भायै दार्वाहारं प्रभाया ऽ अग्न्येधं ब्रध्नस्य विष्टपायाभिषेक्तारं वर्षिष्ठाय नाकाय परिवेष्टारं देवलोकाय पेशितारं मनुष्यलोकाय प्रकरितारꣳ सर्वेभ्यो लोकेभ्यो ऽ उपसेक्तारम् अव ऽ ऋत्यै वधायोपमन्थितारं मेधाय वासःपल्पूलीं प्रकामाय रजयित्रीम्
For light, the wood-gatherer; for brilliance, the fire-kindler; for the slaughtered, the sacrificer; for abundance, the server; for the highest world, the attendant; for the world of the gods, the messenger; for the world of men, the announcer; for all worlds, the assistant; for return, the one who grinds; for intelligence, the cloth-bleacher; for desire, the dyer.
ऋतये स्तेनहृदयं वैरहत्याय पिशुनं विविक्त्यै क्षत्तारम् औपद्रष्ट्र्यायानुक्षत्तारं बालायानुचरं भूम्ने परिष्कन्दं प्रियाय प्रियवादिनम् अरिष्ट्या ऽ अश्वसादꣳ स्वर्गाय लोकाय भागदुघं वर्षिष्ठाय नाकाय परिवेष्टारम्
For truth, the thief at heart; for slaying enemies, the informer; for discrimination, the steward; for supervision, the overseer; for the child, the attendant; for abundance, the wanderer; for affection, the sweet-speaker; for safety, the horse-tamer; for the heavenly world, the milker; for the highest world, the attendant.
मन्यवे ऽयस्तापं क्रोधाय निसरं योगाय योक्तारꣳ शोकायाभिसर्तारं क्षेमाय विमोक्तारम् उत्कीलेभ्यस् त्रिष्ठिनं वपुषे मानस्कृतꣳ शीलायाञ्जनीकारीं निर्ऋत्यै कोशकारीं यमायासूम्
To Wrath, 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; to Restraint, the thread.
यमाय यमसूम् अथर्वभ्यो ऽवतोकाꣳ संवत्सराय पर्यायिणीं परिवत्सरायाविजाताम् इदावत्सरायातीत्वरीम् इद्वत्सरायातिष्कद्वरीं वत्सराय विजर्जराꣳ संवत्सराय पलिक्नीम् ऋभुभ्यो ऽजिनसंधꣳ साध्येभ्यश् चर्मम्नम्
To Restraint, the thread; to the Atharvans, the protected ones; to the Year, the revolving one; to the Half-year, the unborn; to the Present Year, the one who passes away; to the Past Year, the one who has departed; to the Year, the worn out; to the Year, the gray-haired; to the Ṛbhus, the one who joins skins; to the Sādhyas, the one who stretches hide.
सरोभ्यो धैवरम् उपस्थावराभ्यो दाशं वैशन्ताभ्यो बैन्दं नड्वलाभ्यः शौष्कलं पाराय मार्गारम् अवराय केवर्तं तीर्थेभ्य ऽ आन्दं विषमेभ्यो मैनालꣳ स्वनेभ्यः पर्णकं गुहाभ्यः किरातꣳ सानुभ्यो जम्भकं पर्वतेभ्यः किम्पूरुषम्
To the lakes, the fisherman; to the stagnant waters, the one who stays; to the marshes, the one who serves; to the reed beds, the one who cuts reeds; to the dry lands, the ferryman; to the crossing, the boatman; to the fords, the one who crosses; to the difficult places, the miner; to the resounding places, the leaf-blower; to the caves, the hunter; to the slopes, the crusher; to the mountains, the Kimpuruṣa.
बीभत्सायै पौल्कसं वर्णाय हिरण्यकारं तुलायै वाणिजं पश्चादोषाय ग्लाविनं विश्वेभ्यो भूतेभ्यः सिध्मलं भूत्यै जागरणम् अभूत्यै स्वपनम् आर्त्यै जनवादिनं व्यृद्ध्या ऽ अपगल्भꣳ सꣳशराय प्रच्छिदम्
To the repulsive, the Paulkasa; to color, the goldsmith; to the scales, the merchant; to the 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.
