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Purusha suktam translation

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tatachar • May 2, 2002 


  Dear Bhagavataas,

Here is my attempt at translation of PS.
I am indebted to many scholars, including 
posting of PS by Sriman Sundar on Srivaishnava 
home pag,  D.V. Gundappa's cpmmentary in Kannada on PS,
commentary by Swami Dayananda of Arsha Vidya Guru Kuamas,
as well as Joseph Campbell's power of myth.
I have freely used these sources. 
Any shortcomings are my own limitations and not
of any of the mahaans mentioned above.

pu-ru-SHa sU-ktam 
(tai-tti-rI-ya  a-ra-Nya-kam,  pra-shNaH -3)
kre-SH-Na  ya-ju-rvaE-dam)


LORD'S UNLIMITED MANIFESTATIONS  (a-na-ntam)
The pu-ru-SHa with countless number of heads, eyes, and feet pervades the 
Earth in entirety and extends far beyond. (1)

LORD'S OMNIPRESENCE (vi-shva-ma-yam)
Whatever has been and whatever is to be is all pu-ru-SHa. He is the ruler of 
immortality and He appears to grow immensely through food.(2)
   
LORD'S TRANSCENDENCE (lO-kA-tI-ta-tvam)
All that is (seen) is His glory, (actually) He surpasses all this. One 
quarter of Him comprise all the creations (living and the non-living),  while 
three quarters of Him are eternally in the heaven.(3)

MANIFEST and the UN MANIFEST (vya-kta  a-vya-ktam)
Three quarters of Him remain above (un manifest). One quarter of Him has 
manifested here. With that He pervades all the living and the non-living.(4)

PRE CREATION (pU-rva sRE-SH-Ti)
Variety came forth from Him and thus from within he became vi-rAt pu-ru-SHa. 
He grew immensely and became the cosmos (bra-hmA-nDam).(5)
Part II: The Sacrifice of the Lord

POST CREATION (u-tta-ra  sRe-SHTi)
The Gods performed a YajN~a using pu-ru-SHa as the offering, in which Spring 
was the ghee, Summer the sa-mit and Autumn the oblation (Thanks Giving). (6)

YAGNA IMAGERY (ya-jN~a  rU-pa-kam)
Gods as performers of the sacrifice assigned seven enclosing sticks, and  21 
fuel sticks for the sacrifice and also bound pu-ru-SHa as the sacrificial 
beast (ya-jN~a pa-shu).(7)
[Note: The seven enclosing sticks refer to the 5 elements (earth, water, 
fire, wind, and sky), plus day and night. Twenty-one fuel sticks refer to the 
5 sense organs (eye, nose, mouth, ear and skin), plus 5 vital breaths 
(prA-Na, a-pA-na, vyA-na, u-dA-na, and sa-mA-na), plus 5 organs of work 
(hands, legs, genitals, two excretory organs), plus 4 feelings of the mind 
(a-ntaH-ka-ra-Nam), plus dha-rma and a-dha-rma. Interestingly, these are the 
very same 7 outer and 21 inner limits within which we lead our own 
life-ya-jN~a. Perhaps the seed of vi-shi-SHTa a-dvai-ta bhA-va (sense of 
unity amidst distinctity) appears here in this creation Hymn].

The primordial pu-ru-SHa (as Sacrificial beast) was sanctified by sA-dhyAs,  
gods  and other Re-SHIs by placing Him on da-rbha grass and Sprinkling water 
over Him.(8)

ONE THAT BECAME ONE and ALL (aE-kA-naE-ka)
Emerging from that sacred rite (Ya-jN~a) when everything was consumed came 
butter, curds, animals of sky, forest and village. (9)

 When everything was consumed, then arose Re-gvaE-da, sA-ma-vaE-da, 
Ya-ju-rvaE-da and the poetic meters from that sacred rite (Ya-jN~a). (10)

And from that ya-jN~a were born horses, cows, goats, sheep and other animals 
with  two rows of teeth.(11)

Part III: The Meditation of the Gods

FOUR FOLD CLASSIFICATION (cA-tu-rva-rNyam)
[Now a bunch of questions] How many ways did the gods envision to dismember 
(divide) pu-ru-SHa? What came of his face (mouth)? What did the arms become? 
What became of his thighs and feet? (12)

The Brahmins came from His mouth, and from His arms came the kings. The 
merchants sprang forth from His thighs, and from His feet, the laborers were 
born.(13)

The moon proceeded from (His) mind, and from (His) eyes the Sun arose. Indra 
and fire came forth from (His) mouth. The wind emanated from (His) vital 
breath. (14)

Out from (His) navel the space emerged, from (His) head the heavens arose, 
the Earth was fashioned from (His) feet, and directions from (His) ears. Thus 
all the realms were fathomed.(15)

Part IV: The Sage's Vision 

SECRET BEHIND  NAMES and FORMS (nA-ma-rU-pa ra-ha-sya da-rsha-nam)

I have realized the supreme pu-ru-SHa, brilliant as the Solar hue and beyond 
the veil of darkness (mA-ya). All the forms are formulated, categorized and 
permeated by that wise and glorious being.(16)
 
Realizing the pu-ru-SHa thus (as in verse 16), whom bra-hma (the creator) and 
 i-ndra (who is  well versed in all matters)  have (also) glorified earlier, 
one will be liberated in this very life. There is no other way (for 
liberation) indeed.(17)

ROOT of DHARMA (dha-rmasya mU-lam)

Gods performed ya-jN~a offering ya-jN~a to ya-jN~a itself. Those were the 
first acts of Dha-rma. By doing so, they attained the glory of heaven just as 
the sA-dhyAs and gods in the past.(18)
[ote1: This is like offering the water from a river back to a river and feel 
blessed. Any act of charity we perform in reality is this. We can not claim 
that we made something  from scratch. If we have to do that we will first 
have to create this universe!]

