puruṣa sūktam

The Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. He pervaded the Earth on all sides and extended beyond it by a space of ten fingers.

The Purusha alone is all this—what has been and what is to be. He is also the Lord of immortality, and of that which grows beyond through food.

Such is His greatness; and the Purusha is even greater than this. All beings are but one-quarter of Him, while three-quarters of Him are the immortal in the transcendent realm.

With three-quarters, the Purusha rose upwards; one-quarter of Him was again here. Thence, He spread out pervading all that eats and all that eats not (the animate and inanimate).

From Him, Viraj (the cosmic egg) was born; from Viraj, the Purusha (manifested again). He, having been born, extended beyond the earth, both behind and in front.

From that sacrifice, in which everything was offered, variegated ghee (or curds and ghee) was produced. He then created animals: those of the air, those of the forest, and those of the village.

From that all-encompassing sacrifice, the Rig Veda hymns and Sama Veda chants were born. From that, the meters (of the Vedas) were born; from that, the Yajur Veda was born.

From that, horses were born, and all creatures with two rows of teeth. From that, indeed, cows were born; from that, goats and sheep were born.

They consecrated the Purusha, who was born at the beginning, as the sacrificial victim on the sacred grass. With Him, the Devas (gods), the Sadhyas, and the Rishis (sages) sacrificed.

When they dismembered the Purusha, into how many parts did they divide Him? What was His mouth? What were His arms? What were His thighs? What were His feet called?

The Brahmana was His mouth; His arms were made the Kshatriya; His thighs were the Vaishya; from His feet, the Shudra was born.

The Moon was born from His mind; from His eye, the Sun was born. From His ear, Vayu (wind) and Prana (life-breath) were born; from His mouth, Agni (fire) was born.

From His navel came the mid-region; from His head, the sky evolved. From His feet, the earth and the directions (came) from His ear. Thus, they fashioned the worlds.

When the Devas performed the sacrifice with Purusha as the offering, spring was its clarified butter, summer its fuel, and autumn its oblation.

Seven were its enclosing sticks; thrice seven (twenty-one) were made the fuel sticks, when the Devas, performing the sacrifice, bound the Purusha as the sacrificial animal.

By sacrifice, the Devas sacrificed to the Sacrifice (Purusha). These were the first ordinances. These great beings attained the heaven where the ancient Sadhyas, the Devas, dwell.

Thus ends the Purusha Suktam completely.