अक्षराजाय कितवं कृतायादिनवदर्शं त्रेतायै कल्पिनं द्वापरायाधिकल्पिनम् आस्कन्दाय सभास्थाणुं मृत्यवे गोव्यच्छम् अन्तकाय गोघातं क्षुधे यो गां विकृन्तन्तं भिक्षमाण ऽ उपतिष्ठति दुष्कृताय चरकाचार्यं पाप्मने सैलगम्
To the king of dice, the gambler; to the winning throw, the newly-shown die; to the third throw, the one who arranges; to the fourth throw, the one who arranges further; 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, begging, stands by the one who cuts the cow; to Evil, the wandering teacher; to Sin, the mountain-dweller.
प्रतिश्रुत्काया ऽ अर्तनं घोषाय भषम् अन्ताय बहुवादिनम् अनन्ताय मूकꣳ शब्दायाडम्बराघातं महसे वीणावादं क्रोशाय तूणवध्मम् अवरस्पराय शङ्खध्मं वनाय वनपम् अन्यतोरण्याय दावपम्
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.
नर्माय पुꣳश्चलूꣳ हसाय कारिं यादसे शाबल्यां ग्रामण्यं गणकम् अभिक्रोशकं तान् महसे वीणावादं पाणिघ्नं तूणवध्मं तान् नृतायानन्दाय तलवम्
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.
अग्नये पीवानं पृथिव्यै पीठसर्पिणं वायवे चाण्डालम् अन्तरिक्षाय वꣳशनर्तिनं दिवे खलतिꣳ सूर्याय हर्यक्षं नक्षत्रेभ्यः किर्मिरं चन्द्रमसे किलासम् अह्ने शुक्लं पिङ्गाक्षꣳ रात्र्यै कृष्णं पिङ्गाक्षम्
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.
अथैतान् अष्टौ विरूपान् आ लभते ऽतिदीर्घं चातिह्रस्वं चातिस्थूलं चातिकृशं चातिशुक्लं चातिकृष्णं चातिकुल्वं चातिलोमशं च । अशूद्रा ऽ अब्राह्मणास् ते प्राजापत्याः । मागधः पुꣳश्चली कितवः क्लीबो ऽशूद्रा ऽ अब्राह्मणास् ते प्राजापत्याः
Now, these eight deformed ones he obtains: the excessively tall, the excessively short, the excessively stout, the excessively thin, the excessively white, the excessively black, the excessively bald, and the excessively hairy. Not Śūdras, not Brāhmaṇas—they are of Prajāpati. The Māgadha, the courtesan, the gambler, the impotent—these, not Śūdras, not Brāhmaṇas, are of Prajāpati.
सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् । स भूमिꣳ सर्वत स्पृत्वात्य् अतिष्ठद् दशाङ्गुलम्
The Person has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet. He, pervading the earth on every side, stood above it by ten fingers' breadth.
पुरुषऽएवेदꣳ सर्वं यद् भूतं यच् च भाव्यम् । उतामृतत्वस्येशानो यद् अन्नेनातिरोहति
All this is indeed that Person—whatever has been and whatever is to be. He is also the lord of immortality, which grows by food.
एतावान् अस्य महिमातो ज्यायाꣳश् च पूरुषः । पादो ऽस्य विश्वा भूतानि त्रिपाद् अस्यामृतं दिवि
Such is his greatness, and the Person is even greater than this. All beings are a quarter of him; three quarters of him are immortal in heaven.
त्रिपाद् ऊर्ध्व उद् ऐत् पुरुषः पादो ऽस्येहाभवत् पुनः । ततो विष्वङ् व्यक्रामत् साशनानशने ऽ अभि
Three quarters of the Person rose upward; one quarter was born here again. From that, he spread out in all directions, into what eats and what does not eat.
तस्माद् विराड् अजायत विराजो ऽ अधि पूरुषः । स जातो ऽ अत्य् अरिच्यत पश्चाद् भूमिम् अथो पुरः
From him was born Virāj, and from Virāj, the Person. Born, he extended beyond, behind the earth and in front as well.
तस्माद् यज्ञात् सर्वहुतः सम्भृतं पृषदाज्यम् । पशूꣳस् ताꣳश् चक्रे वायव्यान् आरण्या ग्राम्याश् च ये
From that sacrifice, entirely offered, was gathered the clarified butter. He made animals, those of the air, of the forest, and of the village.
