मनन Manana · ReflectStep 5 of /18
Puruṣa Sūkta · Ṛgveda 10.90.4
Verse 4Over 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 ||
Meaning
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.
Word by word
Words joined in recitation are shown split. Where sounds change at the joins, the dictionary form is given under the word.
Reflection
So Puruṣa divides. Three quarters go up and away. One quarter stays here and becomes our world. And the rishi says it comes 'again and again', as if the world keeps being born, over and over, like the seasons coming back. From that one quarter, Puruṣa spreads out in every direction. Into everything that eats, meaning living things. And into everything that doesn't, meaning rocks, rivers, mountains. Nothing is left out. Even a stone is part of him. But how does one being actually turn into a world? The next verses begin to tell us.
Your reflection
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