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.
यो देवेभ्य ऽ आतपति यो देवानां पुरोहितः । पूर्वो यो देवेभ्यो जातो नमो रुचाय ब्राह्मये
He who shines among the gods, who is their priest, who was born before the gods, homage to the radiant Brahman.
रुचं ब्राह्म्यं जनयन्तो देवा ऽ अग्रे तद् अब्रुवन् । यस् त्वैवं ब्राह्मणो विद्यात् तस्य देवा ऽ असन् वशे
The gods, generating the Brahman radiance at the beginning, declared: Whoever knows thus as a Brahman, the gods are under his control.
श्रीश् च ते लक्ष्मीश् च पत्न्याव् अहोरात्रे पार्श्वे नक्षत्राणि रूपम् अश्विनौ व्यात्ताम् । इष्णन्न् इषाणामुं म ऽ इषाण सर्वलोकं म ऽ इषाण
Sri and Lakshmi are your wives; day and night are at your sides; the stars are your form; the Ashvins are your mouth. May you grant us nourishment; may you grant us mastery over all worlds.
तद् एवाग्निस् तद् आदित्यस् तद् वायुस् तद् उ चन्द्रमाः । तद् एव शुक्रं तद् ब्रह्म ता ऽ आपः स प्रजापतिः
That is fire, that is the sun, that is the wind, that is the moon; that is the bright one, that is Brahman, those are the waters, that is Prajapati.
सर्वे निमेषा जज्ञिरे विद्युतः पुरुषाद् अधि । नैनमूर्ध्वं न तिर्यञ्चं न मध्ये परि जग्रभत्
All moments were born, flashes of lightning, from the Purusha. No one grasped him above, nor across, nor in the middle.
न तस्य प्रतिमा ऽ अस्ति यस्य नाम महद् यशः । हिरण्यगर्भ ऽ इत्य् एषः । मा मा हिꣳसीद् इत्य् एषा । यस्मान् न जात ऽ इत्य् एष
He has no likeness; his name is great glory. He is called Hiraṇyagarbha. 'Do not harm me,' is his command. He is the one from whom nothing is born.
एषो ह देवः प्रदिशो ऽनु सर्वाः पूर्वो ह जातः स ऽ उ गर्भे ऽ अन्तः । स ऽ एव जातः स जनिष्यमाणः प्रत्यङ् जनास् तिष्ठति सर्वतोमुखः
This god moves along all directions; he was born before all; he is within the womb. He is born, he will be born; he stands facing all, with faces everywhere.
यस्माज् जातं न पुरा किं चनैव य आबभूव भुवनानि विश्वा । प्रजापतिः प्रजया सꣳरराणस् त्रीणि ज्योतीꣳषि सचते स षोडशी
From whom nothing was born before, who became all the worlds, Prajapati, striving with offspring, associates with three lights and the sixteen.
येन द्यौर् उग्रा पृथिवी च दृढा येन स्व स्तभितं येन नाकः । यो ऽ अन्तरिक्षे रजसो विमानः कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम
By whom the mighty heaven and the firm earth are supported, by whom the sky is held aloft, by whom the vault of space is established—he who moves in the atmosphere as the sovereign of the shining dust—to which god shall we offer our oblation?
यं क्रन्दसी ऽ अवसा तस्तभाने ऽ अभ्यैक्षेतां मनसा रेजमाने । यत्राधि सूर ऽ उदितो विभाति कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम । आपो ह यद् बृहतीः । यश् चिद् आपः
He whom the two crying ones, heaven and earth, upheld by his support, beheld with their minds as they trembled—where the sun rises and shines forth— to which god shall we offer our oblation? The waters indeed are vast. He is the one who is the waters.