Atharva-Veda Samhita/Book XIX/Hymn 6

6. Purusha and his sacrifice.

[Nārāyaṇa.—ṣoḍaçarcam. puruṣadevatyam. ānuṣṭubham.]

This is the familiar puruṣa-hymn of the Rig-Veda ⌊x. 90⌋ with considerable variation in the order of the verses, but comparatively little in the readings. The RV. verses are found here in the following order: 1, 4, 3, 2, 11-14, 5-7, 10, 9, 8, 15. The same hymn occurs in VS. xxxi. (in the order of RV. verses 1-5, 8-10, 7, 11-14, 6, 15) and in TA. iii. 12 (in the order of RV. verses 1-6, 15, 7-14); also the first five RV. verses in the 7th or Nāigeya chapter of SV. ⌊Nāigeya 33-37 = SV. i. 618-622⌋ (in the order of RV. verses 1, 4, 2ab3cd, 3ab2cd, 5). The verses (except our 7 and 8) occur also in Pāipp. ix. In Vāit. (37. 19), the hymn is cited, with x. 2, in the puruṣamedha, accompanying the release of the human victim; and the comm. finds it used in the Çāntikalpa XV., and in Pariçiṣṭa x. 1.—⌊The Bombay ed. makes two hymns of this hymn: see note at end of the anuvāka, p. 9 15.⌋

⌊In the WZKM., xii. 277-280, von Schroeder reports the existence of the Purusha hymn in two recensions in the ṛcaka of the Kaṭhas, and observes that the passage may come from a Kaṭha Brāhmaṇa or Āraṇyaka. The first recension accords with that of RV.: the second also agrees in general with that of RV., except for the variants which I have reported below under verses 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 (the most important), 9, 12, 14; and, further, it agrees with RV. in the order of the verses from 1 to 15. For brevity, I refer to the source of these variants as the KaṭhaB.⌋

Translated: Griffith, ii. 262-265; and, as RV. hymn, very often: so by Colebrooke (1798), in Misc. Essays², i. 183; by Burnouf (1840), in the Preface to his great folio ed. of the Bhāgavata Puraṇa (see pages cxiv to cxxiv); by Muir, v. 367; Ludwig, Der Rigveda, ii., p. 574, notes in v., p. 437; Grassmann, Rig-Veda, ii., p. 486; Zimmer, p. 217; Scherman, Philosophische Hymnen, pages 11-23 (with ample notes); Henry W. Wallis, Cosmology of the RV., p. 87; P. Peterson, Hymns from the RV., p. 289; Deussen, Geschichte, i. 1. 150-158 (repeated in his Sechzig Upanishads, p. 830).—Finally, as VS. hymn, it was translated by Weber (apropos of Anquetil du Perron's Upanishads), in Indische Studien, ix. 5, with instructive notes and introduction and a tabular view (p. 4) of the sequence of the verses in RV., TA., VS., and AV.; and also by Griffith, in The Texts of the White Yajurveda, p. 260.—It may be added that the text of the hymn with Sāyaṇa's comment was published as a separate work as no. 3 of the Ānanda Āçrama Series.—Burnouf cited and translated the hymn for the purpose of comparison with the corresponding passage in the Purāṇa, ii. 5. 35-6. 29, pages 235-241. Note the multum-in-parvo half of vs. 35, sahasro-”rv-an̄ghri-bāhv-akṣaḥ sahasrā-”nana-çīrṣavān.—Especial attention is called to Deussen's elaborate introduction to his translation in his Geschichte, as cited above, p. 150-156.

1. Thousand-armed is Purusha, thousand-eyed, thousand-footed; he, covering the earth entirely, exceeded it by ten fingers' breadth.

⌊The verse is RV. x. 90. 1; VS. xxxi. 1; SV. i. 618; TA. iii. 12. 1.⌋ All the other texts begin with sahásraçīrṣā (SV. -rṣāḥ); SV.VS. ⌊KaṭhaB.⌋ have in c sarvátas, and VS. after it spṛtvā́; ⌊von Schroeder reports the KaṭhaB. reading as smṛtvā́: but perhaps the intention of his mss. is rather spṛtvā́⌋. The comm. gives very long expositions of most of the verses, but casts no light upon them. ⌊Deussen, p. 150, calls the substitution of -bāhuḥ for -çīrṣā a "rationalizing variant: because, if Purusha has 1000 eyes, he ought to have only 500 heads"! But even the AV. comm. glosses sahasrākṣaḥ by bahubhir akṣibhir upetaḥ.⌋

2. With three feet he ascended the sky; a foot of him, again, was here; so he strode out asunder, after eating and non-eating.

