Adhyaya 31

Mantra 1

स॒हस्र॑शीर्षा॒ पुरु॑षः सहस्रा॒क्षः स॒हस्र॑पात् । स भूमि॑ᳪ स॒र्वत॑ स्पृ॒त्वाऽत्य॑तिष्ठद्दशाङ्गु॒॒लम्

The Puruṣa hath a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. On every side pervading the earth, he yet stood beyond it by ten fingers’ breadth.

Mantra 2

पुरु॑ष ए॒वेदᳪ सर्वं॒ यद्भू॒तं यच्च॑ भा॒व्य॒म् । उ॒तामृ॑त॒त्वस्येशा॑नो॒ यदन्ने॑नाति॒रोह॑ति

The Purusha, verily, is this All—what hath been and what shall be; and moreover he is the Lord of immortality, inasmuch as he waxeth beyond (all) by food.

Mantra 3

ए॒तावा॑नस्य महि॒मातो॒ ज्यायाँ॑श्च॒ पूरु॑षः । पादो॑ऽस्य॒ विश्वा॑ भू॒तानि॑ त्रि॒पाद॑स्या॒मृतं॑ दि॒वि

So great is his majesty; and greater yet than this is Purusha. One quarter of him is all beings; three quarters of him are the immortal in heaven.

Mantra 4

त्रि॒पादू॒र्ध्व उदै॒त्पुरु॑ष॒: पादो॑ऽस्ये॒हाभ॑व॒त् पुन॑: । ततो॒ विष्व॒ङ् व्य॒क्रामत्साशनानश॒ने अ॒भि

With three quarters Purusha rose upward; one quarter of him came to be here again. Thence he strode forth on every side, over the eater and over the food.

Mantra 5

ततो॑ वि॒राड॑जायत वि॒राजो॒ अधि॒ पूरु॑षः । स जा॒तो अत्य॑रिच्यत प॒श्चाद्भूमि॒मथो॑ पु॒रः

Thence sprang Virāj, and from Virāj was born Purusha. When born, he overpassed the earth behind and likewise in front.

Mantra 6

तस्मा॑द्य॒ज्ञात्स॑र्व॒हुत॒: सम्भृ॑तं पृषदा॒ज्यम् । प॒शूँस्ताँश्च॑क्रे वाय॒व्या॒नार॒ण्या ग्रा॒म्याश्च॒ ये

From that sacrifice, wholly offered, was gathered the pṛṣad-ājya; and he fashioned the beasts—those of the air, those of the forest, and those of the village.

Mantra 7

तस्मा॑द्य॒ज्ञात् स॑र्व॒हुत॒ ऋच॒: सामा॑नि जज्ञिरे । छन्दा॑ᳪसि जज्ञिरे॒ तस्मा॒द्यजु॒स्तस्मा॑दजायत

From that Sacrifice, the All-offering, were born the Ṛc-verses and the Sāman-chants; from it were born the metres; from it the Yajus was brought forth.

Mantra 8

तस्मा॒दश्वा॑ अजायन्त॒ ये के चो॑भ॒याद॑तः । गावो॑ ह जज्ञिरे॒ तस्मा॒त्तस्मा॑ज्जा॒ता अ॑जा॒वय॑:

From that were horses brought forth, even those of every kind that are two-toothed; from that were cows indeed produced; from that, from that, were born goats and sheep.

Mantra 9

तं य॒ज्ञं ब॒र्हिषि॒ प्रौक्ष॒न् पुरु॑षं जा॒तम॑ग्र॒तः । तेन॑ दे॒वा अ॑यजन्त सा॒ध्या ऋष॑यश्च॒ ये

That Sacrifice, the Puruṣa born at the first, they sprinkled upon the sacred grass; with him the gods performed sacrifice, and the Sādhyas, and the seers that were.

Mantra 10

यत्पुरु॑षं॒ व्यद॑धुः कति॒धा व्य॑कल्पयन् । मुखं॒ किम॑स्यासी॒त् किं बा॒हू किमू॒रू पादा॑ उच्येते

When they divided the Puruṣa, into how many parts did they dispose him? What was his mouth? what were his arms? what are said to be his thighs and feet?

Mantra 11

ब्रा॒ह्म॒णो॒ऽस्य॒ मुख॑मासीद्बा॒हू रा॑ज॒न्य॒: कृ॒तः । ऊ॒रू तद॑स्य॒ यद्वै॑श्यः प॒द्भ्याᳪ शू॒द्रो अ॑जायत

The Brāhmaṇa was his mouth; the Rājanya was made his arms; that which was the Vaiśya was his thighs; from his feet the Śūdra was born.

Mantra 12

च॒न्द्रमा॒ मन॑सो जा॒तश्चक्षोः॒ सूर्यो॑ अजायत । श्रोत्रा॑द्वा॒युश्च॑ प्रा॒णश्च॒ मुखा॑द॒ग्निर॑जायत

From his mind was born the Moon; from his eye the Sun was generated. From his ear sprang the Wind, and Breath; from his mouth Agni was produced.

