31. Adhyāya 31 — Puruṣa Sūkta
Mantras 1–10
31.1
सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।
स भूमिꣳ सर्वत स्पृत्वात्य् अतिष्ठद् दशाङ्गुलम् ॥
sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt ।
sa bhūmiṁ sarvata spṛtvāty atiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam ॥
Purusha, the Cosmic Soul of Existence, is the soul of the universe of a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. It pervades the universe wholly and entirely and, pervading and sustaining the universe of ten constituents of living Prakriti, It transcends the world of existence.
31.2
पुरुषऽएवेदꣳ सर्वं यद् भूतं यच् च भाव्यम् ।
उतामृतत्वस्येशानो यद् अन्नेनातिरोहति ॥
puruṣa'evedaṁ sarvaṃ yad bhūtaṃ yac ca bhāvyam ।
utāmṛtatvasyeśāno yad annenātirohati ॥
All this that is and was and shall be is Purusha ultimately, sovereign over immortality and ruler of what grows by living food.
31.3
एतावान् अस्य महिमातो ज्यायाꣳश् च पूरुषः ।
पादो ऽस्य विश्वा भूतानि त्रिपाद् अस्यामृतं दिवि ॥
etāvān asya mahimāto jyāyāṁś ca pūruṣaḥ ।
pādo 'sya viśvā bhūtāni tripād asyāmṛtaṃ divi ॥
31.4
त्रिपाद् ऊर्ध्व उद् ऐत् पुरुषः पादो ऽस्येहाभवत् पुनः ।
ततो विष्वङ् व्यक्रामत् साशनानशने ऽ अभि ॥
tripād ūrdhva ud ait puruṣaḥ pādo 'syehābhavat punaḥ ।
tato viṣvaṅ vyakrāmat sāśanānaśane ' abhi ॥
Thrice more glorious arises the Purusha above the created universe wherein one measure of His greatness and grandeur manifests again and again, pervading all the eating and non-eating world, and thence remains transcendent across and over the universe.
31.5
तस्माद् विराड् अजायत विराजो ऽ अधि पूरुषः ।
स जातो ऽ अत्य् अरिच्यत पश्चाद् भूमिम् अथो पुरः ॥
tasmād virāḍ ajāyata virājo ' adhi pūruṣaḥ ।
sa jāto ' aty aricyata paścād bhūmim atho puraḥ ॥
From Purusha arises Virat, the cosmic form, Prakriti. The Purusha manifests therein and remains sovereign over the Virat. Yet, even while manifest in the Virat, He remains apart and uninvolved before and after the creation and then creates the earth and human habitations. (That is cosmic yajna.)
31.6
तस्माद् यज्ञात् सर्वहुतः सम्भृतं पृषदाज्यम् ।
पशूꣳस् ताꣳश् चक्रे वायव्यान् आरण्या ग्राम्याश् च ये ॥
tasmād yajñāt sarvahutaḥ sambhṛtaṃ pṛṣadājyam ।
paśūṁs tāṁś cakre vāyavyān āraṇyā grāmyāś ca ye ॥
From that cosmic yajna was bom the sacred ghrta, universal material of creation. He created the animals, all those birds of the air, rangers of the forest and inmates of the village.
31.7
तस्माद् यज्ञात् सर्वहुत ऽ ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे ।
छन्दाꣳसि जज्ञिरे तस्माद् यजुस् तस्माद् अजायत ॥
tasmād yajñāt sarvahuta ' ṛcaḥ sāmāni jajñire ।
chandāṁsi jajñire tasmād yajus tasmād ajāyata ॥
From that Lord of universal yajna were bom the Riks and the Samans. From Him were born the Chhandas, and from Him were born the Yajus.
31.8
तस्माद् अश्वा ऽ अजायन्त ये के चोभयादतः ।
गावो ह जज्ञिरे तस्मात् तस्माज् जाता ऽ अजावयः ॥
tasmād aśvā ' ajāyanta ye ke cobhayādataḥ ।
gāvo ha jajñire tasmāt tasmāj jātā ' ajāvayaḥ ॥
From That yajna were born the horses, and those which have two rows of teeth up and down. From That were born the cows, and from That were bom the goats and sheep.
31.9
तं यज्ञं बर्हिषि प्रौक्षन् पुरुषं जातम् अग्रतः ।
तेन देवा ऽ अयजन्त साध्या ऽ ऋषयश् च ये ॥
taṃ yajñaṃ barhiṣi praukṣan puruṣaṃ jātam agrataḥ ।
tena devā ' ayajanta sādhyā ' ṛṣayaś ca ye ॥
The Rishis of universal vision, and sages of universal achievement, and scholars of the Veda invoke and worship the eternal Purusha, self-manifested in advance of everything else. They sprinkle and consecrate the sacred grass of yajna in their mind and offer the oblations in the fire with Vedic mantras.
