Purusha Suktam – An Introduction:
Purusha Suktam is one of the three important Hymns about creation found in the Rig Veda. Purusha Suktam is from Chapter 10.90 of Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas and it offers insights into Purusha, the Cosmic Being & his divine expression. The other two Hymns, Nasadiya Sukta (10.129) & Hiranyagarbha Sukta (10.121) are also from Rig Veda and they refer to Creation as well.
This sacred hymn of Purusha Suktam, comprising of sixteen verses, portrays the divine being as the source and sustainer of all existence, from the cosmos to our mother earth. All of us also know about this Cosmic Being of Purusha as Lord Vishnu, the sustainer of this Universe. This hymn is therefore chanted during the worship of the Deity of Vishnu, in Yajnas and also during special prayers. Purusha Suktam is well known as the “Hymn of the Cosmic Being” as it explores the primordial creation while explaining the cosmic structure of the Universe and its entwined relationship with the Purusha.
Vedic verses use simple words to explain complex cosmic processes & phenomenon and has profound symbolism & allegory and therefore difficult to decipher and understand. I have tried to explain this in my blog “Understanding Vedas” (<click here for more). In this Hymn, Purusha – the Cosmic Being is symbolically sacrificed in a Yajna or Fire ritual/ceremony, in the mind of the Sages in order to maintain a well-coordinated & integrated universe. Creation of the Universe has always intrigued one and all and each of the ancient civilizations has their own theory on how the Universe was created. Before we delve into the Purusha Suktam, we will look at the most popular & acceptable theory on creation which is the Big Bang theory and compare it with what the Vedas say about Creation.
Big Bang Theory:
Please refer to the diagram above (Image Courtesy: NASAWMAP Science Team – NASA) (left to right):
- The Universe started 13.8 billion years ago as a singularity (a single point) which was infinitely hot & dense and expanded exponentially in a very short time (10−36seconds approx.). This period is called the “Inflation” as shown in the above diagram. When the Inflation stopped, the energy created light & matter.
- This is called “After Glow light pattern” that lasted for 375,000 years and is also called Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), created out of hot ionized plasma. This is currently being studied as scientists claim this glow has not fully faded way.
- After this was the period of “Dark Ages” where there were no stars, planets & galaxies and empty space with a cloud of only hydrogen atoms.
- After 400,000 years, as everything expanded occupying more space, the universe cooled down. The particles grouped together and formed atoms and larger atoms and molecules. The first stars began to form leading to development of galaxies, planets, black holes, comets, asteroids etc.
- Astronomer Edwin Hubble (Hubble Telescope is named after him) saw that the other galaxies were moving farther away from us, confirming that the Universe was expanding. Secondly, the farthest galaxies were moving away faster than the ones closer to us. Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has found super massive black holes & galaxies from the early universe, exoplanets & gathered more information about star & nebula formations. Many more mysteries may be revealed when the multi-billion dollar Habitable World Observatory (HWO) will be launched in 2040s to search for Earth-like exoplanets from space.
Vedic Scriptures on Creation:
In Vedic cosmology, the creation of the Universe is cyclic. As per Hinduism, the Cosmos itself undergoes an infinite number of deaths & rebirths. As per Vedas, the Universe did not start with a Big Bang or singularity. The creation process was slow and gradual and there was no infinite, short & tremendous burst of energy. Vedic scriptures also talk about Universe emerging from Void. Nothingness or Void in this sense does not mean emptiness. Nothingness is the all-pervading “Supreme Brahman” (<click here for more information). Everything starts and ends with Him. In the context of Purusha Suktam, the evolution begins when Purusha impinges on Prakriti to begin the chain of evolution. Therefore Purusha & Prakriti co-exist. During Pralaya or Dissolution of the Universe, when Prakriti is withdrawn, it goes to rest with Purusha!
In modern cosmology, is Brahman – the mysterious Dark Energy & Dark Matter which constitutes 95% of our Universe, about which we know nothing about? Only time will tell! Hopefully, the Euclid Space Telescope launched in 2023, sent to study dark matter & dark energy will find something interesting.