तस्माद् यज्ञात् सर्वहुत ऽ ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे । छन्दाꣳसि जज्ञिरे तस्माद् यजुस् तस्माद् अजायत
From that sacrifice, entirely offered, the Ṛc and Sāman hymns were born; from it, the meters were born; from it, the Yajus was born.
तस्माद् अश्वा ऽ अजायन्त ये के चोभयादतः । गावो ह जज्ञिरे तस्मात् तस्माज् जाता ऽ अजावयः
From it were born the horses, and whatever animals have two rows of teeth; cows were born from it, and from it were born goats and sheep.
तं यज्ञं बर्हिषि प्रौक्षन् पुरुषं जातम् अग्रतः । तेन देवा ऽ अयजन्त साध्या ऽ ऋषयश् च ये
They sprinkled that sacrifice on the sacred grass, the Person who was born at the beginning. With it, the gods, the Sādhyas, and the seers sacrificed.
यत् पुरुषं व्य् अदधुः कतिधा व्यकल्पयन् । मुखं किम् अस्य कौ बाहू का ऊरू पादा ऽ उच्येते
When they divided the Purusha, how many portions did they make? What was his mouth? What were his arms? What were his thighs and feet, they ask.
ब्राह्मणो ऽस्य मुखम् आसीद् बाहू राजन्यः कृतः । ऊरू तद् अस्य यद् वैश्यः पद्भ्याꣳ शूद्रो ऽ अजायत
The Brahman was his mouth; the Kshatriya became his arms; the Vaishya was his thighs; from his feet the Shudra was born.
चन्द्रमा मनसो जातश् चक्षोः सूर्यो ऽ अजायत । श्रोत्राद् वायुश् च प्राणश् च मुखाद् अग्निर् अजायत
The moon was born from his mind; from his eyes, the sun arose; from his ears came the wind and breath; from his mouth, fire was born.
नाभ्या ऽ आसीद् अन्तरिक्षꣳ शीर्ष्णो द्यौः सम् अवर्तत । पद्भ्यां भूमिर् दिशः श्रोत्रात् तथा लोकाꣳऽ अकल्पयन्
From his navel came the atmosphere; from his head, the heavens unfolded; from his feet, the earth; from his ears, the directions; thus they arranged the worlds.
यत् पुरुषेण हविषा देवा यज्ञम् अतन्वत । वसन्तो ऽस्यासीद् आज्यं ग्रीष्म ऽ इध्मः शरद् धविः
When the gods performed sacrifice with the Purusha as the offering, spring was its clarified butter, summer its fuel, autumn its oblation.
सप्तास्यासन् परिधयस् त्रिः सप्त समिधः कृताः । देवा यद् यज्ञं तन्वाना ऽ अबध्नन् पुरुषं पशुम्
Seven were its enclosing sticks; thrice seven were the kindling sticks prepared. When the gods performed the sacrifice, they bound the Purusha as the sacrificial animal.
यज्ञेन यज्ञम् अयजन्त देवास् तानि धर्माणि प्रथमान्य् आसन् । ते ह नाकं महिमानः सचन्त यत्र पूर्वे साध्याः सन्ति देवाः
With sacrifice, the gods sacrificed the sacrifice; these were the first duties. They attained the heights of heaven, where the earlier Sadhyas, the gods, reside.
अद्भ्यः सम्भृतः पृथिव्यै रसाच् च विश्वकर्मणः सम् अवर्तताग्रे । तस्य त्वष्टा विदधद् रूपम् एति तन् मर्त्यस्य देवत्वम् आजानम् अग्रे
From the waters was gathered the essence of earth, and from that, the all-creator arose at the beginning. His form was shaped by Tvashtar; that, at the outset, became the divinity of mortals.
वेदाहम् एतं पुरुषं महान्तम् आदित्यवर्णं तमसः परस्तात् । तम् एव विदित्वाति मृत्युम् एति नान्यः पन्था विद्यते ऽयनाय
I have known this great Purusha, radiant like the sun, beyond darkness. Knowing him alone, one transcends death; there is no other path for liberation.
प्रजापतिश् चरति गर्भे ऽअन्तर् अजायमानो बहुधा वि जायते । तस्य योनिं परि पश्यन्ति धीरास् तस्मिन् ह तस्थुर् भुवनानि विश्वा
Prajapati moves within the womb, unborn, yet born in many ways. The wise see his source; in him all worlds stand.