Purushasuktam
By: Atmaprajnananda Saraswati
Puruṣasūktam
Ṛgveda - X.90
Śukla-Yajurveda - XXXI.1-22
Puruṣa-Sūkt- am, one of the few philosophical Sūktas of the Ṛgveda is the 90th Sūktam of 10th Maṇdala of the Ṛgveda (RV-X.90) containing 16 mantras. In Śukla-Yajurveda it is ŚYV - XXXI.1-22 (16+6 = 22 mantras).
sahasra-ś- īrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt |
sabhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvā atyatiṣṭhad-daśāṅgulam- ||1||
The Perfect Being has thousand (unlimited) heads, thousand (unlimited) eyes, and thousand (unlimited) feet. Having pervaded the whole earth (manifest universe), he remains ten fingers surplus (i.e. He is limitless). (1)
puruṣa evedagṃ sarvaṃ yad bhūtaṃ yac-ca bhavyam |
utāmṛtatvasyeśāno yad-annenātirohati ||2||
The present, past, and future (the three periods) are the Perfect Being. And (He) is the Lord of immortality, and all that grows and develops with food. (2)
etāvān asya mahimā-ato jyāyāgṃśca pūruṣaḥ |
pādo’asya viśvā bhūtāni tripādasyāmṛtaṃ divi |- |3||
Such is His greatness, and the Perfect Being is greater than this. The manifest universe is only his one fourth (a quarter); His three-fourth, which is immortal (unmanifest), is in the heavens.(3)
tripādūrdhva udait puruṣaḥ pādo’asyehābhavāt punaḥ |
tato viṣvaṃ vyakrāmat sāśanānaśane abhi ||4||
With three-fourth, the Perfect Being rose upwards; one-fourth of Him again remained here. Then He spread on all sides over what eats (living beings - humans, animals, plants), and what does not eat (the inanimate). (4)
tasmād virāṭ-ajāyata virājo-adhi-pūruṣaḥ |
sa jāto-atyaricyata paścād bhūmim-atho puraḥ || 5||
From Him, Virāṭ was born, from Virāṭ the Puruṣa (in the form of the individual jīva). As soon as he was born, (he) separated himself (from Virāṭ in the forms of gods, human beings, animals etc.), then (he created) the earth, and then the body. (5)
yat puruṣeṇa haviṣā devā yajñam atanvata |
vasanto asyāsīd-ājyaṃ grīṣma idhmaś-śaradd-haviḥ ||6||
When the gods performed a sacrifice with the Perfect Being as the oblation, the Spring was its ghee (butter), the Summer its fuel, and the Autumn its oblation. (6)
taṃ yajñaṃ barhiṣi praukṣan puruṣaṃ jātam-aghrataḥ |
tena devā, ayajanta sādhyā ṛṣayaśca ye ||7||
They besprinkled the first-born Puruṣa, as to be sacrificed, on the sacred grass. Further, the gods the ‘sādhyas’, and the seers that are, all sacrificed. (7)
tasmād yajñāt sarvahutaḥ sambhṛtaṃ pṛṣadājyam |
paśūgṃ-stāgṃ-ścakre- vāyavyān āraṇyān grāmyāśca ye || 8||
From that ‘Sarvahuta’ (wherein all/everything is sacrificed) sacrifice, the butter mixed with curd was gathered. He created these creatures of the air (birds), of the forests (wild animals), and those of the villages (domesticated animals). (8)
tasmād yajñāt sarvahutaḥ ṛcaḥ sāmāni jajñire |
chandāgṃsi jajñire tasmād yajus-tasmād-ajāyata ||9||
From that ‘Sarvahuta’ sacrifice, were born the Rcā, and the Sāmans, from that were born the metres, from that were born the Yajus (ritualistic formulae). (9)
(Muir understands chandāṃsi to refer to Atharvaveda. Peterson subscribes to this view. I would like to agree with Sāyaṇa, who interprets chandāṃsi as Vedic-metres).(9)
tasmād-aś- vā ajāyanta ye ke co’bhayādataḥ |
gāvo ha jajñire tasmāt tasmāj-jātā ajāvayaḥ ||10||
From that, horses were born, and all those that have two rows of teeth, from that, cows (cattle) were born, from that, goats and sheep were born. (10)
yat puruṣaṃ vyadadhuḥ katidhā vyakalpayan |
mukhaṃ kim-asya kau bāhū kā ūrū pādā ucyete ||11||
When they divided the Perfect Being, into how many parts did they make? What was His mouth? What was His arms? What was the two thighs, and what are said to be his two feet? (11)
These questions of the 11thmantra are answered in the next (12th)mantra.
