Sri Purusha Suktam

(Prathama anuvAkam)

 

Verse 1

THE COSMIC MAN

sahasra SIrshA Purusha:  |  sahasrAksha: sahasra pAt  |

sa bhUmim vishvato vRtvA  | atyatishTad daSAngulam  || 1 ||

sahasra = Thousand
SIrshA = heads  
Purusha = Person
sahasra = Thousand
aksha = eyes
sahasra = Thousand
 pAt = legs.
sa = He
bhUmim = the earth
vishvato = universe
vRtvA = manifests
atyatishTat = He stands beyond
daSAngulam = the count of ten fingers.

Thousand head has Purusha
Thousands of  eyes has he,
Thousands of legs has He 
He is manifested in  the earth and all through the universe.
He stands beyond the count of ten fingers.

The word ``Purusha'' in its most literal sense means Man.  In that sense it is translated into Sanskrit as Cosmic Man – Nara – Narayana – Purushan - Purushotaman – Parama Purushan -the Great Man or Perfect Man. Purusha is not really human, anything that has consciousness or Personality is Purusha. 

Thus we are not talking about just human beings but about the totality of created beings with personality in the whole universe, in all the cosmic dimensions.  While this Supreme Being is a Person, he has a body.  The whole cosmos is his body which includes both animate and inanimate.   There are an infinite number of dimensions to the cosmos and He is in everything and everywhere.

 So why does this Purusha have thousands of feet, hands, eyes?  This Supreme Person is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent.

And then we see that the Purusha extends beyond ten fingers.   sAyaNA interprets it as “beyond human limitations.” The ten fingers here are the digits, the ten fingers of human hands.   They are the basis of count, of all mathematics, of all the logic and science built on measurables.  But this Purusha is beyond the measurable material realms and beyond even human logic and understanding. In a sense the whole cosmos must be considered as the body of the Person.  Just as body has several parts, the creation is diverse.  But there are dimensions beyond this material body of cosmos.  The totality is the Purusha – body , mind and spirit and beyond – beyond into the unknown.

The Cosmic Man of Kaballa
 The Angel of the Lord

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Hebrew letters for YHVH is shown to form a Person.
God made Flesh and Form

 

Kaballa worlds and Sephiroths

Purusha portrays a Lord of the Universe which is earlier depicted only in the Hebrew theology as Adam Kadamon – the Primordial Man.  In the Genesis creation of Man, God said, "Let us make man in our own image".   The first earthly man was created on the model of a cosmic Purusha. In the Nag Hammadi text, the Apocryphon of John, we learn that this anthropos is the first creation of "knowledge and Perfect Intellect" and the first luminary of the heavens.  

Kabbalah. is a presentation of  Jewish mysticism based on the  fragmentary midrashim - rabbinic writings - of the Talmudic period. It is considered as a codification of the Oral Traditions starting from Moses.  It is reflected in the prophetic books of the Old Testament. Rabbi Isaac Luria  (1534-72) was one of the early mystic who put them in writing.  Kaballa was the basis of Gnosticm and it is not surprising that it features heavily in the Hinduism - which is the heretic outgrowth of Christianity under the influence of Manichaen infiltration into the Indian Churches.   Adam Kadmon, is the first being to emerge from the infinite unknowable Godhead, Ein-sof  (which corresponds to the Nirguna Brahman of Hinduism)  to become the knowable God – the Saguna Brahman.   The body of this knowable God (Saguna Brahman) is said to both emanate and constitute the cosmos.  Man, having been created in God’s image, is said by the Kabbalists to be comprised of the very same cosmic elements, the sefirot, which comprise the "body" of Adam Kadmon. The symbol of Adam Kadmon expresses the idea that the cosmos itself has both a soul and body.  The whole cosmos with all the infinite beings of consciousness form part of the the Body of the Purusha. This image is called the Adam Kadmon, and represents the primordial, pre-created Man, an image of the Godhead that existed before any other divine emanation. It is a vertical arrangement of the four letters of the Tetragrammaton, the four letter name of God YHVH as given to Moses in the Hebrew Bible. In this shape, they represent Keterim, the first reflection or image of the Ain Sof.  Adam Kadmon is the first being to spontaneously emerge in the metaphysical void.  The Sefirot and worlds which they comprise are, according to Luria and his disciple, Vital, emanated from the various orifices in Adam Kadmon¹s head: from the ear, the nose, eyes, and mouth. The highest, most sublime of these emanations, forms the world of Atziluth, from the Hebrew "etzel", meaning "near" (to the infinite God). However, even higher than Atziluth, according to the Lurianists, is the World of Adam Kadmon itself, often abbreviated as the World of A¹K, a world so high and sublime as to be virtually indistinguishable from Ein-sof. From within this realm, so close to the infinite God, Adam Kadmon directs the subsequent course of events in the lower worlds. The Primordial Man is instrumental not only for the world¹s creation, but for its redemption as well.

