Purusha sukta
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Purusha sukta/sookta (puruṣa sūkta) is hymn 10.90 of the Rigveda, dedicated to the Purusha, the "Cosmic Being". One version of the Suktam has 16 verses, 15 in the anuṣṭubh meter, and the final one in the triṣṭubh meter. While, another version of the Suktam consists of 24 verses with the first 18 mantras designated as the Purva-narayana, and the later portion termed as the Uttara-narayana.
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Purusha is described as a primeval gigantic man, not unlike the Norse Ymir or the Greco-Roman Zeus, from whose body the world and the varnas (castes) are built. He is described as having a thousand heads and a thousand feet. He emanated Viraj, the female creative principle, from which he is reborn in turn before the world was made out of his parts.
In the sacrifice of Purusha, the Vedic chants were first created. The horses and cows were born, the Brahmins were made from Purusha's mouth, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs, and the Shudras from his feet.[1] The Moon was born from his spirit, the Sun from his eyes, the heavens from his skull. Indra and Agni emerged from his mouth.
[edit] Context
The hymn finds place in various Vedic texts such as the Atharvaveda (19.6), the Samaveda (6.4), the Yajurveda (VS 31.1-6), the Taittiriya Aranyaka (3.12,13), and it is commented upon in the Shatapatha Brahmana, the Taittiriya Brahmana, the Shvetashvatara Upanishad and the Mudgala Upanishad. It is one of the few Rig vedic hymns still current in contemporary Hinduism like, the Gayatri mantra. The Purusha Sukta is also mentioned with explanations and interpretations in the Vajasaneyi Samhita (31.1-6), the Sama veda Samhita (6.4), and the Atharva veda Samhita (19.6). Among Puranic texts, the Sukta has also been elaborated in the Bhagavata Purana (2.5.35 to 2.6.1-29) and in the Mahabharata (Mokshadharma Parva 351 and 352).
The Vedantic interpretation take the suktam to allegorize the principles of approaching (upasana), knowledge (jnana), devotion (bhakti), and rituals and duties (dharma and karma).
[edit] Interpretations
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The President of the Ramakrishna Mission, at Chennai, in commentating on the introduction to Swami Amritananda's translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam, stated that the Vedas describe the essential nature of the Supreme Being and the Purusha sukta is one of those hymns which describe Parabrahman.
Verse 1: According to two commentators, Sayana and Bhatta Bhaskara, this verse identifies the Supreme Being, Vishnu in Vaishnavism. The Vaishnavite saint, Raghavendra Swami comments that Vishnu is in all Purushas or souls and that He is complete even in dust, grass,wood and in the small particles.[1]
Verse 2: The same commentators state that the Supreme Lord is greater than the sum of His creation. The manifested world is only a fraction of Vishnu. This verse is an allusion to panentheistic concepts in Vaishnavism. Raghavendra Swami comments that "Vishnu is in the Past, is in the Present and will be in the Future,as He is the Complete- the Omniscient and Omnipotent."
Verse 3: The saint comments that everything in the universe acts as per the order of Hari.
Verse 4: Bhatta Bhaskar, the commentator has stated that many things such as elements and sense organs were created. Raghavendra Swami comments that Vishnu is omnipresent.
Verse 5: Raghavendra Swami comments that Sriman Narayana is the Lord of everything created.
Verse 6: Sayana states since many substances were not yet created so the devas mentally performed a yajna. The spring season became ghee, summer season became fagots and autumn season became havis, purodasa.
Raghavendra Swami comments that Vishnu created the seasons for this yajna.
Verse 7: The saint states that Vishnu, is the ultimate creator, preserver and destroyer.
Verse 8: Bhatta Bhaskara interprets this verse to mean that both wild and domesticated animals were created from Purusha who is the soul of everything. Sayana states a similar interpretation and like Bhatta, agrees that that Vayu, the wind deva is the presiding deity over space and animals are from the deity of space.
Verse 9: Bhatta Bhaskara, the commentator states that the Vedas such as Rig Veda and yajus were born from the sacrifice. Sayana additionally includes creation of the Gayatri mantra from this sacrifice. Raghavendra Swami states that Vishnu created the Vedas, the Gayatri mantra, etc.
Verse 10: Bhatta Bhaskara interprets the animal creation from this Purusha. He states that horses, animals with two rows of teeth in the upper and lower jaws such as donkeys were born. Additionally, cows, goats and sheep were created.
Raghavendra Swami states that Vishnu created horse, donkey, sheep, cow and goats for this yajna.
Verse 12: Both commentators state that the four classes of human society (castes) were born from Him.
Warriors were created from the arms of God and the priests were from his head and the merchants from his abdomen and the laborers from his legs. This may be interpreted as meaning that no one caste is more important than the other and that society cannot survive without all parts working together.
Verse 13: Both commentators state that the devas such as Indra, Agni and Vayu were born from various parts of the Supreme Being, The saint comments that Hari has created Chandra by his mind, Surya by his eyes, Indra and other devas from his face. Sri Hari created Vayu by his breath.
Verse 14: Sayana states that heaven emerges from his head, the earth from his feet and from his ears, the quarters were created. Bhatta Bhaskara interprets this verse to mean the various worlds were created from the Supreme Being.
Verse 15: Sayana states that from such worship came the dharmas which sustained the world emerged and the fruits of such worship. Bhatta Bhaskara states that all the elements which sustain the world emerged and the great ones reached heaven where there is only happiness.
The saint comments that all the devas performed the yajna and attained the fruits by Vishnu, i.e., moksha. It is said that all the great demigods of this universe assemble in front of the Vaikunta dwara and recite this beautiful prayer.
[edit] See also
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[edit] References
- ^ The terms Vaishya and Shudra occur only in the Purusha Sukta hymn of the Rig Veda.
- Swami Amritananda's translation of Sri Rudram and Purushasuktam,, Ramakrishna Mission, Chennai.
- Ananda Coomaraswamy, Rigveda 10.90.1: aty atiṣṭhad daśāṅgulám, Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 66, no. 2 (1946), 145-161.
