The Purusha Suktam is hymn 90 of the tenth book of the Rigveda, and it has sixteen verses. Its subject is the Purusha, a cosmic being described as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet, who fills the earth and yet stands beyond it. The hymn goes on to picture the gods performing a sacrifice with this Purusha as the offering, and from that offering come the seasons, the sacred verses, the animals, the sun and moon and the worlds themselves.
It is one of the best known hymns of the Vedic collection, and it is often set beside the creation hymn on the Nasadiya Suktam page, which approaches the same question in a very different, questioning voice. On this page you will find the sixteen verses in Devanagari with a simple transliteration, then a plain meaning for each verse, followed by notes on recitation, tradition, pronunciation and the questions people most often ask.
The text, transliteration and meaning
Each verse below is two half-lines. The meanings keep close to the words, and some of the images in the hymn are old and condensed, so a few lines are given in their safest reading.
Verse 1
सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् ।
स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वात्यतिष्ठद्दशाङ्गुलम् ॥
Sahasrashirsha purushah sahasrakshah sahasrapat
Sa bhumim vishvato vritvatyatishthaddashangulam
MeaningThe Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. Covering the earth on every side, he still stands beyond it by a span of ten fingers.
Verse 2
पुरुष एवेदं सर्वं यद्भूतं यच्च भव्यम् ।
उतामृतत्वस्येशानो यदन्नेनातिरोहति ॥
Purusha evedam sarvam yadbhutam yachcha bhavyam
Utamritatvasyeshano yadannenatirohati
MeaningPurusha alone is all this: what has been and what is yet to be. He is also the lord of immortality, which he grows beyond by means of food.
Verse 3
एतावानस्य महिमातो ज्यायाँश्च पूरुषः ।
पादोऽस्य विश्वा भूतानि त्रिपादस्यामृतं दिवि ॥
Etavanasya mahimato jyayanshcha purushah
Pado'sya vishva bhutani tripadasyamritam divi
MeaningSuch is his greatness, and the Purusha is greater even than that. All beings are one quarter of him, and his three quarters are the immortal, in heaven.
Verse 4
त्रिपादूर्ध्व उदैत्पुरुषः पादोऽस्येहाभवत्पुनः ।
ततो विष्वङ्व्यक्रामत्साशनानशने अभि ॥
Tripadurdhva udaitpurushah pado'syehabhavatpunah
Tato vishvanvyakramatsashananashane abhi
MeaningThree quarters of the Purusha rose upward, while one quarter came to be here again. From there he spread out in every direction, among what eats and what does not eat.
Verse 5
तस्माद्विराळजायत विराजो अधि पूरुषः ।
स जातो अत्यरिच्यत पश्चाद्भूमिमथो पुरः ॥
Tasmadviralajayata virajo adhi purushah
Sa jato atyarichyata pashchadbhumimatho purah
MeaningFrom him Virat was born, and from Virat the Purusha again. Once born, he reached out beyond, behind and over the earth, and then the dwelling places.
Verse 6
यत्पुरुषेण हविषा देवा यज्ञमतन्वत ।
वसन्तो अस्यासीदाज्यं ग्रीष्म इध्मः शरद्धविः ॥
Yatpurushena havisha deva yajnamatanvata
Vasanto asyasidajyam grishma idhmah sharaddhavih
MeaningWhen the gods spread out the sacrifice with the Purusha as the offering, spring was its ghee, summer its fuel and autumn its oblation.
Verse 7
तं यज्ञं बर्हिषि प्रौक्षन्पुरुषं जातमग्रतः ।
तेन देवा अयजन्त साध्या ऋषयश्च ये ॥
Tam yajnam barhishi praukshanpurusham jatamagratah
Tena deva ayajanta sadhya rishayashcha ye
MeaningThey sprinkled that Purusha, born in the beginning, on the sacred grass as the sacrifice. With him the gods, the Sadhyas and the sages performed the rite.
