Purusha

October 18, 2009

Srimate

SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

The Man

I was teaching my son the Purusha Suktam. I was gratified to

note that during the learning process, he was committing the same mistakes in

swaram and pronunciation, which I originally did around thirty years back. I

reminded myself to be as patient and painstaking as my Veda Vadyar was with me:

he (the Veda Vadyar, not my son) was indeed a mahaan, a perfectionist, but an

infinitely patient one. He taught me without any expectations of a quid pro quo (kripayaa nisspruho vadet, as Swami Desikan puts it). Incidentally,

he made me sweat through a week initially, testing me to ensure that I had the

aptitude, patience and dedication required for adhyayanam. He made me recite

the Vishnu Sahasranamam several times, listening carefully for mistakes in

diction and delivery, before he took me on as a student. And after that, I had

to satisfy him with the correct pronunciation and swaram of each word, before

he would move further on. He would patiently correct me every time I erred and

the occasions for that were only too many. As my job took me from place to

place, the Lord, in His infinite mercy, made available to me the anugraham of

various teachers at all these places, all of them eminent and extremely kind

souls. Whenever I think of my Veda Vadyars, it is with infinite gratitude and

though many of them are no more, they serve still as beacons of inspiration.

Coming back to Purusha Suktam, my son asked me whether it

was about a man, as Purusha in Tamizh means a man. And he was also under the wrong

notion that Sri Suktam was “Stree Suktam” (an ode to a woman). This set me

thinking of the various contexts in which the word Purusha occurs in the

scripture and the wealth of purport hidden in just three letters forming the

Sanskrit word.

When I did some research, I found that my son was partially

correct: the Purusha Suktam is indeed about a man. For, the term Purusha does

mean men in general. Listing the words which are commonly used to refer to men,

the Amara Kosam says,

Manushyaa maanushaa

martyaa manujaa maanavaa naraa:

Syu: pumaamsa: pancha

janaa: Purushaa: Poorushaa: nara:

There is thus no doubt that Purusha refers to Man. However,

the Purusha Sooktam is not about just any man, but The Man. It is about the

Paramatma, whose divine form comprises of an infinite number of heads, eyes and

feet--Sahara seershaa Purusha:

sahasraaksha: sahasra paat.. The very fact that Purusha is said to have a

cosmic and infinitely huge form should indicate that the Purusha referred to

here is the Supreme Being. Even otherwise, when we ordinarily say Purusha, it

refers only to Emperuman Sriman Narayanan, says the Paadma Puraanam. Only He is

the masculine concept in the entire lot of universes, all other created beings

constituting the feminine principle—

Bhagavaan iti sabdoyam

tathaa Purusha ityapi

Nirupaadhee cha

vartete Vaasudeve sanaatane

Sa eva Vaasudevaasou

saakshaat Purusha uchyate

Stree praayam itarat

sarvam jagat Brahma purassaram.

Vaasudeva is the only one entitled to be called Purusha: all

other entities, however exalted they are—be it the four-headed Brahma, Rudra or

Indra the chief of celestials—can only be deemed females before Him. This was

the realization that Azhwars displayed

while adopting the Naayaki Bhaavam, yearning for union with Emperuman as the

beloved.

Now for the Definitions:

Though Purusha commonly refers to a man, its etymology is

quite interesting. Shall we see the various purports of “Purusha”?

1. The Paramatma is called Purusha because He gives abundantly, says Sri Parasara

Bhattar (“Puru” means plenty and “Sanoti” refers to the act of giving). There

is no limit to the Lord’s generosity—He gives everything He has, still feels

that He hasn’t bestowed enough on the devotee, and is Himself no poorer for

giving away His all, says Swami Desikan—tamadu

anaittum avar tamakku vazhangium taam miga vilangum amaivudaya Arulaalar. When

the distressed Droupadi called to the Lord in distant Dwaraka for succour, He

felt that with the utterance of the single word (Govinda!), Droupadi had placed

Him (Sri Krishna) in eternal debt—

Govinda! Iti yat

aakrandat Krishnaa maam doora vaasinam

Rinam pravriddham iva

me hridayaat na apasarpati

Thus, He is Purusha because He bestows boundless bounties. In

an act of ultimate generosity, He gives Himself too, to His devotees—Sri Nammazhwar,

who was one of the principal beneficiaries in this regard, records this for

posterity--enakke tannai tanda karpagam.

2. Quoting the Shruti (Brihadaaranyakam), Sri Bhattar

furnishes an alternate and equally scintillating explanation—The Lord is

Purusha because He purifies all who come into contact with Him and is Himself

devoid of all blemish—Sa yat poorvosmaat

sarvasmaat paapmaan osha: tasmaat Purusha iti. Not only He, but His holy

name alone is enough to purify us, says Sri Bhishma—Vishno: naama sahasram me shrunu paapa bhayaavaham. Says Sri Andal too-- Poya pizhayum pugu taruvaan nindranavum teeyinil doosaagum.

