

From that yajna (or sacrifice) wherein the Cosmic Being was Himself the oblation, were born the riks (the mantras of the Rg-veda) and the samans (the mantras of the Sama-veda). From that (yajna) the meters (like Gayatri) were born. From that (yajna again) the yujas (the Yajura-veda) was born.

From that were born the horses, as also animals (like donkeys and mules) which have two rows of teeth. From that were born the cattle. From that (again) were born goats and sheep.

(Now some questions are raised by the sages) When the gods decided to (mentally) sacrifice the ViratPurusa (and produce further creation), in how many ways did they do it? What became of his face or mouth? What became of his two arms? What became of His two thighs? What were (the products of) the two feet called?

From His face (or the mouth) came the brahmanas. From His two arms came the rajanya (the ksatriyas). From His two thighs came the vaisyas. From His two feet came the sudras.

From His mind was born the moon. From His two eyes was born the sun. From His mouth were born Indra and Agni. From His breath was born the air.

From (His) navel was produced the antariksha (the space between the earth and the heavens). Dyuloka (or heaven) came into existence from His head. The bhumi (the earth) evolved out of His feet, and deek (or spacial directions) from His ears. Similarly (the demigods) produced the worlds (too).

I know (through intuitive experience) this great Purusa (the Supreme Being), the wise one, who, having created the various forms and the nomenclatures (for those forms), deals with them by those names, and who is beyond darkness and is brilliant like the sun.

In the ancient days, Prajapati (Brahma) praised Him. Indra who knows all the four quarters also spoke about Him. Anyone who knows Him thus, will become immortal even in this life. For attaining liberation there is no other path (than knowledge of this Purusa, the Supreme Lord).

The (demi)gods worshiped (the Supreme Creator in the form of) yajna through yajna (sacrifical ceremonies). Those very processes became the primary dharmas (laws guiding humanity). Those great ones attain that heaven where the ancient devas (demigods) and sadhyas live.

The ViratPurusa manifested Himself from out of (the all-pervading) water as also the essence of the element of earth. This ViratPurusa was born out of the greatness of the ParamaPurusa, the Creator. The (ParamaPurusa, known as) Tvashta engaged Himself in the act of creating (the fourteen planetary systems), (which form of the expanded) figure (of the ViratPurusa). (Thus) the entire creation (related to the ViratPurusa) came into existence in the very beginning of creation.

I have known that great Purusa (Supreme Being) who is brilliant like the sun and who is beyond all darkness. One who knows Him thus becomes immortal (even) here. There is no other path for liberation than this.

Prajapati (the Supreme Creator) moves inside the cosmic womb. (Though) unborn He takes birth in a variety of ways. The wise ones know His (real nature) as the origin (of the universe). The (secondary) creators desire to attain the positions of Marichi and others.

Obeisances to Him, the self-luminous Brahman, who shines for the (demi)gods, who is the leader of the rituals of the gods and who was born even before the gods.

In the beginning of creation, the gods, manifesting the light of Brahman, addressed Brahman thus: 'That brahmana who realizes (You) thus, all the gods will come under his control.'

O Purusa! The goddesses Hri (modesty) and Sri (Lakshmi, wealth) are Your consorts. Day and night are Your lateral limbs. The stars are Your form. The Ashvins are your widely opened (mouth). (O Purusa) fulfill our desire for self-knowledge as also our desire for the enjoyments of this world (like longevity, cows, and horses). Give us all that we need. Om, let there be peace, peace, peace.