Mantra 13

नाभ्या॑ आसीद॒न्तरि॑क्षᳪ शी॒र्ष्णो द्यौ॒: सम॑वर्तत । प॒द्भ्यां भूमि॒र्दिश॒: श्रोत्रा॒त्तथा॑ लो॒काँ२ अ॑कल्पयन्

From his navel came the mid-air; from his head the heaven was evolved. From his feet the earth, from his ear the quarters: thus did they duly fashion the worlds.

Mantra 14

यत्पुरु॑षेण ह॒विषा॑ दे॒वा य॒ज्ञमत॑न्वत । व॒स॒न्तो॒ऽस्यासी॒दाज्यं॑ ग्री॒ष्म इ॒ध्मः श॒रद्ध॒विः

When with the Puruṣa as oblation the gods stretched forth the sacrifice, Spring was its butter, Summer its fuel, and Autumn its offering.

Mantra 15

स॒प्तास्या॑सन् परि॒धय॒स्त्रिः स॒प्त स॒मिध॑: कृ॒ताः । दे॒वा यद्य॒ज्ञं त॑न्वा॒ना अब॑ध्न॒न् पुरु॑षं प॒शुम्

Seven were his enclosing-sticks; thrice seven were the kindlings made, when the gods, performing the sacrifice, bound the Puruṣa as the victim.

Mantra 16

य॒ज्ञेन॑ य॒ज्ञम॑यजन्त दे॒वास्तानि॒ धर्मा॑णि प्रथ॒मान्या॑सन् । ते ह॒ नाकं॑ महि॒मान॑: सचन्त॒ यत्र॒ पूर्वे॑ सा॒ध्याः सन्ति॑ दे॒वाः

With sacrifice the gods sacrificed sacrifice: these were the first ordinances. Those mighty ones attained the firmament, where the Sādhyas, the ancient gods, abide.

Mantra 17

अ॒द्भ्यः सम्भृ॑तः पृथिव्यै॒ रसा॑च्च वि॒श्वक॑र्मण॒: सम॑वर्त॒ताग्रे॑ । तस्य॒ त्वष्टा॑ वि॒दध॑द्रू॒पमे॑ति॒ तन्मर्त्य॑स्य देव॒त्वमा॒जान॒मग्रे॑

From the Waters compacted, and from the Earth’s sap, Viśvakarman came into being in the beginning. Of him Tvaṣṭṛ, disposing, enters into the form: that is the godhead of the mortal, innate from the first.

Mantra 18

वेदा॒हमे॒तं पुरु॑षं म॒हान्त॑मादि॒त्यव॑र्णं॒ तम॑सः प॒रस्ता॑त् । तमे॒व वि॑दि॒त्वाति॑ मृ॒त्युमे॑ति॒ नान्यः पन्था॑ विद्य॒तेऽय॑नाय

I know this mighty Person, of sun-like hue, beyond the darkness. Knowing Him alone, one passeth beyond death; there is no other path found for going thither.

Mantra 19

प्र॒जाप॑तिश्च॒रति॒ गर्भे॑ अ॒न्तरजा॑यमानो बहु॒धा वि जा॑यते । तस्य॒ योनिं॒ परि॑ पश्यन्ति॒ धीरा॒स्तस्मि॑न् ह तस्थु॒र्भुव॑नानि॒ विश्वा॑

Prajāpati moveth within the womb; though yet unborn, he is born forth manifoldly. The wise behold his womb all round about; in him, indeed, all the worlds have taken their stand.

Mantra 20

यो दे॒वेभ्य॑ आ॒तप॑ति॒ यो दे॒वानां॑ पु॒रोहि॑तः । पूर्वो॒ यो दे॒वेभ्यो॑ जा॒तो नमो॑ रु॒चाय॒ ब्राह्म॑ये

He who heateth forth for the Gods, he who is the Gods’ Fore-placed Priest; he who was born before the Gods—obeisance be to the shining, to the brahmanic splendour.

Mantra 21

रु॒चं ब्रा॒ह्म्यं ज॒नय॑न्तो दे॒वा अग्रे॒ तद॑ब्रुवन् । यस्त्वै॒वं ब्रा॑ह्म॒णो वि॒द्यात्तस्य॑ दे॒वा अ॑स॒न् वशे॑

Generating the brahmanic splendour, the Gods in the beginning spake thus: ‘Whosoever the Brāhmaṇa knoweth it thus, unto him the Gods shall be in subjection.’

Mantra 22

श्रीश्च॑ ते ल॒क्ष्मीश्च॒ पत्न्या॑वहोरा॒त्रे पा॒र्श्वे नक्ष॑त्राणि रू॒पम॒श्विनौ॒ व्यात्त॑म् । इ॒ष्णन्नि॑षाणा॒मुं म॑ इषाण सर्वलो॒कं म॑ इषाण

Prosperity and Fortune are thy two Consorts; Day and Night are (as it were) thy two flanks; the Asterisms are thy form; the Aśvins are thy opened (doors). Bestowing (boons), bestow upon me yonder (world); bestow upon me the whole world.