⌊RV. x. 90. 4; VS. xxxi. 4; SV. i. 619; TA. iii. 12. 2.⌋ RV. has a quite different text: tripā́d ūrdhvá úd āit púruṣaḥ pā́do ‘sye ’hā́ ’bhavat púnaḥ: táto víṣvan̄ vy àkrāmat sāçanānaçané abhí; VS. agrees with this throughout; ⌊and so does KaṭhaB., except that it has bhū́mim for víṣvan̄⌋; TA. differs only by reading in b ’hā́ ”bhavāt ⌊i.e. ’há: ā́: bhavāt?⌋ (doubtless, however, a misprint); ⌊but ā́bhavāt is read by both Calc. and Poona ed's in the text; while both ed's have ābhavat in the comm.⌋; SV. differs (and agrees with AV.) by táthā in c and açan- in d. The comm. has in a ā ’rohat, and in b (with RV. etc.) pā́do ‘sya; two or three of SPP's authorities agree with the comm. in both points. The pada-mss. give in b pā́dasya; ⌊but SPP. accepts pā́t: asya in his pada-text⌋. No saṁhitā-ms. has víṣvan̄n̄ a-, and accordingly SPP., against all rule and usage, admits víṣvan̄ a- in his text; but he accents açanānaçané with us, though almost all the mss. have açanā́naçané. The comm. gives an absurd array of discordant explanations of this compound: açanā is "men, animals, etc.," and anaçanā "gods, trees, etc."; then (adhyātmapakṣe), the two are "the immovable and movable creation," or else "the intelligent (cetana) and unintelligent creation."

3. So many are his greatnesses; and Purusha is superior (jyā́jān) to that; a foot of him is all beings (bhūtá); three feet of him are what is immortal in the sky.

⌊RV. x. 90. 3; VS. xxxi. 3; SV. i. 621; TA. iii. 12. 1; ChU. iii. 12. 6.⌋ RV. reads in a, b: etā́vān asya mahimā́ ’to jy-; VS.TA. agree with RV. (but TA. ⌊in the Calc. ed. only⌋ shortens the ū of pū́ruṣaḥ in b). ⌊SV. makes up its vss. 620 and 621 thus: 620 = RV. 2 a, b (our 4 a, b) + RV. 3 c, d (our 3 c, d); 621 = RV. 3 a, b (our 3 a, b) + RV. 2 c, d (our 4 c, d); that is, between the two halves of our vs. 4, it interjects the two halves of our vs. 3 in inverted order.⌋ SV. has for our a, b, tā́vān asya mahimā́ táto jy- etc.; and, for the víçvā of our c, it has sárvā; ⌊and so has KaṭhaB.⌋. Ppp. omits asya in a and has pād asya in c. 'Foot,' of course, in this and in the next verse, = 'quarter.' ⌊ChU. agrees with SV., except that it does not dislocate the two halves of our vs. As to the vs. in ChU., cf. Böhtlingk, Berichte der säcks. Gesell., July 10, 1897, p. 82; in his edition, he emends the vs. to conformity with the RV. readings.⌋

4. Purusha is just this all, what is and what is to be; also [is he] lord (īçvará) of immortality, which was together with another.

⌊RV. X. 90. 2; VS. xxxi. 2; SV. i. 620; TA. iii. 12. 1.⌋ The wholly obscure last pāda is doubtless a mere corruption, all the other texts reading instead yád ánnenā ’tiróhati (which is itself obscure enough). In c, all of them give ī́çānas; and in b, RV.TA. ⌊and Ppp. and KaṭhaB.⌋ have bhávyam, SV. bhā́vyam, VS. bhāvyàm; this last should be the reading of our text also, as all the mss. have it; ⌊rather: all of W's and seven of SPP's ten authorities;⌋ SPP. accepts it; the comm. has bhavyam, and, in d, annena. Some of the mss. accent ányena; ⌊that is, they have the spelling of anyéna and the accent of ánnena⌋. ⌊Pāda b is nearly = xiii. 1. 54 d.⌋

5. When they separated (vi-dhā) Purusha, in how many parts did they distribute (vi-kḷp) him? what was his face? what his (two) arms? what are called his (two) thighs [and] feet?

⌊RV. x. 90. 11; VS. xxxi. 10; TA. iii. 12. 5.⌋ The mss. vary between vyádadhus and vy àdadhus; the pada-mss., between ví: ad- and ví: ád-: the latter is (without any good reason: cf. my Skt. Gr.² §1084 a) ⌊and note to xviii. 1. 39⌋ the reading of the RV pada-text. ⌊In b, KaṭhaB. has enam for our ví.⌋ In c, d, VS. agrees with our text, save that it wantonly defaces the meter by intruding an unnecessary āsīt after asya; RV.TA. have for kím (except the first time) kāú; and RV. combines kā́ ū- and pā́dā uc- ⌊AV. and RV. pada-texts, pā́dāu⌋, while TA. has kā́v and pā́dāv; Ppp. has pādāv ucyate: cf. Prāt. ii. 22 and note; ⌊also my Noun-Inflection, p. 341⌋. ⌊KaṭhaB. agrees with VS. in showing the intrusive āsīt, and with Ppp. in reading the ungrammatical ucyate.⌋

6. The Brahman was his face; the Kshatriya (rājanyà) became his (two) arms; the Vāiçya [was] his middle; from his (two) feet was born the Çūdra.

⌊RV. x. 90. 12; VS. xxxi. 11; TA. iii. 12. 5.⌋ The other three texts read in b rājanyàḥ kṛtáḥ, and in c ūrū́ (for mádhyam).

