पुरुष सूक्तम्

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पुरुष सूक्तम्

पुरुष सूक्तम् is one of the great Vedic hymns for understanding the universe as the manifestation of the Cosmic Person. Its earliest well-known form is Rigveda 10.90, and related recensional forms are also preserved in Yajurveda and Atharvaveda traditions, including the Taittiriya Aranyaka usage familiar in many South Indian recitations.

This Vedic hymn gives a sacred grammar for seeing unity inside diversity. पुरुष here is not an ordinary individual; he is the all-encompassing reality whose being exceeds the universe while also becoming its support. The famous images of a thousand heads, eyes, and feet teach that all beings are expressions of one cosmic life, not isolated fragments.

ॐ तच्छं॒-योँरावृ॑णीमहे । गा॒तुं-यँ॒ज्ञाय॑ । गा॒तुं-यँ॒ज्ञप॑तये । दैवी᳚ स्व॒स्तिर॑स्तु नः । स्व॒स्तिर्मानु॑षेभ्यः । ऊ॒र्ध्वं जि॑गातु भेष॒जम् । शं नो॑ अस्तु द्वि॒पदे᳚ । शं चतु॑ष्पदे ।
ॐ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॑ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
We seek auspicious peace and the right path for sacrifice and its Lord. May divine welfare be ours; may there be welfare for human beings. May healing rise upward. May there be peace for two-footed and four-footed beings. May there be peace, peace, peace.

स॒हस्र॑शीर्षा॒ पुरु॑षः । स॒ह॒स्रा॒क्षः स॒हस्र॑पात् ।
स भूमिं॑-विँ॒श्वतो॑ वृ॒त्वा । अत्य॑तिष्ठद्दशांगु॒लम् ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The Purusha has countless heads, eyes, and feet. Pervading the earth on every side, he still transcends it beyond measure.

पुरु॑ष ए॒वेदग्ं सर्वम्᳚ । यद्भू॒तं-यँच्च॒ भव्यम्᳚ ।
उ॒तामृ॑त॒त्व स्येशा॑नः । यदन्ने॑नाति॒रोह॑ति ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
All this is indeed the Purusha: whatever has been and whatever will be. He is the Lord of immortality, and also of all that grows through food.

ए॒तावा॑नस्य महि॒मा । अतो॒ ज्यायाग्॑श्च॒ पूरु॑षः ।
पादो᳚ऽस्य॒ विश्वा॑ भू॒तानि॑ । त्रि॒पाद॑स्या॒मृतं॑ दि॒वि ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
This manifested universe is only his glory; the Purusha is greater still. All beings are one quarter of him, while three quarters are immortal beyond.

त्रि॒पादू॒र्ध्व उदै॒त्पुरु॑षः । पादो᳚ऽस्ये॒हाऽऽभ॑वा॒त्पुनः॑ ।
ततो॒ विष्व॒ङ्व्य॑क्रामत् । सा॒श॒ना॒न॒श॒ने अ॒भि ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Three quarters of the Purusha rose beyond, while one quarter became manifest here. From that, he spread everywhere into both the animate and the inanimate.

तस्मा᳚द्वि॒राड॑जायत । वि॒राजो॒ अधि॒ पूरु॑षः ।
स जा॒तो अत्य॑रिच्यत । प॒श्चाद्भूमि॒मथो॑ पु॒रः ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
From the Purusha arose Virat, the cosmic form; and in relation to Virat, the Purusha appeared. Having manifested, he expanded beyond the earth, behind and before.

यत्पुरु॑षेण ह॒विषा᳚ । दे॒वा य॒ज्ञमत॑न्वत ।
व॒सं॒तो अ॑स्यासी॒दाज्यम्᳚ । ग्री॒ष्म इ॒ध्मश्श॒रध्ध॒विः ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
When the gods performed the sacrifice with the Purusha as the offering, spring became the ghee, summer the fuel, and autumn the oblation.

स॒प्तास्या॑सन्परि॒धयः॑ । त्रिः स॒प्त स॒मिधः॑ कृ॒ताः ।
दे॒वा यद्य॒ज्ञं त॑न्वा॒नाः । अब॑ध्न॒न्-पुरु॑षं प॒शुम् ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Seven were the enclosing sticks and thrice seven the fuel-sticks. As the gods extended the sacrifice, they bound the Purusha as the sacred offering.

