Let us contemplate the radiant splendor of Savitar, the divine inspirer, whose excellence surpasses all. May his brilliance illuminate our minds and guide our thoughts. O Savitar, gracious god, we beseech you: remove all our misfortunes and bestow upon us all that is auspicious and good. We call upon you, Savitar, the generous distributor of Vasu’s splendid wealth, the one who sees all people and knows the hearts of all. In the cosmic order, every being and role finds its place. For the pursuit of sacred knowledge, there is the Brahmin; for sovereignty and protection, the Kshatriya; for the Maruts, the Vaiśya; for austerity, the Śūdra. Darkness finds its counterpart in the thief, hell in the slayer of heroes, evil in the impotent, commerce in the iron-worker, desire in the courtesan, and outcaste status in the Māgadha. So too, every craft and disposition has its own bearer: the bard for dance, the minstrel for song, the courtier for law, the jester for misfortune, the clown for jest, the comic for laughter, the companion of women for joy, the son of a maiden for delight, the chariot-maker for intelligence, and the carpenter for steadfastness. Austerity finds its symbol in the potter, magic in the smith, beauty in the jeweler, good fortune in the weaver, archery in the arrow-maker, weapons in the bow-maker, work in the string-maker, fate in the rope-twister, death in the hunter, and destruction in the dog-leader. The fisherman is for the rivers, the Nishada for bear-hunters, the fierce one for the tiger among men, the outcaste for the Gandharvas and Apsarases, the madman for attendants, the one without a fixed abode for the serpent-deities, the cheat for gamblers, the ogre for non-gamblers, the one who makes split bamboo for the fiends, and the thorn-maker for sorcerers. Union is mirrored in the adulterer, the household in the paramour, distress in the forsaken, destruction in the betrayer, misfortune in the husband of a barren woman, expiation in the skilled worker, knowledge in the memory-maker, passionate pursuit in the lover, color in the follower, and strength in the assistant. For deformity, there is the hunchback; for joy, the dwarf; for the door, the lame; for sleep, the blind; for unrighteousness, the deaf; for purification, the physician; for wisdom, the star-gazer; for instruction, the questioner; for further instruction, the inquirer; and for boundaries, the judge. Among the keepers and providers: the elephant-keeper serves the elephants, the horse-keeper is for speed, the cowherd for nourishment, the shepherd for strength, the goat-herd for energy, the ploughman for food, the brewer for drink, the householder for good fortune, the treasurer for prosperity, and the overseer for supervision. Light shines through the wood-gatherer, brilliance through the fire-kindler, the sacrificer for the slaughtered, the server for abundance, the attendant for the highest world, the messenger for the world of the gods, the announcer for the world of men, the assistant for all worlds, the grinder for return, the cloth-bleacher for intelligence, and the dyer for desire. Truth is reflected in the thief at heart, slaying enemies in the informer, discrimination in the steward, supervision in the overseer, the attendant for the child, the wanderer for abundance, the sweet-speaker for affection, the horse-tamer for safety, the milker for the heavenly world, and the attendant for the highest world. To Wrath belongs the one who burns, to Anger the one who rushes forth, to Discipline the one who binds, to Sorrow the one who pursues, to Well-being the one who releases, to the wedge, the three-pointed, to Splendor the one shaped by the mind, to Conduct the one who applies collyrium, to Destruction the one who makes the sheath, and to Restraint, the thread. Restraint is the thread; the Atharvans are the protected ones; the Year is the revolving one; the Half-year is the unborn; the Present Year is the one who passes away; the Past Year is the one who has departed; the Year is the worn out, the gray-haired; to the Ṛbhus, the one who joins skins; to the Sādhyas, the one who stretches hide. The fisherman is for the lakes, the one who stays for stagnant waters, the one who serves for marshes, the reed-cutter for reed beds, the ferryman for dry lands, the boatman for crossings, the one who crosses for fords, the miner for difficult places, the leaf-blower for resounding places, the hunter for caves, the crusher for slopes, and the Kimpuruṣa for mountains. To the