सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः ।
सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।
स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वा ।
अत्यतिष्ठद्दशाङ्गुलम् ॥
The Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. Pervading the earth on every side, He stands beyond it by ten fingers' breadth.
पुरुष एवेदग्ं सर्वम् ।
यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम् ।
उतामृतत्वस्येशानः ।
यदन्नेनातिरोहति ॥
The Purusha is all this, what has been and what will be. He is the ruler of the undying, and of all that grows by food.
एतावानस्य महिमा ।
अतो ज्यायाग्श्च पूरुषः ।
पादोऽस्य विश्वा भूतानि ।
त्रिपादस्यामृतं दिवि ॥
Such is His greatness, and the Purusha is greater still. All beings are one quarter of Him; three quarters of Him are the undying in the sky.
त्रिपादूर्ध्व उदैत्पुरुषः ।
पादोऽस्येहाऽऽभवात्पुनः ।
ततो विष्वङ्व्यक्रामत् ।
साशनानशने अभि ॥
With three quarters the Purusha rose above; one quarter of Him came to be here again. From it He spread out on every side, into all that eats and all that does not.
तस्माद्विराडजायत ।
विराजो अधि पूरुषः ।
स जातो अत्यरिच्यत ।
पश्चाद्भूमिमथो पुरः ॥
From Him Viraj was born, and from Viraj the Purusha. Once born, He reached beyond the earth, behind it and before.
यत्पुरुषेण हविषा ।
देवा यज्ञमतन्वत ।
वसन्तो अस्यासीदाज्यम् ।
ग्रीष्म इध्मः शरद्धविः ॥
When the devas spread the yajna with the Purusha as the offering, spring was its ghee, summer its fuel, autumn its oblation.
सप्तास्यासन्परिधयः ।
त्रिः सप्त समिधः कृताः ।
देवा यद्यज्ञं तन्वानाः ।
अबध्नन्पुरुषं पशुम् ॥
Seven were its enclosing sticks, thrice seven its kindling sticks, when the devas, spreading the yajna, bound the Purusha as its offering.
तं यज्ञं बर्हिषि प्रौक्षन् ।
पुरुषं जातमग्रतः ।
तेन देवा अयजन्त ।
साध्या ऋषयश्च ये ॥
On the darbha grass they sprinkled Him, the yajna, the Purusha born at the first; with Him the devas, the sadhyas and the rishis made the offering.
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुतः ।
संभृतं पृषदाज्यम् ।
पशूग्स्ताग्श्चक्रे वायव्यान् ।
आरण्यान्ग्राम्याश्च ये ॥
From that yajna, where all was offered, the ghee mixed with curd was gathered; from it He made the creatures of the air, of the forest and of the village.
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुतः ।
ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे ।
छन्दाग्ंसि जज्ञिरे तस्मात् ।
यजुस्तस्मादजायत ॥
From that yajna, where all was offered, the verses of the Rig and the songs of the Sama were born; the metres were born of it, and from it the yajus came.
तस्मादश्वा अजायन्त ।
ये के चोभयादतः ।
गावो ह जज्ञिरे तस्मात् ।
तस्माज्जाता अजावयः ॥
From it were born horses, and all creatures with teeth in both jaws; from it were born cattle, and from it goats and sheep.
यत्पुरुषं व्यदधुः ।
कतिधा व्यकल्पयन् ।
मुखं किमस्य कौ बाहू ।
कावूरू पादावुच्येते ॥
When they divided the Purusha, into how many parts did they shape Him? What was His mouth, what His arms, what are His thighs and His feet called?
ब्राह्मणोऽस्य मुखमासीत् ।
बाहू राजन्यः कृतः ।
ऊरू तदस्य यद्वैश्यः ।
पद्भ्याग्ं शूद्रो अजायत ॥
The brahmana was His mouth; the kshatriya was made His arms; His thighs became the vaishya; from His feet the shudra was born.
