Purusha Suktam — Lyrics with Meaning

Verse 1

Sahasra-shirsha purushah sahasrakshah sahasrapat | sa bhumim vishvato vritva'tyatishthad dashangulam ||1||

The cosmic Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. He covers the earth on every side and extends beyond it by ten fingers' breadth.

Verse 2

Purusha evedam sarvam yad bhutam yachcha bhavyam | utamritatvasyeshano yad annenatirohati ||2||

All this is the Purusha — all that has been and all that will be. He is lord of immortality too, and rises beyond everything that grows by food.

Verse 3

Etavan asya mahimato jyayamshcha purushah | pado'sya vishva bhutani tripad asyamritam divi ||3||

Such is his greatness, yet the Purusha is greater still. All beings are only one quarter of him; the other three quarters are immortal in the heavens.

Verse 4

Tripad urdhva udait purushah pado'syehabhavat punah | tato vishvan vyakramat sashananashane abhi ||4||

Three quarters of the Purusha rose on high, and one quarter came to be here again and again. From that he spread out everywhere, into what eats and what does not eat.

Verse 5

Tasmad virad ajayata virajo adhi purushah | sa jato atyarichyata pashchad bhumim atho purah ||5||

From him the Virat, the vast universe, was born, and from the Virat the Purusha appeared again. Once born, he spread beyond the earth, behind and in front.

Verse 6

Yat purushena havisha deva yajnam atanvata | vasanto asyasid ajyam grishma idhmah sharad dhavih ||6||

When the gods performed a sacrifice with the Purusha himself as the offering, spring became its ghee, summer its firewood and autumn its offering.

Verse 7

Tam yajnam barhishi praukshan purusham jatam agratah | tena deva ayajanta sadhya rishayashcha ye ||7||

They sprinkled with water, on the sacred grass, that Purusha who was the sacrifice, born first of all. With him the gods, the Sadhyas and the sages performed the sacrifice.

Verse 8

Tasmad yajnat sarvahutah sambhritam prishadajyam | pashun tamsh chakre vayavyan aranyan gramyashcha ye ||8||

From that sacrifice in which everything was offered, ghee mixed with curd was gathered. From it were made the creatures of the air and the animals of the forest and the village.

Verse 9

Tasmad yajnat sarvahuta richah samani jajnire | chhandamsi jajnire tasmad yajus tasmad ajayata ||9||

From that all-offering sacrifice the Rig verses and the Sama chants were born. From it the metres arose, and from it the Yajur Veda appeared.

Verse 10

Tasmad ashva ajayanta ye ke chobhayadatah | gavo ha jajnire tasmat tasmaj jata ajavayah ||10||

From it were born horses and all animals with teeth in both jaws. From it came cows, and from it goats and sheep.

Verse 11

Yat purusham vyadadhuh katidha vyakalpayan | mukham kim asya kau bahu ka uru pada uchyete ||11||

When they divided the Purusha, into how many parts did they arrange him? What was his mouth, what his arms, what were called his thighs and feet?

Verse 12

Brahmano'sya mukham asid bahu rajanyah kritah | uru tad asya yad vaishyah padbhyam shudro ajayata ||12||

The hymn says his mouth became the Brahmin, his arms the Kshatriya, his thighs the Vaishya, and from his feet the Shudra was born — picturing society as parts of one single cosmic body.

Verse 13

Chandrama manaso jatash chakshoh suryo ajayata | mukhad indrashchagnishcha pranad vayur ajayata ||13||

The moon was born from his mind and the sun from his eyes. Indra and Agni came from his mouth, and the wind from his breath.

Verse 14

Nabhya asid antariksham shirshno dyauh samavartata | padbhyam bhumir dishah shrotrat tatha lokan akalpayan ||14||

From his navel came the middle sky, from his head the heavens, from his feet the earth and from his ears the directions. In this way the worlds were fashioned.

Verse 15

Saptasyasan paridhayas trih sapta samidhah kritah | deva yad yajnam tanvana abadhnan purusham pashum ||15||

When the gods spread out the sacrifice and bound the Purusha as its offering, it had seven enclosing sticks and twenty-one pieces of fuel.

Verse 16

Yajnena yajnam ayajanta devas tani dharmani prathamany asan | te ha nakam mahimanah sachanta yatra purve sadhyah santi devah ||16||

The gods worshipped the sacrifice through sacrifice; these became the first laws of dharma. Through this greatness they reached the heaven where the ancient Sadhya gods dwell.