Verse 8
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुतः सम्भृतं पृषदाज्यम् ।
पशून् ताँश्चक्रे वायव्यानारण्यान्ग्राम्याश्च ये ॥
Tasmadyajnatsarvahutah sambhritam prishadajyam
Pashun tanshchakre vayavyanaranyangramyashcha ye
MeaningFrom that sacrifice, offered wholly, the mixture of curds and ghee was gathered. From it he made the creatures of the air, of the forest and of the village.
Verse 9
तस्माद्यज्ञात्सर्वहुत ऋचः सामानि जज्ञिरे ।
छन्दांसि जज्ञिरे तस्माद्यजुस्तस्मादजायत ॥
Tasmadyajnatsarvahuta richah samani jajnire
Chhandamsi jajnire tasmadyajustasmadajayata
MeaningFrom that sacrifice offered wholly, the Rik verses and the Saman chants were born. The metres were born from it, and from it the Yajus was born.
Verse 10
तस्मादश्वा अजायन्त ये के चोभयादतः ।
गावो ह जज्ञिरे तस्मात्तस्माज्जाता अजावयः ॥
Tasmadashva ajayanta ye ke chobhayadatah
Gavo ha jajnire tasmattasmajjata ajavayah
MeaningFrom it horses were born, and all those with teeth in both jaws. Cattle were born from it, and from it goats and sheep.
Verse 11
यत्पुरुषं व्यदधुः कतिधा व्यकल्पयन् ।
मुखं किमस्य कौ बाहू का ऊरू पादा उच्येते ॥
Yatpurusham vyadadhuh katidha vyakalpayan
Mukham kimasya kau bahu ka uru pada uchyete
MeaningWhen they divided the Purusha, into how many parts did they arrange him? What was his mouth, what his arms, and what are his thighs and feet called?
Verse 12
ब्राह्मणोऽस्य मुखमासीद्बाहू राजन्यः कृतः ।
ऊरू तदस्य यद्वैश्यः पद्भ्यां शूद्रो अजायत ॥
Brahmano'sya mukhamasidbahu rajanyah kritah
Uru tadasya yadvaishyah padbhyam shudro ajayata
MeaningThe Brahmana was his mouth, and the arms were made the Rajanya. His thighs became the Vaishya, and from his feet the Shudra was born.
Verse 13
चन्द्रमा मनसो जातश्चक्षोः सूर्यो अजायत ।
मुखादिन्द्रश्चाग्निश्च प्राणाद्वायुरजायत ॥
Chandrama manaso jatashchakshoh suryo ajayata
Mukhadindrashchagnishcha pranadvayurajayata
MeaningThe moon was born from his mind and the sun from his eye. From his mouth came Indra and Agni, and from his breath the wind was born.
Verse 14
नाभ्या आसीदन्तरिक्षं शीर्ष्णो द्यौः समवर्तत ।
पद्भ्यां भूमिर्दिशः श्रोत्रात्तथा लोकाँ अकल्पयन् ॥
Nabhya asidantariksham shirshno dyauh samavartata
Padbhyam bhumirdishah shrotrattatha lokan akalpayan
MeaningFrom his navel came the middle space, and from his head the sky took shape. From his feet came the earth and from his ear the directions, and so they set the worlds in order.
Verse 15
सप्तास्यासन्परिधयस्त्रिः सप्त समिधः कृताः ।
देवा यद्यज्ञं तन्वाना अबध्नन्पुरुषं पशुम् ॥
Saptasyasanparidhayastrih sapta samidhah kritah
Deva yadyajnam tanvana abadhnanpurusham pashum
MeaningThe enclosing sticks of the fire were seven, and the fuel sticks were made thrice seven, when the gods, spreading the sacrifice, bound the Purusha as the victim.
Verse 16
यज्ञेन यज्ञमयजन्त देवास्तानि धर्माणि प्रथमान्यासन् ।
ते ह नाकं महिमानः सचन्त यत्र पूर्वे साध्याः सन्ति देवाः ॥
Yajnena yajnamayajanta devastani dharmani prathamanyasan
Te ha nakam mahimanah sachanta yatra purve sadhyah santi devah
MeaningWith the sacrifice the gods worshipped the sacrifice, and these were the first ordinances. Those great ones reach the heights of heaven, where the ancient Sadhya gods dwell.