चन्द्रमा मनसो जातः ।
चक्षोः सूर्यो अजायत ।
मुखादिन्द्रश्चाग्निश्च ।
प्राणाद्वायुरजायत ॥
The moon was born of His mind, the sun of His eyes; Indra and Agni from His mouth, and from His breath, Vayu.
नाभ्या आसीदन्तरिक्षम् ।
शीर्ष्णो द्यौः समवर्तत ।
पद्भ्यां भूमिर्दिशः श्रोत्रात् ।
तथा लोकाग्ं अकल्पयन् ॥
From His navel came the middle air, from His head the sky took shape, from His feet the earth, from His ear the directions. So they fashioned the worlds.
वेदाहमेतं पुरुषं महान्तम् ।
आदित्यवर्णं तमसस्तु पारे ।
सर्वाणि रूपाणि विचित्य धीरः ।
नामानि कृत्वाऽभिवदन् यदास्ते ॥
I know this great Purusha, bright as the sun, beyond all darkness: the wise One who shaped every form, gave each its name, and abides, calling them by it.
धाता पुरस्ताद्यमुदाजहार ।
शक्रः प्रविद्वान्प्रदिशश्चतस्रः ।
तमेवं विद्वानमृत इह भवति ।
नान्यः पन्था अयनाय विद्यते ॥
He whom Dhata proclaimed at the first, and Indra, knowing Him, to the four quarters: one who knows Him so becomes undying here. There is no other path to walk.
यज्ञेन यज्ञमयजन्त देवाः ।
तानि धर्माणि प्रथमान्यासन् ।
ते ह नाकं महिमानः सचन्ते ।
यत्र पूर्वे साध्याः सन्ति देवाः ॥
With the yajna the devas offered to the yajna; these were the first dharmas. Those great ones reach the heaven where the sadhyas, the devas of old, dwell.
अद्भ्यः सम्भूतः पृथिव्यै रसाच्च ।
विश्वकर्मणः समवर्तताधि ।
तस्य त्वष्टा विदधद्रूपमेति ।
तत्पुरुषस्य विश्वमाजानमग्रे ॥
He arose from the waters and from the essence of the earth, from Vishvakarma, the maker of all. Tvashta gives Him form as He goes; in the beginning, the whole world was the birth of that Purusha.
वेदाहमेतं पुरुषं महान्तम् ।
आदित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् ।
तमेवं विद्वानमृत इह भवति ।
नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय ॥
I know this great Purusha, bright as the sun, beyond all darkness. Whoever knows Him so becomes deathless here; there is no other road to go by.
प्रजापतिश्चरति गर्भे अन्तः ।
अजायमानो बहुधा विजायते ।
तस्य धीराः परिजानन्ति योनिम् ।
मरीचीनां पदमिच्छन्ति वेधसः ॥
Prajapati moves within the womb; unborn, He is born in many forms. The wise know His source; the creators seek the place of Marichi and the seers.
यो देवेभ्य आतपति ।
यो देवानां पुरोहितः ।
पूर्वो यो देवेभ्यो जातः ।
नमो रुचाय ब्राह्मये ॥
He who shines for the devas, who goes before the devas as their priest, who was born before the devas — we bow to Him, the radiant one, born of Brahman.
रुचं ब्राह्मं जनयन्तः ।
देवा अग्रे तदब्रुवन् ।
यस्त्वैवं ब्राह्मणो विद्यात् ।
तस्य देवा असन् वशे ॥
Bringing that radiance of Brahman to birth, the devas said this in the beginning: the brahmin who knows Him so, the devas are his to command.
ह्रीश्च ते लक्ष्मीश्च पत्न्यौ ।
अहोरात्रे पार्श्वे ।
नक्षत्राणि रूपम् ।
अश्विनौ व्यात्तम् ।
इष्टं मनिषाण ।
अमुं मनिषाण ।
सर्वं मनिषाण ॥
Hri and Lakshmi are your two wives; day and night are your two sides; the stars are your form; the Ashvins are your open mouth. Grant what we wish for; grant us the world beyond; grant us everything.