3. He is Purusha

because He is the inner dweller of all sentient beings and non-sentient

objects. Puri refers to this body and sete indicates His residence as the

Antaryaami in everybody and everything—Pura

samggye shareere asmin sayanaat

Purusho Hari: says the Vedanta Koustubham. This in turn is from the

Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad, which defines Purusha as one who resides in all—Sa vaa ayam Purusha: sarvaasu poorshu purisaya: In this form as Antaryaami, the Lord reduces

His cosmic form to just the size of a thumb and resides in peoples’ hearts,

absolutely unmindful of His being surrounded by the puerile flesh, bones and

refuse-filled body of the Jeevas, says the Katopanishad—

Angushtta maatra:

Purusha: madhya aatmani tishttati

Eesaana: bhoota

bhavyasya na tatho vijigupsate

4. He was there when none else existed, says the Shruti—Eko ha vai Narayana aaseet, na Brahmaa na

Eesaana: It was He who created all beings

and objects and gave them names and forms. Puraa Aaseet—As He existed before

anyone else, He is Purusha: This is also

borne out by the Aruna Prasnam, which narrates how the Lord, in His Koorma

avataaram, told Brahmaa that He had existed from time immemorial, when nothing

and none else was there and therefore He is known by the sobriquet Purusha:--Poorvam eva aham iha aasam iti, tat

Purushasya Purushatvam.

5. He is also the

Leader, leading from the front—purati—agragaami bhavati iti Purusha:. Unlike

Ravana, who sent various underlings and assistants for war initially, Sri Rama

led the vaanara sena Himself, providing an example of leading from the front.

In any war against the wicked, the Lord Himself enters the fray, presenting

Himself as the prime target, instead of deputing His army of assistants led by

Vishvaksena, who can very well execute His command efficiently.

6. The Sanskrit root Pru indicates protection. The term

Purusha thus would also mean one who protects. And who else is the Universal

Protector but the Lord? Sarva

paalakataalabhdhyaa Purusha: prochyate budhai: says the Vishnu Sahasranama

Nirukti slokam.

7. He is Purusha

because He is complete—Paripoornan. He pervades all beings and objects

comprehensively, inside and out, says the Vedanta Koustubham, furnishing yet

another definition of the term Purusha:--sarveshu

vastushu paripoorna:.

8. He is also the Poorayita--

He fulfills all our wishes, be they puerile and mundane desires or lofty ones

like Liberation. Pooranaat sadanaat cha iti tatosi Purusha: smrita:

9. Being the luminous one, He outshines all others. Of all objects of radiance, three are most famous in the world—the Sun, the Moon and Agni. All these derive their luminance from the Lord and have but a reflected glory. As He is the source of all luminance and all other acknowledged objects of lustre cannot hold a candle to Him, He is Purusha;-- usha daahe, puroon sarvaan oshati -dahati -iti vaa Purusha:

10. It is He who takes all the worlds and their inhabitants to their end, when the time comes for the cosmic dissolution—Purooni—bhuvanaani, samhaara samaye syaati—antam nayati, iti Purusha:

11. He is Purusha, because He is the primordial cause of all the worlds, from whom all creation springs forth, as the Upanishad confirms—yato vaa imaani bhootaani jaayante. Being the original and sole cause of creation in its myriad variety, He is known as Purusha:--poorva: asmaat visvaat tat aadikaaranatvaat Purusha:

12. To make a round dozen of the definitions, Purusha also refers to one of the Lord’s forms, as per the Vaikhaanasa Aagamam, the other forms being Vishnu, Satyan and Achyuthan (the counterparts of Vasudevan, Sankarshanan, Aniruddhan and Pradyumnan as per the Pancharaatram).

The Three Types of Purusha

We have so far seen only one type of Purusha, i.e., the Paramaatma. Sri Krishna says however that there are three categories of Purusha-

Dvaav imou Purushou loke kshara: cha akshara eva cha

Kshara: sarvaani bhootaani Kootasttha: akshara uchyate

Uttama: Purusha: tu anya: Paramaatma iti udaahrita:

Yo loka trayam aavisya bibharti avyaya Isvara:

The three types of Purusha indicated in the Gita slokam are:

1. Jeevatmas, with their eternal association with perishable matter, which is subject to constant mutation. This category includes exalted entities like the four-headed Brahmaa and the lowliest on the totem pole of Creation, like a blade of grass. These are the so-called baddha jeevas, bound hand and foot by the ropes of samsaaram, imprisoned in this perishable body and immobilized by iron and golden handcuffs, representing the fruits of good and bad actions accumulated over innumerable births. They fall into the category of Kshara Purushas.

2. Mukta Jeevas or Akshara Purushas are those have rid themselves of the shackles of Karma through adoption of an appropriate strategy like Bhakti or Prapatti and are consequently no longer associated with Prakriti or matter.

