sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ . sahasrākṣaḥ sahasrapāt . sa bhūmiṁ viśvato vr̥tvā . atyatiṣṭhaddaśāṅgulam .
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.
puruṣa evedagṁ sarvam . yadbhūtaṁ yacca bhavyam . utāmr̥tatvasyeśānaḥ . yadannenātirohati .
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.
etāvānasya mahimā . ato jyāyāgśca pūruṣaḥ . pādo'sya viśvā bhūtāni . tripādasyāmr̥taṁ divi .
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.
tripādūrdhva udaitpuruṣaḥ . pādo'syehā''bhavātpunaḥ . tato viṣvaṅvyakrāmat . sāśanānaśane abhi .
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.
tasmādvirāḍajāyata . virājo adhi pūruṣaḥ . sa jāto atyaricyata . paścādbhūmimatho puraḥ .
From Him Viraj was born, and from Viraj the Purusha. Once born, He reached beyond the earth, behind it and before.
yatpuruṣeṇa haviṣā . devā yajñamatanvata . vasanto asyāsīdājyam . grīṣma idhmaḥ śaraddhaviḥ .
When the devas spread the yajna with the Purusha as the offering, spring was its ghee, summer its fuel, autumn its oblation.
saptāsyāsanparidhayaḥ . triḥ sapta samidhaḥ kr̥tāḥ . devā yadyajñaṁ tanvānāḥ . abadhnanpuruṣaṁ paśum .
Seven were its enclosing sticks, thrice seven its kindling sticks, when the devas, spreading the yajna, bound the Purusha as its offering.
taṁ yajñaṁ barhiṣi praukṣan . puruṣaṁ jātamagrataḥ . tena devā ayajanta . sādhyā r̥ṣayaśca ye .
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.
tasmādyajñātsarvahutaḥ . saṁbhr̥taṁ pr̥ṣadājyam . paśūgstāgścakre vāyavyān . āraṇyāngrāmyāśca ye .
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.
tasmādyajñātsarvahutaḥ . r̥caḥ sāmāni jajñire . chandāgṁsi jajñire tasmāt . yajustasmādajāyata .
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.
tasmādaśvā ajāyanta . ye ke cobhayādataḥ . gāvo ha jajñire tasmāt . tasmājjātā ajāvayaḥ .
From it were born horses, and all creatures with teeth in both jaws; from it were born cattle, and from it goats and sheep.
yatpuruṣaṁ vyadadhuḥ . katidhā vyakalpayan . mukhaṁ kimasya kau bāhū . kāvūrū pādāvucyete .
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?
brāhmaṇo'sya mukhamāsīt . bāhū rājanyaḥ kr̥taḥ . ūrū tadasya yadvaiśyaḥ . padbhyāgṁ śūdro ajāyata .
The brahmana was His mouth; the kshatriya was made His arms; His thighs became the vaishya; from His feet the shudra was born.
candramā manaso jātaḥ . cakṣoḥ sūryo ajāyata . mukhādindraścāgniśca . prāṇādvāyurajāyata .
The moon was born of His mind, the sun of His eyes; Indra and Agni from His mouth, and from His breath, Vayu.
nābhyā āsīdantarikṣam . śīrṣṇo dyauḥ samavartata . padbhyāṁ bhūmirdiśaḥ śrotrāt . tathā lokāgṁ akalpayan .
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.
vedāhametaṁ puruṣaṁ mahāntam . ādityavarṇaṁ tamasastu pāre . sarvāṇi rūpāṇi vicitya dhīraḥ . nāmāni kr̥tvā'bhivadan yadāste .
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.
dhātā purastādyamudājahāra . śakraḥ pravidvānpradiśaścatasraḥ . tamevaṁ vidvānamr̥ta iha bhavati . nānyaḥ panthā ayanāya vidyate .
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.
yajñena yajñamayajanta devāḥ . tāni dharmāṇi prathamānyāsan . te ha nākaṁ mahimānaḥ sacante . yatra pūrve sādhyāḥ santi devāḥ .
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.
adbhyaḥ sambhūtaḥ pr̥thivyai rasācca . viśvakarmaṇaḥ samavartatādhi . tasya tvaṣṭā vidadhadrūpameti . tatpuruṣasya viśvamājānamagre .
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.
vedāhametaṁ puruṣaṁ mahāntam . ādityavarṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt . tamevaṁ vidvānamr̥ta iha bhavati . nānyaḥ panthā vidyate'yanāya .
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.
prajāpatiścarati garbhe antaḥ . ajāyamāno bahudhā vijāyate . tasya dhīrāḥ parijānanti yonim . marīcīnāṁ padamicchanti vedhasaḥ .
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.
yo devebhya ātapati . yo devānāṁ purohitaḥ . pūrvo yo devebhyo jātaḥ . namo rucāya brāhmaye .
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.
rucaṁ brāhmaṁ janayantaḥ . devā agre tadabruvan . yastvaivaṁ brāhmaṇo vidyāt . tasya devā asan vaśe .
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.
hrīśca te lakṣmīśca patnyau . ahorātre pārśve . nakṣatrāṇi rūpam . aśvinau vyāttam . iṣṭaṁ maniṣāṇa . amuṁ maniṣāṇa . sarvaṁ maniṣāṇa .
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.