श्रवण Śravaṇa · HearStep 2 of /2
Puruṣa Sūkta · Ṛgveda 10.90
Chant with meaning
Each verse chanted, then read in English.
Verse 1 · A thousand heads, a thousand eyes
सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।
स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वात्यतिष्ठद्दशाङ्गुलम् ॥
sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt |
sa bhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvāty atiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam ||
Puruṣa has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. He wraps around the whole earth, and still reaches beyond it, by the width of ten fingers.
Verse 2 · Puruṣa is all this
पुरुष एवेदं सर्वं यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम् ।
उतामृतत्वस्येशानो यदन्नेनातिरोहति ॥
puruṣa evedaṃ sarvaṃ yad bhūtaṃ yac ca bhavyam |
utāmṛtatvasyeśāno yad annenātirohati ||
Puruṣa is all of this: everything that has been, and everything that will be. He is the lord of the deathless, and of everything that grows by eating.
Verse 3 · One quarter is all beings
एतावानस्य महिमातो ज्यायाँश्च पूरुषः ।
पादोऽस्य विश्वा भूतानि त्रिपादस्यामृतं दिवि ॥
etāvān asya mahimāto jyāyāṃś ca pūruṣaḥ |
pādo 'sya viśvā bhūtāni tripād asyāmṛtaṃ divi ||
That is how great he is, and Puruṣa is greater still. All living beings are just one quarter of him. The other three quarters are deathless, up in the heavens.
Verse 4 · Over what eats and what does not
त्रिपादूर्ध्व उदैत्पुरुषः पादोऽस्येहाभवत्पुनः ।
ततो विष्वङ्व्यक्रामत्साशनानशने अभि ॥
tripād ūrdhva ud ait puruṣaḥ pādo 'syehābhavat punaḥ |
tato viṣvaṅ vy akrāmat sāśanānaśane abhi ||
Three quarters of Puruṣa rose up high. One quarter of him came to be here, again and again. From here he spread out in every direction, into everything that eats, and everything that doesn't.
Verse 5 · Virāj and Puruṣa
तस्माद्विराळजायत विराजो अधि पूरुषः ।
स जातो अत्यरिच्यत पश्चाद्भूमिमथो पुरः ॥
tasmād virāḷ ajāyata virājo adhi pūruṣaḥ |
sa jāto aty aricyata paścād bhūmim atho puraḥ ||
From him, Virāj was born. And from Virāj, Puruṣa was born again. As soon as he was born, he grew past the edges of the earth, behind it and in front.
Verse 6 · The seasons as offering
यत्पुरुषेण हविषा देवा यज्ञमतन्वत ।
वसन्तो अस्यासीदाज्यं ग्रीष्म इध्मः शरद्धविः ॥
yat puruṣeṇa haviṣā devā yajñam atanvata |
vasanto asyāsīd ājyaṃ grīṣma idhmaḥ śarad dhaviḥ ||
The gods held a sacrifice, and Puruṣa himself was the offering. Spring was the butter they poured into the fire. Summer was the firewood. Autumn was the offering itself.
Verse 7 · Puruṣa on the sacred grass
तं यज्ञं बर्हिषि प्रौक्षन्पुरुषं जातमग्रतः ।
तेन देवा अयजन्त साध्या ऋषयश्च ये ॥
taṃ yajñam barhiṣi praukṣan puruṣaṃ jātam agrataḥ |
tena devā ayajanta sādhyā ṛṣayaś ca ye ||
They laid him on the sacred grass and sprinkled him with water, this Puruṣa, born before everything else. With him as the offering, the gods performed the sacrifice, and so did the ancient spirits and the sages.
Verse 8 · The animals of air, forest and village
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुतः सम्भृतं पृषदाज्यम् ।
पशून्ताँश्चक्रे वायव्यानारण्यान्ग्राम्याश्च ये ॥
tasmād yajñāt sarvahutaḥ sambhṛtam pṛṣadājyam |
paśūn tāṃś cakre vāyavyān āraṇyān grāmyāś ca ye ||
From that sacrifice, where everything was given, came rich butter mixed with curds. From it he made the creatures of the air, the wild animals of the forest, and the animals of the village.