"He is the image (Adam Kadmon) of the invisible Elohim (Ayn Sof), the firstborn over all creation (Son of Yhvh). For through Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the Assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence (Messiah)." Colossians 1:15-18

“For the God who made the world and all that is in it, and who is Lord of heaven and of earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.  Nor is he ministered to by human hands, neither hath he any wants; for he it is giveth life and breath to every man.

And of one blood hath he made the whole world of men, that they might dwell on the face of all the earth: and he hath separated the seasons by his ordinance; and hath set bounds to the residence of men:  that they might inquire and search after God, and, by means of his creations, might find him; because he is not afar off from each one of us:

for in him it is we live, and move, and exist: as one of your own wise men hath said: From him is our descent.

Therefore we, whose descent is from God, ought not to suppose that the Deity hath the likeness of gold, or silver, or stone, sculptured by the art and skill of men

Act 17 24 - 29

      The first born of all the creations  is divine essence of the Yhvh himself.   He is the Father's only-begotten Son. As the writer to the Hebrews expressed it, He is: “the brightness of His glory and the express image of [Yhvh’s] person (Hebrews 1:3).” He is the “Repairer of the Breach,” even before there was a “breach.” Blessed is Yhvh our Elohim Who creates the remedy before the wound. It was from the Adam Kadmon that tremendous light shown forth and aligned itself into creation. It was through “the image of the invisible Elohim,” the Messiah, that Yhvh made all things. The Adam Kadmon is the expression of Yhvh’s complete Word - the Aum.- the creative energy of Yhvh himself.  This concept is elaborated in the Hiranygarbh concept.

Then Elohim said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." So Elohim created man in His own image; in the image of Elohim He created him; male and female He created them. Then Elohim blessed them, and Elohim said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’
Genesis 1:26,28

Yhvh created mankind by His Divine Light of His Word.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Elohim, and the Word was Elohim. He was in the beginning with Elohim. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
John 1:1-5

theosophical dictionary gives the following meaning for Purusha

Purusha purusa (Sanskrit) Man; the ideal or cosmic man, equivalent to the Qabbalistic 'Adam Qadmon. It contains with prakriti or nature all the seven, ten, or twelve scales of manifested being. Mystically, Purusha is used for the spiritual self or monad in each self-conscious entity, whether a universe, solar system, or human being; also it is sometimes interchangeable with Brahma, the evolver or creator. Purusha is what is called energy or force in science, if these words include the inseparable attribute of intelligence and moral harmony.

 

Purusha and prakriti stand to each other as the two poles of the same homogeneous, intelligent, living, cosmic substance, the root-principle of the universe, sometimes called svabhavat. In Kapila's Sankhya philosophy, "unless, allegorically speaking, Purusha mounts on the shoulders of Prakriti, the latter remains irrational, while the former remains inactive without her. Therefore Nature (in man) must become a compound of Spirit and Matter before he becomes what he is; and the Spirit latent in Matter must be awakened to life and consciousness gradually" (Secret Doctrine HPB 2:42).

“Purusha corresponds to the Greek First or Unmanifest Logos; yet at times the svabhavic characteristics of Purusha are reminiscent rather of the Third or Manifest Logos, which shows the various functions attributed to Purusha in cosmogony which have gained currency at different times in Hindu thought. Unmanifested Logos is correctly said to be the first manifestation of the Absolute or the summit or primordial originant of a cosmic hierarchy, of which there are innumerable multitudes in boundless space. The unmanifest corresponds to primordial unity where the totality of the manifested universe is "all numbers." Behind the ultimate which can be conceived, we have to postulate an unknown indefinable antecedent, which may therefore be called unmanifest.  It is called the Verbum or the Word by the Christians, and it is the divine Christos who is eternally in the bosom of his father. It is called Avalokiteswara by the Buddhists; at any rate, Avalokiteswara in one sense is the Logos in general.   In almost every doctrine they have formulated the existence of a centre of spiritual energy which is unborn and eternal, and which exists in a latent condition in the bosom of Parabrahmam.”

 It is this idea of all numbers that is reflected in the first verse.