brāhmaṇo’s- ya mukham-āsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ |
ūrū tad-asya yad vaiśyaḥ padbhyāgṃ śūdro ajāyata ||12||
The ‘brāhmaṇa’ was his mouth, the ‘kṣatriya’ was made of His two arms, then His two thighs became the ‘vaiśya’, from His feet the ‘śūdra’ was born. (12)
candramā manaso jātaś-cakṣoḥ sūryo ajāyata |
mukhādindraścāghniśca prāṇād vāyur-ajāyata ||13||
The Moon was born from (His) mind, from (His) eyes the Sun was born. From (His) mouth Indra and Agni (were) born, from (His) breath Wind was born. (13)
nābhyā āsīd-antarikṣaṃ śīrṣṇo dyauḥ samavartata |
padbhyāṃ bhūmirdiśaś-śrotrāt tathā lokāgṃ-akalpayan ||14||
From (His) navel was (produced) the middle-region, from (His) head was evolved the sky, from (His) two feet the earth, and the quarters (dik-directions) from (His) ears. Thus, they made the world. (14)
saptāsyāsan paridhaya- s-tris-sapta samidhaḥ kṛtāḥ |
devā-yad-yajñaṃ tanvānā abadhnan puruṣaṃ paśum ||15||
Seven were His enclosing (sticks), twenty one were made (his) fuel, when the gods performing the sacrifice bound the Perfect Being as the victim. (15)
yajñena yajñamayajanta devās-tāni dharmāṇi prathamānyāsan |
te ha nākaṃ mahimānaḥ sacanta yatra pūrve sādhyāḥ-santi devāḥ ||16||
With the sacrifice, gods sacrifice the victim. These were the first ordinances. Those mighty ones attained the heaven, where the ancient ‘sādhyas’ and gods are dwelling. (16)
(The above translations are based on Sāyaṇācārya's commentary.)
By: Atmaprajnananda Saraswati
Puruṣasūktam
Ṛgveda - X.90
Śukla-Yajurveda - XXXI.1-22
Puruṣa-Sūkt- am, one of the few philosophical Sūktas of the Ṛgveda is the 90th Sūktam of 10th Maṇdala of the Ṛgveda (RV-X.90) containing 16 mantras. In Śukla-Yajurveda it is ŚYV - XXXI.1-22 (16+6 = 22 mantras).
sahasra-ś- īrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt |
sabhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvā atyatiṣṭhad-daśāṅgulam- ||1||
The Perfect Being has thousand (unlimited) heads, thousand (unlimited) eyes, and thousand (unlimited) feet. Having pervaded the whole earth (manifest universe), he remains ten fingers surplus (i.e. He is limitless). (1)
puruṣa evedagṃ sarvaṃ yad bhūtaṃ yac-ca bhavyam |
utāmṛtatvasyeśāno yad-annenātirohati ||2||
The present, past, and future (the three periods) are the Perfect Being. And (He) is the Lord of immortality, and all that grows and develops with food. (2)
etāvān asya mahimā-ato jyāyāgṃśca pūruṣaḥ |
pādo’asya viśvā bhūtāni tripādasyāmṛtaṃ divi |- |3||
Such is His greatness, and the Perfect Being is greater than this. The manifest universe is only his one fourth (a quarter); His three-fourth, which is immortal (unmanifest), is in the heavens.(3)
tripādūrdhva udait puruṣaḥ pādo’asyehābhavāt punaḥ |
tato viṣvaṃ vyakrāmat sāśanānaśane abhi ||4||
With three-fourth, the Perfect Being rose upwards; one-fourth of Him again remained here. Then He spread on all sides over what eats (living beings - humans, animals, plants), and what does not eat (the inanimate). (4)
tasmād virāṭ-ajāyata virājo-adhi-pūruṣaḥ |
sa jāto-atyaricyata paścād bhūmim-atho puraḥ || 5||
From Him, Virāṭ was born, from Virāṭ the Puruṣa (in the form of the individual jīva). As soon as he was born, (he) separated himself (from Virāṭ in the forms of gods, human beings, animals etc.), then (he created) the earth, and then the body. (5)