31.10
यत् पुरुषं व्य् अदधुः कतिधा व्यकल्पयन् ।
मुखं किम् अस्य कौ बाहू का ऊरू पादा ऽ उच्येते ॥
yat puruṣaṃ vy adadhuḥ katidhā vyakalpayan ।
mukhaṃ kim asya kau bāhū kā ūrū pādā ' ucyete ॥
How do the Rishis visualise the various manifestive modes of the Purusha? What was His mouth? What the arms? What the thighs? What are the feet as they are said to be?
Mantras 11–20
31.11
ब्राह्मणो ऽस्य मुखम् आसीद् बाहू राजन्यः कृतः ।
ऊरू तद् अस्य यद् वैश्यः पद्भ्याꣳ शूद्रो ऽ अजायत ॥
brāhmaṇo 'sya mukham āsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ ।
ūrū tad asya yad vaiśyaḥ padbhyāṁ śūdro ' ajāyata ॥
The Brahmana, man of divine vision and Vedic Word, is the mouth of the Samrat Purusha, the human community. The Kshatriya, man of justice and polilty, is created as the arms of defence. The Vaishya, who produces food and wealth for the society, is the thighs. And the man of sustenance and support with labour is the Shudra who bears the burden of the human family.
31.12
चन्द्रमा मनसो जातश् चक्षोः सूर्यो ऽ अजायत ।
श्रोत्राद् वायुश् च प्राणश् च मुखाद् अग्निर् अजायत ॥
candramā manaso jātaś cakṣoḥ sūryo ' ajāyata ।
śrotrād vāyuś ca prāṇaś ca mukhād agnir ajāyata ॥
The moon is born of the cosmic mind, the sun is bom of the eye, the air and prana energy is bom from the ear, and the fire is born from the mouth.
31.13
नाभ्या ऽ आसीद् अन्तरिक्षꣳ शीर्ष्णो द्यौः सम् अवर्तत ।
पद्भ्यां भूमिर् दिशः श्रोत्रात् तथा लोकाꣳऽ अकल्पयन् ॥
nābhyā ' āsīd antarikṣaṁ śīrṣṇo dyauḥ sam avartata ।
padbhyāṃ bhūmir diśaḥ śrotrāt tathā lokāṁ' akalpayan ॥
The Rishis visualise that the sky was born of the navel of the Cosmic Purusha, that is, the sky is the navel part of the universe, the heaven of light arose from the head, the earth solidified from the dust of the feet, the space directions emanated from the ear, and similarly the other regions of the universe arose from the Purusha.
31.14
यत् पुरुषेण हविषा देवा यज्ञम् अतन्वत ।
वसन्तो ऽस्यासीद् आज्यं ग्रीष्म ऽ इध्मः शरद् धविः ॥
yat puruṣeṇa haviṣā devā yajñam atanvata ।
vasanto 'syāsīd ājyaṃ grīṣma ' idhmaḥ śarad dhaviḥ ॥
31.15
सप्तास्यासन् परिधयस् त्रिः सप्त समिधः कृताः ।
देवा यद् यज्ञं तन्वाना ऽ अबध्नन् पुरुषं पशुम् ॥
saptāsyāsan paridhayas triḥ sapta samidhaḥ kṛtāḥ ।
devā yad yajñaṃ tanvānā ' abadhnan puruṣaṃ paśum ॥
Seven are the bonds and bounds of the vedi (altar) of the mental yajna in meditation, thrice seven, i.e., twentyone are the samidhas (fuel sticks) ordained. When the saints and sages enact the yajna within, they concentrate on the Purusha, the universal observer, whose presence they crystallise and fix upon in the soul. Note: Seven bounds and thrice seven samidhas is the mystique of yajna which has been explained in different ways. Swami Dayanand explains it thus: Seven bounds are the seven chhandas (metrical compositions) of the Veda-mantras such as Gayatri. Twenty-one samidhas are: Prakriti (the potential material cause of the universe), Mahat (actualised material cause), Ahankara (individualized identity of the universe), five subtle elements or Tanmatras, five gross elements, five faculties of perception, and three qualities of the material universe which are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas (Thought/intelligence, energy and matter). In Rgvedadi-Bhashya-Bhumika, his Introduction to the Commentary on the Vedas, he explains the same thing in a different and detailed manner in the chapter on Creation. For an average reader, the simpler way to understand is to refer to the seven stages of creative evolution: Prakriti, Mahan, Ahankara, Tanmatra, Perception faculty, Volition faculty, and gross elements. These stages of evolution are the seven bounds of creative yajna performed by Purusha. These are also the Samidhas because each succeeding evolute arises from yajnic consumption of the previous one. And each one has three orders of quality, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. That makes it thrice seven. This is the Sankhya order of evolution, and ‘Sankhya’ is the word from which comes the English word ‘Science’ through Latin in which it is written as ‘Scienkia’. Another way to realise the seven boundaries is to refer to the seven Vyahritis: Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah, Maha, Janah, Tapah and Satyam which are the boundaries of each loka or region in ascending order.
