sahasrasheershaa purushah . sahasraakshah sahasrapaat . s bhoomin vishvato vritvaa . atyatishthaddashaangulam .
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.
purush evedagn sarvam . yadbhootan yachch bhavyam . utaamritatvasyeshaanah . yadannenaatirohati .
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.
etaavaanasy mahimaa . ato jyaayaagshch poorushah . paado'sy vishvaa bhootaani . tripaadasyaamritan 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.
tripaadoordhv udaitpurushah . paado'syehaa''bhavaatpunah . tato vishvanvyakraamat . saashanaanashane 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.
tasmaadviraadajaayat . viraajo adhi poorushah . s jaato atyarichyat . pashchaadbhoomimatho purah .
From Him Viraj was born, and from Viraj the Purusha. Once born, He reached beyond the earth, behind it and before.
yatpurushen havishaa . devaa yajnamatanvat . vasanto asyaaseedaajyam . greeshm idhmah sharaddhavih .
When the devas spread the yajna with the Purusha as the offering, spring was its ghee, summer its fuel, autumn its oblation.
saptaasyaasanparidhayah . trih sapt samidhah kritaah . devaa yadyajnan tanvaanaah . abadhnanpurushan pashum .
Seven were its enclosing sticks, thrice seven its kindling sticks, when the devas, spreading the yajna, bound the Purusha as its offering.
tan yajnan barhishi praukshan . purushan jaatamagratah . ten devaa ayajant . saadhyaa rishayashch 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.
tasmaadyajnaatsarvahutah . sanbhritan prishadaajyam . pashoogstaagshchakre vaayavyaan . aaranyaangraamyaashch 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.
tasmaadyajnaatsarvahutah . richah saamaani jajnire . chhandaagnsi jajnire tasmaat . yajustasmaadajaayat .
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.
tasmaadashvaa ajaayant . ye ke chobhayaadatah . gaavo h jajnire tasmaat . tasmaajjaataa ajaavayah .
From it were born horses, and all creatures with teeth in both jaws; from it were born cattle, and from it goats and sheep.
yatpurushan vyadadhuh . katidhaa vyakalpayan . mukhan kimasy kau baahoo . kaavooroo paadaavuchyete .
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?
braahmano'sy mukhamaaseet . baahoo raajanyah kritah . ooroo tadasy yadvaishyah . padbhyaagn shoodro ajaayat .
The brahmana was His mouth; the kshatriya was made His arms; His thighs became the vaishya; from His feet the shudra was born.
chandramaa manaso jaatah . chakshoh sooryo ajaayat . mukhaadindrashchaagnishch . praanaadvaayurajaayat .
The moon was born of His mind, the sun of His eyes; Indra and Agni from His mouth, and from His breath, Vayu.
naabhyaa aaseedantariksham . sheershno dyauh samavartat . padbhyaan bhoomirdishah shrotraat . tathaa lokaagn 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.
vedaahametan purushan mahaantam . aadityavarnan tamasastu paare . sarvaani roopaani vichity dheerah . naamaani kritvaa'bhivadan yadaaste .
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.
dhaataa purastaadyamudaajahaar . shakrah pravidvaanpradishashchatasrah . tamevan vidvaanamrit ih bhavati . naanyah panthaa ayanaay 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.
yajnen yajnamayajant devaah . taani dharmaani prathamaanyaasan . te h naakan mahimaanah sachante . yatr poorve saadhyaah santi devaah .
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.
adbhyah sambhootah prithivyai rasaachch . vishvakarmanah samavartataadhi . tasy tvashtaa vidadhadroopameti . tatpurushasy vishvamaajaanamagre .
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.
vedaahametan purushan mahaantam . aadityavarnan tamasah parastaat . tamevan vidvaanamrit ih bhavati . naanyah panthaa vidyate'yanaay .
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.
prajaapatishcharati garbhe antah . ajaayamaano bahudhaa vijaayate . tasy dheeraah parijaananti yonim . mareecheenaan padamichchhanti vedhasah .
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 devebhy aatapati . yo devaanaan purohitah . poorvo yo devebhyo jaatah . namo ruchaay braahmaye .
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.
ruchan braahman janayantah . devaa agre tadabruvan . yastvaivan braahmano vidyaat . tasy devaa asan vashe .
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.
hreeshch te lakshmeeshch patnyau . ahoraatre paarshve . nakshatraani roopam . ashvinau vyaattam . ishtan manishaan . amun manishaan . sarvan manishaan .
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.