Verse 9 · The Vedas are born
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुत ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे ।
छन्दांसि जज्ञिरे तस्माद्यजुस्तस्मादजायत ॥
tasmād yajñāt sarvahuta ṛcaḥ sāmāni jajñire |
chandāṃsi jajñire tasmād yajus tasmād ajāyata ||
From that sacrifice, where everything was given, the sacred verses and the songs were born. The sacred meters were born from it. And the words of the ritual were born from it too.
Verse 10 · Horses, cows, goats and sheep
तस्मादश्वा अजायन्त ये के चोभयादतः ।
गावो ह जज्ञिरे तस्मात्तस्माज्जाता अजावयः ॥
tasmād aśvā ajāyanta ye ke cobhayādataḥ |
gāvo ha jajñire tasmāt tasmāj jātā ajāvayaḥ ||
Horses were born from it, and all the animals with teeth in both jaws. Cows were born from it. And from it came goats and sheep.
Verse 11 · How did they divide him?
यत्पुरुषं व्यदधुः कतिधा व्यकल्पयन् ।
मुखं किमस्य कौ बाहू का ऊरू पादा उच्येते ॥
yat puruṣaṃ vy adadhuḥ katidhā vy akalpayan |
mukhaṃ kim asya kau bāhū kā ūrū pādā ucyete ||
When the gods divided Puruṣa, how many parts did they make? What became of his mouth? What were his arms? What are his thighs and his feet called?
Verse 12 · Mouth, arms, thighs and feet
ब्राह्मणोऽस्य मुखमासीद्बाहू राजन्यः कृतः ।
ऊरू तदस्य यद्वैश्यः पद्भ्यां शूद्रो अजायत ॥
brāhmaṇo 'sya mukham āsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ |
ūrū tad asya yad vaiśyaḥ padbhyāṃ śūdro ajāyata ||
His mouth became the brāhmaṇa, the priest. His arms were made into the rājanya, the warrior. His thighs became the vaiśya, the farmer and trader. And from his feet the śūdra, the worker, was born.
Verse 13 · Moon from mind, sun from eye
चन्द्रमा मनसो जातश्चक्षोः सूर्यो अजायत ।
मुखादिन्द्रश्चाग्निश्च प्राणाद्वायुरजायत ॥
candramā manaso jātaś cakṣoḥ sūryo ajāyata |
mukhād indraś cāgniś ca prāṇād vāyur ajāyata ||
The moon was born from his mind. The sun was born from his eye. From his mouth came Indra, god of thunder, and Agni, god of fire. And from his breath, the wind was born.
Verse 14 · So they arranged the worlds
नाभ्या आसीदन्तरिक्षं शीर्ष्णो द्यौः समवर्तत ।
पद्भ्यां भूमिर्दिशः श्रोत्रात्तथा लोकाँ अकल्पयन् ॥
nābhyā āsīd antarikṣaṃ śīrṣṇo dyauḥ sam avartata |
padbhyām bhūmir diśaḥ śrotrāt tathā lokāṃ akalpayan ||
From his navel came the space between earth and sky. From his head, the sky took shape. From his feet came the earth, and from his ears, the four directions. That is how the gods arranged the worlds.
Verse 15 · Seven sticks, thrice seven fuels
सप्तास्यासन्परिधयस्त्रिः सप्त समिधः कृताः ।
देवा यद्यज्ञं तन्वाना अबध्नन्पुरुषं पशुम् ॥
saptāsyāsan paridhayas triḥ sapta samidhaḥ kṛtāḥ |
devā yad yajñaṃ tanvānā abadhnan puruṣam paśum ||
Seven sticks were laid around the fire, and three times seven pieces of firewood were made ready, when the gods, preparing the sacrifice, bound Puruṣa as the offering.
Verse 16 · The first ordinances
यज्ञेन यज्ञमयजन्त देवास्तानि धर्माणि प्रथमान्यासन् ।
ते ह नाकं महिमानः सचन्त यत्र पूर्वे साध्याः सन्ति देवाः ॥
yajñena yajñam ayajanta devās tāni dharmāṇi prathamāny āsan |
te ha nākam mahimānaḥ sacanta yatra pūrve sādhyāḥ santi devāḥ ||
With the sacrifice, the gods offered the sacrifice to the sacrifice. These were the very first laws. And those great ones rose to the highest heaven, where the ancient gods and spirits live.
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