In Purusha Suktam, it is the Purusha who was sacrificed during Yajna, in the MIND of the ancient Sages, so that the Universe consisting of energy & matter, time & space continues with the creation of life & matter, including human beings. It is to be noted here that symbolism plays an important role in Sanatana Dharma. This Suktam conveys that it is because of Purusha’s supreme sacrifice, all beings like us came into existence. During the pre-Vedic & Vedic period, the concept of Yajna was very important (and continues to be so), as Agni (Fire) was the primary messenger of the Gods and a carrier of oblations! The concept of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva with their consorts Saraswati, Lakshmi & Parvati respectively, came much later.
Many scholars (both Vedic and others) in the past have gone into the depths of the spiritual wisdom & the metaphysics of Purusha Suktam and have put forth their interpretations after lot of deliberations & reflections. Since Purusha Suktam (<click here for all the 16 verses in Sanskrit & English with meanings) is a very popular Hymn known to most, we will try and go into finer details of a few important verses and its’ various interpretations.
Purusha Suktam Verse 10.90.1:
स॒हस्र॑शीर्षा॒ पुरु॑षः सहस्रा॒क्षः स॒हस्र॑पात् । स भूमिं॑ वि॒श्वतो॑ वृ॒त्वात्य॑तिष्ठद्दशाङ्गु॒लम् ॥1
sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt | sa bhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvāty atiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam ||
Translation: Purusha, the Cosmic Being of existence, whose divinity is personified here by describing him as having thousand heads, thousand eyes and thousand feet. (Thousand is used here to denote His Infinite form). He pervades the entire Universe (Bhumi denotes the Universe) completely and transcends this world by ten fingers.
In Gita Verse 11.16, the Vishwaroopa or the Universal Form is revealed by Lord Krishna to Arjuna which also describes the personified form of Lord Krishna as mentioned above. Arjuna sees numerous arms, stomachs, mouths & eyes that indicates the Omnipotence & Omnipresence of the Lord. Arjuna sees a limitless, boundless & infinite form of Krishna. In this particular verse of Purusha Suktam, we will try to understand two important words; 1) Purusha & 2) Daśāṅgulam (Ten fingers).
Understanding Purusha:
Sankhya philosophy explains Purusha as Spirit or Consciousness and Prakriti as Matter, a manifested material world of Nature, Gunas/characteristics & temperament. Prakriti & Purusha are not necessarily two different entities. The same reality enjoys two phases of self-assertion & self- expression. As Pure Consciousness, it is ever itself and there is no modification in it. This Changeless Reality puts on an appearance (Maya <click here for more information) of variations and modifications. The former phase is Purusha & the latter phase is Prakriti. For easier understanding of the relationship between Purusha & Prakriti, three popular examples are given below
1) Purusha is distinct just like a gnat (insect) inside a fig. Despite being associated with the fig, the gnat does not get attached to it. 2) The fish is different from the water, even though it requires water to survive. It is touched by water but not attached to it. 3) Lotus is different from water. Though it touches the water, the lotus is not attached to it. In this way, there is always separation, even when one dwells together, just like Purusha & Prakriti!
Purusha is derived from Puri/Pura – meaning the dweller in the body & also looked upon as a city or fortress. Purusha also literally means “that by which everything is filled”. It comes from the root word pri – “to fill”. Purusha is un-manifest & without destruction!
Purusha in Katha Upanishad (Verses 1.3.10 &11):
Verse 10: indriyebhyaḥ parā hy arthā arthebhyaś ca paraṃ manaḥ |
manasastu parā buddhir buddher ātmā mahān paraḥ || 10 ||
Translation: Beyond the senses (Ears, Eyes, Nose, Mouth & Skin) are the objects of senses (Sound, Sight, Smell, Taste & Touch), beyond the objects is the Mind, beyond the Mind is the Intellect & beyond the Mind is the great Self (ātmā mahān)
Verse 11: mahataḥ param avyaktam avyaktāt puruṣaḥ paraḥ |
puruṣān na paraṃ kiṃcit sā kāṣṭhā, sā parā gatiḥ || 11 ||
Translation: Beyond the great self (Ātman) is the unmanifest (avyaktam), beyond the un-manifest is the Supreme Purusha (Cosmic Spirit), beyond the Purusha, there is nothing; that is the final goal.