Text: Sanskrit Wikisource, page “ऋग्वेदः सूक्तं १०.९०”. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
When and how it is traditionally recited
The Purusha Suktam is chanted in many temples and in domestic worship, and in several traditions it accompanies the ritual bathing and offerings to a deity. Practice varies a great deal. Some communities chant all sixteen verses in the traditional Vedic intonation, while others recite only the first few or a short form.
Vedic chanting is learned by ear from a teacher, with its pitch accents and fixed rhythm, and many families prefer to hear it from a trained reciter before attempting it. If you are reading for understanding, there is no need to chant at all: sitting with the meaning verse by verse is a fine way to approach a hymn this old. Customs differ by region, family and school, so follow the guidance you have.
What the tradition says it is for
Tradition values the hymn as a vision of the whole world as one living, offered body. The sacrifice in the hymn is not only a ritual but the pattern from which time, speech, creatures and the cosmos are said to be arranged. Many teachers read the thousand heads and the ten fingers’ breadth as ways of saying that the Purusha is both everywhere and more than everything.
Some later traditions connect the Purusha with Vishnu or Narayana, and in some temples the hymn is therefore part of Vishnu worship. That is a later reading, and the hymn itself speaks only of the Purusha. Some scholars regard parts of the hymn, including the verses about the four classes, as later additions to an older core, while others read it as a unity.
Verse 12 names the four varnas as arising from the mouth, arms, thighs and feet. Commentators have read it in different ways, as a description of social functions, as a cosmic image, or as a statement of fixed rank, and the verse has been the subject of long debate and criticism when it is used to justify social hierarchy. This page gives the words plainly and leaves each reader to weigh them. The hymn is a devotional and philosophical text, not a source of guidance for health, money or legal matters.
Pronunciation notes
Long vowels last about twice as long as short ones, so purusha is “poo-roo-shah” with the sh made with the tongue slightly curled back, and sahasra is “sa-ha-srah”. The aspirates th, dh and bh are a plain consonant followed by a puff of breath, not the English th. The visarga, the light h at the end of words such as purushah, echoes the vowel before it.
Words such as dashangulam and tripad carry joined consonants that are easy to rush, so say each part: “da-sha-ngu-lam”, “tri-pad”. The anusvara, the dot that marks a nasal sound, is a soft hum in the nose. Hymns of the Rigveda also carry accent marks in the traditional printing, which this page does not show, so listen to a reciter if you want the traditional melody.
Related mantras and pages
- Nasadiya Suktam: the other great creation hymn of the Rigveda
- Devi Suktam: another Rigveda hymn from the tenth book
- Agni Suktam: the opening hymn of the Rigveda, on the sacrificial fire
- Shri Suktam: a Vedic hymn of invocation, often recited in temples
- Gayatri Mantra: a Rigveda verse for daily prayer
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Purusha Suktam?
It is Rigveda hymn 10.90, a sixteen-verse hymn about the cosmic Purusha. The gods perform a sacrifice with him as the offering, and from it come the seasons, the Vedic verses, the animals, the sun, moon and the worlds.
↳ What does the Purusha Suktam say in verse 12 about the four varnas?
The words say that the Brahmana was his mouth, the Rajanya was made from his arms, the Vaishya was his thighs and the Shudra was born from his feet. Commentators read this in different ways, and it has been debated and criticised when used to justify social hierarchy. Some scholars also regard parts of the hymn as later additions.
↳ Who wrote the Purusha Suktam and when?
The source shown on this page does not name an author. The hymn belongs to the tenth book of the Rigveda, which scholars generally place among the later parts of the collection, though exact dates are uncertain.
↳ Is the Purusha Suktam about Vishnu?
The hymn itself speaks only of the Purusha. Some later traditions identify him with Vishnu or Narayana, which is one reason the hymn is chanted in many Vishnu temples. Both the plain meaning and the later reading are held by different teachers.
↳ How long does it take to recite the Purusha Suktam?
A steady chant of all sixteen verses usually takes a few minutes, though the time depends on the style and speed of the reciter. Some traditions chant with repetitions or add further verses, so a family or temple may take longer.