31.16
यज्ञेन यज्ञम् अयजन्त देवास् तानि धर्माणि प्रथमान्य् आसन् ।
ते ह नाकं महिमानः सचन्त यत्र पूर्वे साध्याः सन्ति देवाः ॥
yajñena yajñam ayajanta devās tāni dharmāṇi prathamāny āsan ।
te ha nākaṃ mahimānaḥ sacanta yatra pūrve sādhyāḥ santi devāḥ ॥
31.17
अद्भ्यः सम्भृतः पृथिव्यै रसाच् च विश्वकर्मणः सम् अवर्तताग्रे ।
तस्य त्वष्टा विदधद् रूपम् एति तन् मर्त्यस्य देवत्वम् आजानम् अग्रे ॥
adbhyaḥ sambhṛtaḥ pṛthivyai rasāc ca viśvakarmaṇaḥ sam avartatāgre ।
tasya tvaṣṭā vidadhad rūpam eti tan martyasya devatvam ājānam agre ॥
Before the essence of the waters was distilled by Vishvakarma for the creation of the earth, the model of the universe existed in the eternal mind of the Purusha, Prajapati Vishvakarma. Tvashta, the makermanifestation of Purusha, sculpted that form of the universe. The origin of the divinity of the human being too existed in the eternal mind. (That too Tvashta brought into existence.)
31.18
वेदाहम् एतं पुरुषं महान्तम् आदित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ।
तम् एव विदित्वाति मृत्युम् एति नान्यः पन्था विद्यते ऽयनाय ॥
vedāham etaṃ puruṣaṃ mahāntam ādityavarṇaṃ tamasaḥ parastāt ।
tam eva viditvāti mṛtyum eti nānyaḥ panthā vidyate 'yanāya ॥
I know this great and glorious Purusha of the brilliance of the sun beyond the dark. Having realized Him only does man transcend the world of existence, birth and death. There is no other way than this to the final freedom of Moksha.
31.19
प्रजापतिश् चरति गर्भे ऽअन्तर् अजायमानो बहुधा वि जायते ।
तस्य योनिं परि पश्यन्ति धीरास् तस्मिन् ह तस्थुर् भुवनानि विश्वा ॥
prajāpatiś carati garbhe 'antar ajāyamāno bahudhā vi jāyate ।
tasya yoniṃ pari paśyanti dhīrās tasmin ha tasthur bhuvanāni viśvā ॥
Prajapati, father spirit of the created universe, immanent deep in the soul, moves everywhere, and although ever unborn He variously manifests Himself with all the forms of life. Men of thought and wisdom feel His presence manifest all round. In Him alone do all the worlds of existence find their haven and repose.
31.20
यो देवेभ्य ऽ आतपति यो देवानां पुरोहितः ।
पूर्वो यो देवेभ्यो जातो नमो रुचाय ब्राह्मये ॥
yo devebhya ' ātapati yo devānāṃ purohitaḥ ।
pūrvo yo devebhyo jāto namo rucāya brāhmaye ॥
That which blazes with the sun for the divinities such as the earth, who is the high-priest and prime mover of the generous excellencies of the world, who rises first and foremost for the nobilities of the world, to that divine light our homage and offer of reverence.
Mantras 21–22
31.21
रुचं ब्राह्म्यं जनयन्तो देवा ऽ अग्रे तद् अब्रुवन् ।
यस् त्वैवं ब्राह्मणो विद्यात् तस्य देवा ऽ असन् वशे ॥
rucaṃ brāhmyaṃ janayanto devā ' agre tad abruvan ।
yas tvaivaṃ brāhmaṇo vidyāt tasya devā ' asan vaśe ॥
The sages of yore rising in vision of the divine glory saw the light of the dawn and proclaimed of that: Oh! the Brahmana who would know you thus ! The lights of the world would be at his command.
31.22
श्रीश् च ते लक्ष्मीश् च पत्न्याव् अहोरात्रे पार्श्वे नक्षत्राणि रूपम् अश्विनौ व्यात्ताम् ।
इष्णन्न् इषाणामुं म ऽ इषाण सर्वलोकं म ऽ इषाण ॥
śrīś ca te lakṣmīś ca patnyāv ahorātre pārśve nakṣatrāṇi rūpam aśvinau vyāttām ।
iṣṇann iṣāṇāmuṃ ma ' iṣāṇa sarvalokaṃ ma ' iṣāṇa ॥
Beauty is yours. Glory is yours. The day and night like consorts are at your sides. The stars and planets are your form incarnate. The sun and moon are your open face. Kind, loving and generous, give me that bliss of freedom, that supreme wealth of joy. Wish me all well and the world is mine.