तं-यँ॒ज्ञं ब॒र्॒हिषि॒ प्रौक्षन्॑ । पुरु॑षं जा॒तम॑ग्र॒तः ।
तेन॑ दे॒वा अय॑जंत । सा॒ध्या ऋष॑यश्च॒ ये ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
They consecrated that primordial sacrifice, the Purusha born in the beginning, upon the sacred grass. With him the gods, Sadhyas, and seers performed worship.

तस्मा᳚द्य॒ज्ञाथ्स॑र्व॒हुतः॑ । संभृ॑तं पृषदा॒ज्यम् ।
प॒शूग्ग्-स्ताग्ग्-श्च॑क्रे वाय॒व्यान्॑ । आ॒र॒ण्यान्-ग्रा॒म्याश्च॒ ये ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
From that all-offering sacrifice arose nourishing essence, and from it were formed animals of the air, the forest, and the village.

तस्मा᳚द्य॒ज्ञाथ्स॑र्व॒हुतः॑ । ऋचः॒ सामा॑नि जज्ञिरे ।
छंदाग्ं॑सि जज्ञिरे॒ तस्मा᳚त् । यजु॒स्तस्मा॑दजायत ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
From that all-offering sacrifice arose the Rig hymns, the Saman chants, the sacred meters, and the Yajur formulas; knowledge, rhythm, and ritual speech all emerge from the same cosmic source.

तस्मा॒दश्वा॑ अजायंत । ये के चो॑भ॒याद॑तः ।
गावो॑ ह जज्ञिरे॒ तस्मा᳚त् । तस्मा᳚ज्जा॒ता अ॑जा॒वयः॑ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
From that sacrifice arose horses, animals with two rows of teeth, cows, goats, and sheep; even the practical supports of travel, food, livelihood, and agrarian life are traced to the sacred offering.

यत्पुरु॑षं॒-व्यँ॑दधुः । क॒ति॒था व्य॑कल्पयन्न् ।
मुखं॒ किम॑स्य॒ कौ बा॒हू । कावू॒रू पादा॑वुच्येते ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
When they arranged the Purusha, in how many ways did they form him? What became his mouth, what his arms, what his thighs, and what are said to be his feet?

ब्रा॒ह्म॒णो᳚ऽस्य॒ मुख॑मासीत् । बा॒हू रा॑ज॒न्यः॑ कृ॒तः ।
ऊ॒रू तद॑स्य॒ यद्वैश्यः॑ । प॒द्भ्याग्ं शू॒द्रो अ॑जायत ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The Brahmana was his mouth; the Rajanya became his arms; the Vaishya was his thighs; and the Shudra arose from his feet.

चं॒द्रमा॒ मन॑सो जा॒तः । चक्षोः॒ सूर्यो॑ अजायत ।
मुखा॒दिंद्र॑श्चा॒ग्निश्च॑ । प्रा॒णाद्वा॒युर॑जायत ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The moon arose from his mind, the sun from his eye, Indra and Agni from his mouth, and Vayu from his breath.

नाभ्या॑ आसीदं॒तरि॑क्षम् । शी॒र्ष्णो द्यौः सम॑वर्तत ।
प॒द्भ्यां भूमि॒र्दिशः॒ श्रोत्रा᳚त् । तथा॑ लो॒काग्ं अ॑कल्पयन्न् ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
From his navel arose the midspace; from his head, heaven; from his feet, earth; from his hearing, the directions. Thus the worlds were formed.

वेदा॒हमे॒तं पुरु॑षं म॒हांतम्᳚ । आ॒दि॒त्यव॑र्णं॒ तम॑स॒स्तु पा॒रे ।
सर्वा॑णि रू॒पाणि॑ वि॒चित्य॒ धीरः॑ । नामा॑नि कृ॒त्वाऽभि॒वद॒न्॒, यदाऽऽस्ते᳚ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
I know this great Purusha, radiant like the sun and beyond darkness. The wise one, having fashioned all forms and names, remains as their underlying reality.

धा॒ता पु॒रस्ता॒द्यमु॑दाज॒हार॑ । श॒क्रः प्रवि॒द्वा-न्प्र॒दिश॒श्चत॑स्रः ।
तमे॒वं-विँ॒द्वान॒मृत॑ इ॒ह भ॑वति । नान्यः पंथा॒ अय॑नाय विद्यते ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
The Creator proclaimed this in the beginning, and Indra, knowing it, spread it through the four directions. One who knows the Purusha in this way becomes immortal here; there is no other path to the final goal.