 

 

 

Verse 2

 ISA THE LORD OF TIME AND IMMORTALITY

 

purusha evedaGM sarvam | yad bhUtam yac ca bhavyam |

utAmRtatvasyeshAnaH | yad annenAtirohati || 2 ||

purusha = the Person
eva =  alone
idam sarvam = is all of this
yad bhUtam =  that which was (Past)
yac ca bhavyam = and that which is to be.(Future) 
uta = Moreover
amRtatvasya = of  immortality too
IshAna  = Isa (Jesus), he alone Lord.
yad = That  which
annena = as food
atirohati = shows itself, that too is
 

This Purusha is all the past,
All the future and the present,
Moreover Jesus, He alone is the Lord of immortality,
And He manifest Himself through
those who live on food.

 

 This Purusha is immanent in all his creation in such a way that all creation is his part of him. Immanence is a necessary corollary to the idea that the only self existent reality was indeed God.  He cannot but create within Him, because there is nothing beyond Him and outside of Him. 

 

The same idea is repeated is the Isa Upanishad first verse.

“Isavasyamidam sarvam yatkiñca jagatyam jagat |
tena tyaktena bhuñjitha ma grdhah kasyasvid dhanam || 1 ||

 

Jesus is immanent in this entire universe –
whatever in this universe, animate or inanimate. 
By Him is given sacrificially what is given for your enjoyment. 
Therefore do not try to gain some one else’s wealth.

 

Thus in time, he is all that is, all that was, and all that is to be. Does He have an end, like death ? No.  Since Jesus immortal, the universe is also immortal.  If changes take place within the cosmos, it is the manifestation of the energies of Jesus.

Creation feeds on itself. It requires food to grow, to flourish. What is food but other life? Life feeds on life, be it plant, or animal life. This is why we say the world grows on food, the world is the fill of food (annamayam jagat). All that is hidden in creation, and all that emerges, to show itself and be food, all this is Purusha. He sustains creation as food.

For the bread of God is He coming down out of Heaven and giving life to the world.  Then they said to Him (Jesus), Lord, always give us this bread.

Jesus said to them, I am the Bread of life; the one coming to Me will not at all hunger, and the one believing into Me will not thirst, never!
Joh 6:33 – 35

 

      I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, says the Lord, the One who is, and who was, and who is coming, the Almighty.

      Rev 1:7 -8.

 

 

 

Verse 3
 

THE FOUR WORLDS OF COSMOS

 

etAvAn asya mahima | ato jyAyAGSca pUrusha: |

pAdo 'sya vishvA bhUtAni | tripAdasyAmRtam divi || 3 ||

etAvAn = All that is here seen
asya = is his
mahima = greatness.
ata = And then, beyond all this
purusha: ca = is that Purusha
jyAyAn =  great.
vishvA bhUtani = All that was created in this cosmos
pAdo = is but one part
asya = of him.
tripAd = The other three parts are
divi = in heaven,
amRtam =  where they are immortal.

This Purusha is much greater,
Than all his greatness in what all we see,
And all that we see in this universe is but his quarter,
And the rest three quarters are divine and are immortal..

This cosmos – the full created universe goes far beyond those that are known by five senses and hence beyond our sciences. This world of name and form (nAma-rUpa-bheda- jagat) – the material realm  is but one fourth part of Purusha.  There are three other worlds which are higher dimensions and where beings are immortal.  This is a direct description of the Hebrew understanding of the Universe which later was codified in Kaballah.

The worlds are assiyah, yetzirah, beriyah, and atzilut (doing, feeling, thinking, and existing). Each world is filled with living beings with their own type of bodies but with different layers of the soul: nefesh, ruach, neshamah, and chayah (life-force, emotional being, unique soul, and God-spark).  These may also be termed the Spiritual World, the Mental World, the Astral World, and the Material World. The Spiritual World is the highest, being the purest in nature or the Primordial Cause, whereas the three worlds which emanate from it are less divine in nature and are in fact reflections, on a descending scale, of the first world.

 

 

Four Worlds Judaism

ASSIYAH, (Spiritual World) earth, the objective material world, where we live with our bodies in the physical world of action. This is the world of sensible, concrete facts and their data. Here we are conscious of the physical realm and the laws of nature as we observe them. Here we are aware of being a creation of God. This is the world of duality, in which everything is seen as separate, and subject to cause and effect.  Because of this feeling of separateness it is a world of mortality.  Death has dominion and meaning only in this realm of physical world. Beings with bodies of flesh live here.  Nefesh world. This is the only Manifest world.  This is explained in the next verse.

YETZIRAH, (Mental World) water, the World of Formation. Yetzirah is the World of Angels. This is the subjective world of vital feelings; the world of affect, of nuance, of aura, of sensitivity, of visceral and proprioceptive feelings. This is the world of interdependence and relationship.  Ruach soul dimension.  