[Note 2: The ya-jN~a mentioned here is the ya-jN~a of creation of this world 
from the body of the pu-ru-SHa, the one source of all. pu-ru-SHa literally 
means "the one who fulfills or encompasses everything". pu-ru-SHa is used 
commonly to refer to man. pu-ra refers to a big place which has many 
attributes. This is also probably derived from pu-ru-SHa]

[Note3: sA-dhyAs, is perhaps, the root word for: sA-dhya, possible; 
si-ddhi-attainment; sA-dha-na, means; sA-dha-ka, seeker; sA-dhu, the right 
thing to do]

pu-ru-SHa sU-ktam (u-tta-ra NA-rA-ya-Na)

MASTER BUILDER (vi-shva-ka-rmi)
vi-rAt pu-ru-SHa through (the interaction with) water, Earth  and other 
elements became the master of all creations (vishva-ka-rma). As master 
carpenter, He assumed numerous forms and is more than all this. I have 
realized the primordial great deeds of that pu-ru-SHa.  (19)


SPIRITUAL REALIZATION (ta-tva  sA-xA-tkA-ram)

I have realized the supreme pu-ru-SHa, brilliant as the Solar hue and beyond 
the veil of darkness (mA-ya). Knowing him thus, one will be liberated in this 
very life. There is no other way (for liberation) indeed.(20)

The LORD ABIDES WITHIN (a-nta-ryA-mi-tvam)

The Lord abides in every womb. Unborn, yet giving birth to all. The aspirers 
of the exhalted state of ancient seers and creators, realize Him as The 
SOURCE. (21)

SPIRITUAL GLOW (bra-hma taE-jas)
All salutations to that essence (radiance) of para bra-hman, who shines 
bright upon the gods. He is their preeminent master.(22)

The STATE of KNOWER OF BRAHMAN (bra-hma- jN~A-ni  ma-hi-mA)
This essence of bra-hman, the gods realized early on and said: Whoever 
realizes the bra-hman, they will have mastery over gods.(23)

WEALTH with DIGNITY (dha-rmai-shva-rya  sa-ma-nva-yam)
Wealth (Sree) and dignity (Hree) are Your consorts, night and Day are Your 
two sides, stars Your beauty spots (body), Sky and Earth are the upper and 
lower jaws of Your wide open mouth. Grant my desires, grant me happiness, 
fulfill all there is (the purpose of life).  Bestow peace in all three 
spheres of existence.(24)

[Note 1: Similar creation themes are present in the non-Christian books of 
the other peoples including the Romans and the Nordics. For example it says 
in the Norse myth that  the God Odin and his brother created this world by 
dismembering a huge giant. Our Wednesday comes from Odin, which every third 
grader in the US should know!]

[Note 2: A Chinese belief appears to combine both the Hiranya Garbha and the 
Purusha Sukta in to one: In the beginning was a huge egg containing chaos and 
a mixture of yin-yang (female-male, cold-heat, dark-light, wet-dry, etc.). 
Also within this yin-yang was Phan Ku who broke forth from the egg as a giant 
who separated the yin-yang into many opposites, including earth and sky. With 
a great chisel and a huge hammer, Phan Ku carved out the mountains, rivers, 
valleys, and oceans. He also made the sun, moon, and stars. When he died, 
after 18,000 years, it is said that the fleas in his hair became human 
beings. In summation, the Chinese say that everything that is - is Phan Ku 
and everything that Phan Ku is yin-yang].

CONCLUSION 
Purusha Sukta teaches us to have respect for the world, life, and Dharma (law 
and order), which are essentially the basic sustaining elements of a society. 
We see here unity in apparent diversity, because this world is nothing but a 
projection of the Purusha. Seen this way, every life form, every spot of 
earth, every mountain, every river becomes holy. When we look at a mountain 
or a setting Sun and say ah, that is a participation in the divinity. There 
is no saying NO to WORLD or LIFE in Purusha Sukta! Rather it calls for joyful 
participation in this world with whatever abilities that we have, just as a 
mother would like her child to prosper.

An underlying  theme of the Hindu view of creation is "one became 
everything." It is not that God created everything, but  God is everything. 
To the question "God is or is not?" The answer is ONLY God is. This universe 
is a part of the Divine (not the other way!). There is no clear separation 
between the Creator and the creations. We do entertain "dualism" (separation- 
the Creator and creations are separate), but that is not a unique feature of 
Hinduism. 
I think the way in which a religion  deals with the subject of creation  
greatly affects the psyche (principle of life) of the followers of that 
faith. Respect for nature, nature worship, blending with nature, respect for 
views of others, a gentle and universal out look of the world, a sense of the 
vastness of time and the universe, spiritualism, systematic  indifference 
(reasoned disregard) towards transient things, inner strength,  peaceful 
retreat from restlessness, a great vocabulary on the inner life - all these 
come naturally to followers of Sanatana Dharma. Perhaps the following 
observation by   Stanley Jones, an American missionary, who spent  decades in 
the early part of this century in India to win souls for Jesus, comments 
thus, ......"It is easy to talk with a Hindu about spiritual things.  It 
makes you feel that he is a spiritualized being. He is. Spiritual ideas are 
on tap at once, and he talks about them fluently, easily, naturally.  They 
are the breath of his life.  And not only the breath of his life, but the 
strength of his life.....".

sa-rvam shrI  kRe-SHNA-rpa-Na-ma-stu

Daasan

Koti Sreekrishna Tatachar


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