Thus, Purusha is the subject side of that within which are both subject & object, the light of unity and the darkness of multiplicity.
A Quick recap of the evolution of the manifest world:
The terms Mahat, Avyaktam & Purusha are used in Sāṁkhya philosophy. First we will understand Mahat which is the very first principle of Prakriti. Mahat has two forms: 1) Cosmic (Cosmic Intelligence at macrocosmic level) & 2) Cognitive (meaning to get to know or understand things or simply Intelligence at individual or microcosmic level). In the cosmic form, the 22 principles evolve from Mahat – Five Sense Organs (Jnanendriyas), Five Objects of Perception (Tanmatras), Five Objects of Action (Karma Indriyas), & the Five Elements (Pancha Bhutas <click here for more details) + Ahaṁkāra (Ego – that drives a person to achieve individuality from which comes forth Manas) + Manas (Mind) which are 22 in total.
In the Cognitive form, Mahat is also known as Buddhi or Intelligence and making it 23 in total. Avyaktam is also known as “Unmanifest or Prakriti” making a total of 24. Purusha is totally distinct from all the others, but when the equilibrium of Prakriti is disturbed by Purusha (25th) the evolution the manifest world begins. Thus the above 25 principles are involved in the creation of the manifest world.
Daśāṅgulam (Daśā means Ten & āṅgulam is finger):
In Sanskrit, the word Angula or Aṅguṣṭha can either mean thumb or finger. Since the number ten (daśā) is used, we can assume it means ten fingers which includes the thumb. Various interpretations as given below:
- Purusha pervades the Universe and transcends it beyond the manifestation by ten fingers or directions. The ten directions are N, S, E, W, NE, NW, SE, SW, UP & DOWN, essentially conveying that Purusha is Onnipresent or present everywhere at the same time.
- In another interpretation, Daśāṅgulam means Ten Dimensions of the Universe, keeping modern cosmology in view. Right now we as humans can perceive the first four dimensions of length, breadth, height & time. The next six dimensions takes us into String Theory, a theory that says everything is made of tiny vibrating strings. String theory states that gravity waves would weaken over large intergalactic distances which in turn would cause the expansion of the Universe to quicken or accelerate. (Scientists named the cause for this acceleration as “dark energy”). As per this theory, this weakening of gravity waves is due to leakage of gravitational energy into “other dimensions”. But the neutron star collision observations in 2017 show there was no such leakage, as reported in Livescience (<click here for details). New research shows that our Universe is three dimensional from 1 mile up to 80 million light years. This means that the other six higher dimensions are either very tiny or so huge that even 80 million light years is not good enough to observe it. So the answer is, other dimensions do exist but we don’t understand it as yet!
- Katha Upanishad (2.1.12 & 13) – Two verses from Katha are given below that discuss about the size of the thumb and its relationship to Purusha:
Adi Shankara comments on the above verse in his Sūtra Bhāsya, that the soul or Atman, which is the size of a thumb is in reality Brahman (Only He can be known as the Lord of the past & future and also like a flame without smoke). Other Vedic scholars agree and say that the highest Self is called “thumb sized” since it dwells in the heart of the worshipper. Katha Upanishad 2.3.17 says that Purusha, the indwelling Self is of the size of a thumb, is ever seated in the hearts of men. With a masterly control of the senses, one should separate Him from one’s body, like stalk is separated from the Muñja grass (Reed Grass). Know Him as the pure, immortal & changeless.
“Daśāṅgulam” would therefore mean, Purusha is bigger than the entire world he pervades, as He always transcends ten thumbs higher.
My next blog (Part 2) will cover the Verses 10.90.2 to 10.90.7
References:
- The Principal Upanishads by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (Translation of Katha Upanishads taken from this book)
- Rig Veda by Dr. Tulsi Ram