Purusha Sooktam - Dvitiyonuvaka and Conclusion

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shree :

 

shree puruSHa sooktam

 

dviteeya anuvAka

 

adbhyassambhoota: prthivyai rasAcca |

vishvakarmaNassamavartatAdhi |

tasya tvaSHTA vidadhadroopameti |

tatpuruSHasya vishvamAjAnamagre ||

 

(adbhya:) From the waters and from the (rasAt) elemental essence

of (prthivyai) earth (sambhoota:) was the bramhAnda, the

Universe, born. (vishvakarmaNa:) As vishvakarma, the divine

architect, did puruSHa, who is (adhi) more than that Universe, appear

(samavartata). (tvashTA) As tvashTA, the divine smith he

(vidadhat) establishes (tasya roopam) his form, that includes all the

worlds (eti) and manifests it everywhere. (agre) In the beginning

was (tat puruSHasya) that puruSHa's (vishvam) all, his vishva

roopa, (Ajanam) formed.

 

The waters of destruction are again the waters of creation, and

from them does the earth reveal itself after praLaya. From these

elemental materials is the universe formed, and into these it

dissolves. Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. tvashTA was the smith who

forges Indra's vajra, thunderbolt, from the bones of the RSHi dadeechi.

Vishvakarma is the divine architect who planned and built, among

other cities, Kubera's Alakaapuri and also Lanka, and Indra's city.

>From the waters and earth

Does all appear

As a builder he builds,

As a smith he forges it..

He who was all

Before the all was.

 

***

 

vedAhametam puruSHam mahAntam |

AdityavarNam tamasas pArastAt |

tamevam vidhvAnamrta iha bhavati |

nAnya: panthA vidhyate ayanAya||

 

(etam) That (mahAntam) glorious (AdityavarNam) sun-brilliant

(puruSHam) puruSHa, (astu) who transcends (pArastAt) all

(tamas) darkness, (aham) I (veda:) know him.(vidvAn) Who

knows (tam) Him (evam) in this manner (bhavati) becomes

(amrta:) immortal (iha) in this very birth. (ayaNaya) To moksha,

liberation (na vidhyate) I know not of (anya:) other (panthA:)

paths.

 

This is a re-working of shlokas 16 and 17 in the first lesson, or

pratama anuvAka.

 

I Know Him,

Glorious,

Bright as the Sun,

Beyond all Darkness.

Who knows him thus

Conquers death now.

I know of no other

Ways, than this.

 

***

 

prajApatischarati garbhe anta: |

ajAyamAno bahudhA vijAyate |

tasya dheerA: parijAnanti yonim |

mareecheenAm padamiccanti vedhasa: ||

 

(prajApati:) As prajApati, Lord of his Subjects, he (carati)

lives (anta:) in (garbhe) the womb. (ajAyamAna: ) Unborn,

(vijAyate) he appears (bahudhA) in many ways. (dheerA:) The

steadfast (parijAnanti) know well (tasya) his (yonim) true form.

Even (vedhasa:) the creators, the knowers (iccanti) desire to the

(padam) positions of (mareechenAm) sages like mareechi, who

worship Him.

 

I must go to sAyaNa for commentary on this rather obtuse

verse. What is this womb prajApati resides in ? 'bramhAnda

roope garbhe anat madhye prajApatir vigrahavAn bhootva

carati'. virAt, the shining universe, the female principle that

puruSHa gave birth to, which in turn gave birth to puruSHa has

now been formed into the bramhAnda, and is compared to a

womb, in which prajApati, Lord of his Subjects, puruSHa

manifested as a fertility diety invoked in weddings etc., resides.

Purusha does not need to be born to manifest himself as all. That

process begins before he appears from, in and as virAt. He

encompasses satyam, gnyaanam, anantam - truth, knowledge,

and infinity. Since he gives birth to all, he is yoni, themouth of

the womb. His form is a yoni, from which all is born. 'tasya

prajApater yonim jagatkAraNaroopam vAstavam svaroopam'.

Who knows this ? 'dheera dhairyavantA yogena drtendriyA

mahAtmAno jAnanti' - the brave, the courageous, those who

have made their senses steadfast in yoga, those great ones know

this truth. Such is the compulsion of this truth that even the

srshtikartA-s of this world, those that puruSHa has manifested

himself as in order to create, desire nothing but to worship him

as 'tam eva upAsya mareeceenAm mareecyatri-pramukhAnAm' -

the sage mareeci, and sages led by mareeci, atri (among the

seven RSHis) - as these sages do.

 

Birthing this word

Himself Unborn

He is known by those

Who yoked their senses..

And even the knowers

Of this world and more

Desire but to adore Him..

 

yo devebhya Atapati | yo devAnAm purohita: |

poorvo yo devebhyo jAta: | namo rucAya brAhmaye ||

 

(nama:) We salute (ya:) who (Atapati) shines as divinity in

(devebhya:) in the Gods, (ya:) who is (purohita:) Brhaspati, priest

to (devAnAm) the Gods, (ya:) who was (jAta:) born (poorva:)

before (devebhya:) the Gods, (rucAya) who brilliant in himself,

(brahmaye) is the parabramham, the supreme all.

