The Sanskrit for “person” or “man,” Purusa in the so-called Puruṣa Hymn of the ancient Indian sacred text, the ṛg Veda (see ṛg Veda), is the “first (or primal) man,” who is the universe past, present, and future, and is the object of the first sacrifice of Existence. His mouth became Brahman (see Brahman) and the moon came from his consciousness. Eventually Puruṣa became synonymous with the Absolute—the universal “self”—Brahman or ātman (see ātman). Puruṣa entered Existence, knew himself and exclaimed, “I am.” Eventually Puruṣa as “Consciousness” became associated in the ancient philosophical tradition of Sankhya (Sāṃkhya) with the idea of Prakṛti (see Prakrti), or “Nature,” the creative energy necessary for the realization of materiality (see also śakti). With the development of Vedic Hindu mythology in the Brāhmaṇas (see Brāhmaṇas), Upaniśads (see Upaniṣads), and Purāṇas (see Purāṇas), the idea of Puruṣa is somewhat superseded by Brahman, ātman, and figures such as Prajāpati (see Prajāpati), Brahmā (see Brahmā), and Viṣṇu (see Viṣṇu, Vedic Cosmogony, Puranic Cosmogony, Upaniśad Cosmogony).