3. Infinitely superior to the Kshara and Akshara Purushas is the Parama Purusha or Purushottama, who has never had any association with matter, ab initio. He is thus different from the Kshara Purusha who is still suffering contamination by Prakriti and the Akshara Purusha who suffered such association previously but has now been liberated. It is this Purushottama who pervades all the worlds and provides them sustenance and support, says the Gitacharya.

Given that there are three types of Purushas, how does the first type (the baddha Jeeva suffering from samsaaram) attain the last type (the Paramatma)?

The Gitacharya Himself provides an answer to this question, out of His infinite mercy: He is to be attained through selfless devotion (Bhakti) or Absolute Surrender (Prapatti)—

Purusha: sa para: Paartha! Bhaktyaa labhya:

Bhaktyaa paramayaa vaapi Prapattyaa va Mahaamate!

Praapyoham naanyathaa praapya: mama kainkarya lipsubhi:

But who is this Purusha?

We agree that there is indeed a Parama Purusha: but how do we confirm His identity? Sri Koorattazhwan, following the footsteps of Sri Alavandar, prescribes the following defining criteria for the primordial Purusha:

1. He should be the undisputed Master of the past, present and the future

2. He should Himself be without a master, bereft of anyone equal or superior to Him

3. He should have as His abode the Milky Ocean, ever vigilant in the cause of devotees, but feigning deep sleep in yoga nidra

4. His divine forms should be infinite and endless

5. His Consort should be the Universal Mother Mahalakshmi

6. He should have a cosmic form, with innumerable heads, feet, eyes and arms, accommodating all the universes in a minuscule part of His colossal tirumeni.

Though it might look extremely difficult to find a Purusha who fits the aforesaid criteria, Azhwan tells us that there indeed is one and that is none other than Sriman Narayana. Here is the beautiful slokam –

Yam bhoota bhavya bhavat Eesam aneesam aahu:

Anta: samudra nilayam yam ananta roopam

Yasya triloka jananee mahishee cha LakshmiSaakshaat sa eva Purusha: asi sahasra moordhaa

This Purusha is greater than the greatest, bigger than the biggest, the personification of luminance and auspiciousness, eternal and unchanging, older than the oldest, wiser than the wisest, Master of All with unlimited bounties and the object of worship of all deities, says the Mahopanishad:

Paraat Param yat mahato mahaantamSvaroopa tejo maya saasvatam sivam

Kavim puraanam Purusham sanaatanam

Sarvesvaram sarva devai: upaasyam.

There is apparently no dispute about who could be Purushottama—even Amarasimha, reportedly a Jain by persuasion, Indicates that the word and its derivates denote Sriman Narayana exclusively, none else being eligible for any claim thereto:

Devaki nandana: Souri: Sripati: Purushottama:

Vanamaalee Bali dhvamsee Kamsaaraati: adhokshaja:

Visvambhara: Kaitabhajit vidhu: Srivatsalaanchana:Purana Purusha: Yagya Purusha: Narakaantaka:

When the Lord has innumerable names, all of them sweet and nectarine, the infant Dhruva, beginning his praise of Emperuman, plumps for the Purusha sabdam—Praanaan namo Bhagavate Purushaaya tubhyam. Coupled with the Veda Purusha’s tribute in the form of the Purusha Suktam, it is evident that the appeal of Purusha sabdam, as a sobriquet of the Lord, transcends age, wisdom and all other parameters, being universally acceptable and enthralling to all. It is also worthwhile to remember that the Purusha Suktam is the only one to be found in all the four Vedas.

Even among mortals, the term Purusha cannot be applied to everyone: only those who are able to conquer their anger and cast off fury and rage( just as a snake casts off its skin) can be called a Purusha, says the Mahabharatam, making tolerance and a forgiving nature the hallmarks of real men—

Ya: samutpatitam krodham kshamayaa iha nirasyati

Yathaa uraga: tvacham jeernaam sa vai Purusha uchyate

We shall conclude this piece with a quote from Bhartruhari’s Neetisatakam. The famous poet, inquiring into what constitutes adornment for a man, considers and discards physical ornaments, plumping ultimately for cultured speech as the ultimate adornment. No amount of scented bath, aromatic assistance, a shining wristwatch showing the time in twelve countries simultaneously, a brilliant chain with a beautiful pendant resplendent on the chest –none of these can bestow real handsomeness. All external embellishments may fade and disappear, but in a gathering, it is one’s facility of speech that serves as an everlasting adornment, says Bhartruhari—

Keyooraani na bhooshayanti Purusham haaraa na chandrojjwalaa

Na snaanam vilepanam na kusumam na alankritaa moordhajaa:

Vanee ekaa samalankaroti Purusham yaa samskritaa dhaaryateKsheeyante khalu bhooshanaani satatam Vaak bhooshanam bhooshanam

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

dasan, sadagopan