 

puruSHa was, 'hiraNyagarbha: samavartatAgre' - before the

golden shining womb of all, virAt, was established. He is first of

all the Gods, their priest, their guide to immortality, and the

essence of their divinity. verily is he worthy of our salutations.

This is one answer to the question "kasmai devAya havitA

vidhema?" - Which God shall we worship by our offerings ?

 

Who burns, fire-bright

In the Gods, who is their priest,

Eldest, who is the Essence,

Of what Is,

We worship Him.

 

***

 

rucam brAmham janayanta: | deva agre tadabruvan |

yastvaivam brAhmaNo vidhyAt | tasya deva asan vashe ||

 

(deva) The Gods, who (janayanta) send forth the (rucam

brAhmam) essence of the knowledge of Brahman (abruvan) said

this (tat) about that Brahman (agre) in the Beginning : " (yastu)

whoever (brAhmaNa:) has an inclination towards Brahman, if he

(vidhyAt) knows Brahman (evam) thus, (devA:) the Gods (asan)

will be (tasya) in his (vashe) control. "

 

The Gods taste of Brahman.. This "rucam brAmham" is yet

another food metaphor for the joining, or the union of the seeker

and the sought. Even as he who eats food tastes it, so shall you

taste Brahman, and enjoy him. The Gods are in the Brahma-

Vidyaa-Sampradaaya, and they are our teachers, our gurus too.

They declare this in the beginning, as a sort of 'phalashruti', or

list of fruits of knowing the puruSHa thus : Who, with heart

steadfast on the puruSHa knows him thus, him even we will

serve. Compare the Taittiriya Upanishad, that talks about he who

knows Brahman - 'sarve asmai devA balim-Aharanti' - All the Gods

bring him offerings.

 

The Gods who taste

Him, and spread the word

Said this, in the beginning -

"Who with his heart

Knows Him, thus,

Him even We will be bound by.."

 

***

 

hreeshca te lakshmeeshca patnyau | ahorAtre pArshve |

nakshatrANi roopam | ashvinau vyAttam |

 

iSHTam maniSHANa |

amum maniSHANa |

sarvam maniSHANA ||

 

(hreeshca) Hree and (lakshishca) Laskhmi are (patnyau) wives (te)

to you. (aho - rAtre) The day and the night (pArshve) your sides.

(nakshatrANi) the Stars (roopam) your brilliant form. (ashvinau)

the Healing Ashvins (vyAttam) your mouth

 

(maniSHANa) Grant us (iSHTam) the knowledge that we desire,

(maniSHANa) grant us (amum) happiness in this world,

(maniSHANa) grant us (sarvam) all that is, now and forever

 

Hree is the Goddess that grants Modesty, and Lakshmi she who

grants Wealth. ( hreer-lajjAbhimAninee devata , lakshmee-

raishvayAbhimAninee devatA - iti sAyaNA) The Day and the Night

are even such opposites. Sriman Narayana is the conciliation of

all such opposites, even as Sesha, the snake, and garuda, the

eagle, worshipping him together signify. He is brilliant as the

stars, and healing comes from him.

 

Asking him to grant as iSHTam, amum, sarvam, is an analogue

to asking for sat, Ananda, and chit. All we ask is to know Him.

 

Hree and Lakshmi

Are your consorts, your

Two sides, Day and Night,

The stars your form,

Healing your words..

 

Grant us

Our desires,

Our joys,

Your all..

 

 

 

 

The Purusha Sooktam closes, as it began, with that unique

and wonderful invocation to peace. In peace all begins, and

in peace all ends. All we work for is so peace may flourish.

 

tacchamyo-rAvrNeemahe | gAtum yagnyAya |

gAtum yagnyapataye | daivee: svastirastu na: |

svasti mAnushebhya: | oordhvam jigAtu bheSHajam |

sham no astu dvipade | sham chatushpade |

om shAnti: shAnti: shAnti: ||

 

(AvrNeemahe) We seek (tat) that which (chamyo) gives

us peace from sorrows, present and future. We seek

(gAtum) growth (yagnyAya) for the rite of sacrifice

and (gAtum) growth for (yagnyapataye) patron of the

rite, the yajamAna. (daivee: svasti) The grace of the Gods

(astu) be (na:) unto us. (svasti) Well being (mAnushebhya:)

to all mankind. (bheshajam) May plants, like medicinal herbs

(jigAtu) flourish and grow (oordhvam) upwards. (sham)

Good (na: astu ) come unto us from (dvipade) creatures that

go on two feet (sham) and good from (chatuSHpade) those

that go on four feet. (shAnti:) Peace.

 

Sorrows that are, and sorrows to be

We seek that which grants us

Peace from these

May the rite flourish,

And those who keep it..

The grace of the Gods

Be with all mankind..

May the earth be covered

With growing green

And good come to us

>From all creation

>From beings that go

On two feet and four..

May the three-fold peace

Embrace the Land..

 

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This translation is dedicated to my great grandfather,

Mahomahopadhyaaya Manaloor Veeravalli Ramanujacharyar.

Its faults are mine alone.The spirit that moved and

enthused me to even attempt this is his, and what he

inspires. I did not know him in life. This is my small

attempt at remembering him, as he deserves to be remembered

- in learning, in respect, in humility, and most of all,

in trying - for his spirit of doing was indefatigable.

 

- V Sundar

 

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