BRIYAH, (Astral World) air, the World of Creation. Briah is the World of Archangels. This is the symbolic world of the intellect, of contemplation, of pure thought. Everything is part of a pattern in this world; everything has a meaning. We understand ourselves as being the result of intended, loved, and continuous creation. Here we are commanded to exert ourselves to
know and to reach the very edge of what is thinkable and understandable. This is the reality of poetry, wonder, intuition, and visualization. In this world, we can work with symbols and with dreams. Neshama soul aspect.

ATZILUT, (Divine World) fire, The Archetypal World (World of Emanations). This is the Divine Realm of the Sons of God. This is the holistic world of deep divine intuition and of beingness with God. Reality is merged; all is one. This is the world of essence, where we recognize ourselves as being a spark of God's fire. Chaya and Yechidah soul aspects. 

 

Verse 4

 THE MANIFEST WORLD OF MATTER

tripAd Urdhva udait purusha: | pAdo 'syehAbhavatpuna: |

tato vishva.n vyakrAmat | sASanAnaSane abhi || 4 ||

tripAd = Three parts
purusha: = of the purusha
udait = rise above
Urdhva = above all creation.
pAda: = One part alone
asya = of his
iha =  here
abhavat = manifested
puna: =  again and again.
tata = From that 
sASana – anaSana =  beings that eat and eat not,
vishvak = all
abhivyAkramat = come forth.

 Above this world is three quarters of Purusha,
But the quarter, which is in this world,
Appears again and again,
And from that is born the beings that take food,
And those inanimate ones that don’t take food.
And all these appeared for every one of us to see.

 Above this manifested material world are the other three worlds.  This material world consists of both organic living and the inorganic non-living.

 

Verse 5

ADHI PURUSHA

tasmAt virAd ajAyata | virAjo adhipUrusha : |

sa jAto atyaricyata | pashcAd bhUmimatho pura: || 5 ||

tasmAt = from that
virAt = the universe
ajAyata = was born  
virAjo  =  From universe
adhipurusha:= the first man
sa = being
jAta =  born
ati aricyata = grew very large
pascAt =  in front
bhUmim = of the earth
ata: = and
pura: =  behind or cities.

From Him (original Supreme Being – Purusha) was born the Universe.  From this Universe came the  First Man (Adhi Purusha – Adam).   As soon as he was born, he multiplied himself. Later, he expanded throughout the earth and they began to build cities.

 

The Theosophical dictionary gives the meaning of Viraj as follows: “Brahma separating his body into two halves, male and female, creates in them Vach and Viraj. In plainer terms and esotericlly Brahma the Universe, differentiating, produced thereby material nature, Viraj, and spiritual intelligent Nature, Vach - which is the Logos of Deity or the manifested expression of the eternal divine Ideation.” “Now as Vach, although feminine in gender, as a noun really represents the logoic aspect of Brahma, Viraj, although masculine in gender, as a noun represents the perpetually active and energic forces of manifested nature in and through which vibrates the unceasing activity of the logoic Vach.”

 

Vairaja(s) (Sanskrit) [from viraj widely shining one]

 A class of gods emanating from Brahma in his aspect of creator collectively as Viraj, the Third Logos; hence, the celestial beings immediately derived from Viraj. Identified with the kumaras and the manasaputras, as well as the agnishvattas. They are the hierarchies of cosmic conscious and self-conscious dhyani-chohans who spring forth directly from the Third Logos, and furnish the intellectual background and vital urge of the hierarchies of beings who later produce the manifested universe from the ideation emanating from the Third Logos and the vairajas.

 

Here is the traditional Hindu paraphrase where Purusha is identified with Brahma.

From that Purusha was born,
The scintillating, ever shining universe,
And from that was born the Purusha called Brahma,
And he spread himself everywhere,
And created the earth and then,
The bodies of all beings.

From Purusha came forth the universe. The creative aspect of his, Brahma, came forth, and grew to include everything in himself. This is why the universe is called ``bramhAnda'', the egg of Brahma. ``BramhAnda'' is also an adjective indicating magnitude. This image of extending above and on all sides of the earth is in concordance with Ranganathamuni.

SAyaNA gives the following interpretation. He grows very large after being born (sa jAto atyaricyata). And then (pascAt) he (sa) creates the earth (bhUmim) and then (ata:), (pura:) -- cities -- bodies for creatures to live in. ``virAt vyaktRkto deva-tiryag-manushyAdi rUpo 'bhUt''. He became large and became the bodies, or gave form to devas, animals (tiryak) and humans.

Here Ends the Original Purusha Suktha