yat puruṣeṇa haviṣā devā yajñam atanvata |
vasanto asyāsīd-ājyaṃ grīṣma idhmaś-śaradd-haviḥ ||6||
When the gods performed a sacrifice with the Perfect Being as the oblation, the Spring was its ghee (butter), the Summer its fuel, and the Autumn its oblation. (6)
taṃ yajñaṃ barhiṣi praukṣan puruṣaṃ jātam-aghrataḥ |
tena devā, ayajanta sādhyā ṛṣayaśca ye ||7||
They besprinkled the first-born Puruṣa, as to be sacrificed, on the sacred grass. Further, the gods the ‘sādhyas’, and the seers that are, all sacrificed. (7)
tasmād yajñāt sarvahutaḥ sambhṛtaṃ pṛṣadājyam |
paśūgṃ-stāgṃ-ścakre- vāyavyān āraṇyān grāmyāśca ye || 8||
From that ‘Sarvahuta’ (wherein all/everything is sacrificed) sacrifice, the butter mixed with curd was gathered. He created these creatures of the air (birds), of the forests (wild animals), and those of the villages (domesticated animals). (8)
tasmād yajñāt sarvahutaḥ ṛcaḥ sāmāni jajñire |
chandāgṃsi jajñire tasmād yajus-tasmād-ajāyata ||9||
From that ‘Sarvahuta’ sacrifice, were born the Rcā, and the Sāmans, from that were born the metres, from that were born the Yajus (ritualistic formulae). (9)
(Muir understands chandāṃsi to refer to Atharvaveda. Peterson subscribes to this view. I would like to agree with Sāyaṇa, who interprets chandāṃsi as Vedic-metres).(9)
tasmād-aś- vā ajāyanta ye ke co’bhayādataḥ |
gāvo ha jajñire tasmāt tasmāj-jātā ajāvayaḥ ||10||
From that, horses were born, and all those that have two rows of teeth, from that, cows (cattle) were born, from that, goats and sheep were born. (10)
yat puruṣaṃ vyadadhuḥ katidhā vyakalpayan |
mukhaṃ kim-asya kau bāhū kā ūrū pādā ucyete ||11||
When they divided the Perfect Being, into how many parts did they make? What was His mouth? What was His arms? What was the two thighs, and what are said to be his two feet? (11)
These questions of the 11thmantra are answered in the next (12th)mantra.
brāhmaṇo’s- ya mukham-āsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ |
ūrū tad-asya yad vaiśyaḥ padbhyāgṃ śūdro ajāyata ||12||
The ‘brāhmaṇa’ was his mouth, the ‘kṣatriya’ was made of His two arms, then His two thighs became the ‘vaiśya’, from His feet the ‘śūdra’ was born. (12)
candramā manaso jātaś-cakṣoḥ sūryo ajāyata |
mukhādindraścāghniśca prāṇād vāyur-ajāyata ||13||
The Moon was born from (His) mind, from (His) eyes the Sun was born. From (His) mouth Indra and Agni (were) born, from (His) breath Wind was born. (13)
nābhyā āsīd-antarikṣaṃ śīrṣṇo dyauḥ samavartata |
padbhyāṃ bhūmirdiśaś-śrotrāt tathā lokāgṃ-akalpayan ||14||
From (His) navel was (produced) the middle-region, from (His) head was evolved the sky, from (His) two feet the earth, and the quarters (dik-directions) from (His) ears. Thus, they made the world. (14)
saptāsyāsan paridhaya- s-tris-sapta samidhaḥ kṛtāḥ |
devā-yad-yajñaṃ tanvānā abadhnan puruṣaṃ paśum ||15||
Seven were His enclosing (sticks), twenty one were made (his) fuel, when the gods performing the sacrifice bound the Perfect Being as the victim. (15)
yajñena yajñamayajanta devās-tāni dharmāṇi prathamānyāsan |
te ha nākaṃ mahimānaḥ sacanta yatra pūrve sādhyāḥ-santi devāḥ ||16||
With the sacrifice, gods sacrifice the victim. These were the first ordinances. Those mighty ones attained the heaven, where the ancient ‘sādhyas’ and gods are dwelling. (16)
(The above translations are based on Sāyaṇācārya's commentary.)
No comments:
Post a Comment