य॒ज्ञेन॑ य॒ज्ञम॑यजंत दे॒वाः । तानि॒ धर्मा॑णि प्रथ॒मान्या॑सन्न् ।
ते ह॒ नाकं॑ महि॒मानः॑ सचंते । यत्र॒ पूर्वे॑ सा॒ध्याः संति॑ दे॒वाः ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
By sacrifice the gods worshipped the sacrifice. Those were the first dharmas. Through those greatnesses they reached the heavenly realm where the ancient Sadhya deities dwell.

अ॒द्भ्यः संभू॑तः पृथि॒व्यै रसा᳚च्च । वि॒श्वक॑र्मणः॒ सम॑वर्त॒ताधि॑ ।
तस्य॒ त्वष्टा॑ वि॒दध॑द्रू॒पमे॑ति । तत्पुरु॑षस्य॒ विश्व॒माजा॑न॒मग्रे᳚ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Born from the waters and the essence of earth, arising from the universal maker, his form was shaped by Tvashta. In the beginning this was the universal emergence of the Purusha.

वेदा॒हमे॒तं पुरु॑षं म॒हांतम्᳚ । आ॒दि॒त्यव॑र्णं॒ तम॑सः॒ पर॑स्तात् ।
तमे॒वं-विँ॒द्वान॒मृत॑ इ॒ह भ॑वति । नान्यः पंथा॑ विद्य॒तेऽय॑नाय ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
I know this great Purusha, radiant like the sun and beyond darkness. One who knows him in this way becomes immortal here; no other path exists for the final goal.

प्र॒जाप॑तिश्चरति॒ गर्भे॑ अं॒तः । अ॒जाय॑मानो बहु॒धा विजा॑यते ।
तस्य॒ धीराः॒ परि॑जानंति॒ योनिम्᳚ । मरी॑चीनां प॒दमि॑च्छंति वे॒धसः॑ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Prajapati moves within the womb; though unborn, he is born in many forms. The wise know his source, and the creators seek the radiant station.

यो दे॒वेभ्य॒ आत॑पति । यो दे॒वानां᳚ पु॒रोहि॑तः ।
पूर्वो॒ यो दे॒वेभ्यो॑ जा॒तः । नमो॑ रु॒चाय॒ ब्राह्म॑ये ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Salutations to the Brahmic radiance, to him who shines for the gods, who is their priest, and who arose before the gods.

रुचं॑ ब्रा॒ह्मं ज॒नयं॑तः । दे॒वा अग्रे॒ तद॑ब्रुवन्न् ।
यस्त्वै॒वं ब्रा᳚ह्म॒णो वि॒द्यात् । तस्य॑ दे॒वा अस॒न् वशे᳚ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Generating the Brahmic radiance, the gods declared in the beginning: the knower who understands this has the gods in his favor.

ह्रीश्च॑ ते ल॒क्ष्मीश्च॒ पत्न्यौ᳚ । अ॒हो॒रा॒त्रे पा॒र्श्वे ।
नक्ष॑त्राणि रू॒पम् । अ॒श्विनौ॒ व्यात्तम्᳚ ।
इ॒ष्टं म॑निषाण । अ॒मुं म॑निषाण । सर्वं॑ मनिषाण ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
Modesty and Lakshmi are your consorts; day and night stand by your sides; the stars are your form; the Ashvins are your open power. Grant the desired good, grant the higher goal, grant all that is truly worth seeking.

तच्छं॒-योँरावृ॑णीमहे । गा॒तुं-यँ॒ज्ञाय॑ । गा॒तुं-यँ॒ज्ञप॑तये । दैवी᳚ स्व॒स्तिर॑स्तु नः । स्व॒स्तिर्मानु॑षेभ्यः । ऊ॒र्ध्वं जि॑गातु भेष॒जम् । शं नो॑ अस्तु द्वि॒पदे᳚ । शं चतु॑ष्पदे ।
ॐ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॒ शांतिः॑ ॥

Translation (भावार्थ):
We again seek auspicious welfare, the path of sacrifice, and the Lord of sacrifice. May there be divine welfare, human welfare, rising healing, and peace for two-footed and four-footed beings. May there be peace, peace, peace.

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