7. The moon [is] born from his mind; from his eye the sun was born; from his mouth both Indra and Agni; from his breath Vāyu was born.

⌊RV. x. 90. 13; VS. xxxi. 12; TA. iii. 12. 6.⌋ RV.TA. have no variant from our text; VS. reads for the second line çrótrād vāyúç ca prāṇáç ca múkhād agnír ajāyata. ⌊KaṭhaB. has for b the much better cákṣuṣor ádhi sū́ryaḥ (avoiding the undesirable cákṣos: see Noun-Inflection, p. 569 top, p. 410 top); and in c, d it agrees with VS., except that it substitutes násor for çrótrad.⌋

8. From his navel was the atmosphere; from his head the sky came into being (sam-vṛt); from his (two) feet the earth, the quarters from his ear (çrótra): so shaped they the worlds.

⌊RV. x. 90. 14; VS. xxxi. 13; TA. iii. 12. 6.⌋ The three other texts agree with ours throughout.

9. Virāj in the beginning came into being (sam-bhū); out of Virāj, Purusha; it, when born, exceeded the earth behind, also in front.

⌊RV. x. 90. 5; VS. xxxi. 5; SV. i. 622; TA. iii. 12. 2.⌋ RV.TA. read, for a, tásmād virā́ḍ ajāyata; SV.VS. ⌊and KaṭhaB. read⌋ the same, save tátas for tásmāt. Ppp. reads in b pāuruṣāt, and in d purā. ⌊For puraḥ in the Berlin ed., read puráḥ.⌋

10. When, with Purusha as oblation, the gods extended the sacrifice, spring was its sacrificial butter, summer its fuel, autumn its oblation.

⌊RV. x. 90. 6; VS. xxxi. 14; TA. iii. 12. 3.⌋ ⌊The first half-verse is our vii. 5. 4 a, b, where, however, devā́s follows yajñám.⌋ Of the other three texts, the only variant is vasantò ‘sy- in VS.

11. They sprinkled with the early rain (prāvṛ́ṣ) that sacrifice, Purusha, born in the beginning; therewith the gods sacrificed, the Perfectibles (sādhyá) and they that are Vasus.

⌊RV. x. 90. 7; VS. xxxi. 9; TA. iii. 12. 3.⌋ The other three texts agree in reading in a barhíṣi (for prāvṛ́ṣā), in b agratás, in d ṛ́ṣayas (for vásavas). Ppp. has in d sādhyā ca. One or two of our mss. give agratás (like RV. etc.); about half SPP's authorities accent áyajanta ⌊as does also TA.⌋.

12. From that were born horses, and whatever [animals] have teeth in both jaws; kine were born from that; from that [are] born goats and sheep.

⌊RV. x. 90. 10; VS. xxxi. 8; TA. iii. 12. 5.⌋ The other three texts ⌊but not KaṭhaB.⌋ omit ca after yé in b.

13. From that all-sacrificing sacrifice were born the verses (ṛ́c), the chants (sā́man); meter ⌊sic!⌋ were born from that; sacrificial formula was born from that.

⌊RV. x. 90. 9; VS. xxxi. 7; TA. iii. 12. 4.⌋ The other texts have at beginning of c chándāṅsi, and our edition gives the same; but the mss., except one of ours p. m. and two of SPP's, read instead chándo ha, and SPP. follows them; this, though an ungrammatical corruption (as shown in the translation), has the best right to figure as Atharvan text. ⌊See p. xcvii.⌋

14. From that all-sacrificing sacrifice was collected the speckled butter (pṛṣadājyá); it made those cattle belonging to Vāyu—those that are of the forest and of the village.

That is, the wild and the tame. ⌊The verse is RV. x. 90. 8; VS. xxxi. 6; TA. iii. 12. 4.⌋ RV. alone combines in c paçū́n tā́-; in d, RV. and TA. read āraṇyā́n. SPP. unaccountably accents at end of b pṛṣadājyàm, against the majority of his mss., all of ours, and the usage everywhere else. The mss. vary between vāyavyā́n and vāyavyā̀n. Ppp. has in c cakrire; ⌊and so has KaṭhaB.⌋.

15. Seven were made its enclosing sticks (paridhí), thrice seven its pieces of fuel, when the gods, extending the sacrifice, bound Purusha as victim.

⌊RV. x. 90. 15; VS. xxxi. 15; TA. iii. 12. 3.⌋ The other three texts offer no variant. In connection with the 'seven,' the comm. of course thinks of the meters; of the 'twenty-one' he gives more than one explanation, sufficient to show that he is merely guessing.

16. Seven times seventy rays (aṅçú) were born from the head of the great god, of king Soma, when born out of Purusha.

This verse is found nowhere else. The RV. has also a 16th verse, an appendage to the hymn in a different meter, which was earlier found as RV. i. 164. 50, and is our vii. 5. 1, besides occurring in a number of other texts—in VS. ⌊xxxi. 16⌋ and TA. ⌊iii. 12. 7⌋, in connection with the rest of the Purusha-hymn. The comm. refers to the double character of soma, as plant and as moon, and notes that, while the sun's rays are a thousand, those of the moon are four hundred and ninety.