repulsive belongs the Paulkasa; to color, the goldsmith; to the scales, the merchant; to late evening, the glāvin; to all beings, the ashen one; to prosperity, wakefulness; to adversity, sleep; to distress, the slanderer; to growth, the boaster; to conflict, the divider. To the king of dice, the gambler; to the winning throw, the newly-shown die; to the third and fourth throws, those who arrange; to the one who leaps, the pillar in the assembly; to Death, the cow-killer; to the Ender, the cow-slayer; to Hunger, the one who stands by the cow-cutter; to Evil, the wandering teacher; to Sin, the mountain-dweller. To the echo, the shouter; to sound, the barker; to the end, the talkative one; to the endless, the mute; to noise, the drum-beater; to greatness, the lute-player; to the wailer, the flute-blower; to the lower sound, the conch-blower; to the forest, the forester; to the other wilderness, the fire-maker. To jest, the courtesan; to laughter, the jester; to the Yādava, the speckled one; to the village, the accountant; to the crier, those; to greatness, the lute-player; to the hand-slayer, the flute-blower; to dance and joy, the cymbal-player. To Agni, the fat one; to Earth, the one who spreads the seat; to Vāyu, the outcaste; to the atmosphere, the bamboo-dancer; to the sky, the digger; to Sūrya, the tawny horse; to the stars, the insect; to the Moon, the leprous; to day, the white, tawny-eyed one; to night, the black, tawny-eyed one. There are eight deformed ones: the excessively tall, short, stout, thin, white, black, bald, and hairy. These are neither Śūdras nor Brāhmaṇas—they are of Prajāpati. So too, the Māgadha, the courtesan, the gambler, and the impotent belong to Prajāpati, not to the four castes. Now, at the heart of all, is the Person—the Purusha—of a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet, who pervades the earth on every side and stands above it by ten fingers’ breadth. All that exists, all that has been and will be, is indeed this Person. He is the lord of immortality, which grows and is nourished by food. Such is his greatness, but the Purusha is greater still. All beings form but a quarter of him; three quarters dwell immortal in heaven. Three quarters of the Person rose upwards, while one quarter was born again here. From that quarter, he spread in all directions, manifesting in all that eats and does not eat. From the Person was born Virāj, and from Virāj, the Person again. Once born, he extended beyond—behind the earth and in front. From that primordial sacrifice, fully offered, the clarified butter was gathered, and from it animals arose—those of the air, the forest, and the village. From that sacrifice, too, emerged the sacred hymns—the Ṛc and Sāman—and the meters, and the Yajus. Horses and all animals with two rows of teeth were born from it; cows, goats, and sheep also arose from this offering. Upon the sacred grass, the gods, Sādhyas, and seers sprinkled that sacrifice—the Person born at the beginning—and with it, they themselves performed the first sacrifice. When they divided the Purusha, they wondered: how many parts did they make? What became his mouth, his arms, his thighs, his feet? The Brahman was his mouth; the Kshatriya, his arms; the Vaishya, his thighs; and from his feet, the Shudra was born. The moon arose from his mind, the sun from his eyes, the wind and breath from his ears, and fire from his mouth. From his navel came the atmosphere, from his head the heavens, from his feet the earth, and from his ears the directions—thus the worlds were arranged. When the gods performed the sacrifice with the Purusha as their offering, spring became the clarified butter, summer the fuel, autumn the oblation. Seven were its enclosing sticks; thrice seven were the kindling sticks prepared. The gods bound the Purusha as the sacrificial animal, and with sacrifice, they sacrificed the sacrifice itself—establishing the first duties. By this, they reached the heights of heaven, where the earlier Sādhyas, the gods, dwell. From the waters, the essence of earth was gathered, and from that, the all-creator arose at the beginning. Tvashtar shaped his form, and this became the divinity of mortals at the outset. I have known this great Purusha, radiant like the sun, beyond all darkness. Knowing him alone, one transcends death—there is no other path to liberation. Prajapati moves within the womb, unborn yet born in countless ways. The wise perceive his source, and in him all worlds stand and find their foundation.