Purusha

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In Hinduism, Purusha (Sanskrit puruṣa, पुरुष "man, Cosmic man", in Sutra literature also called puṃs "man") is the "self" which pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are considered to be the human mind's interpretation of the many facets of Purusha. According to the Rigvedic Purusha sukta, Purusha was dismembered by the devas -- his mind is the Moon, his eyes are the Sun, and his breath is the wind.

In the Rigveda, Purusha is described as a primeval giant, not unlike the Norse Ymir^{[citation really needed]}, that is sacrificed by the gods (see Purushamedha) and from whose body the world and the varnas (castes) are built. He is described as having a thousand heads and a thousand feet. He emanated Viraj, the female creative principle, from which he is reborn in turn before the world was made out of his parts.

In the sacrifice of Purusha, the Vedic chants were first created. The horses and cows were born, the Brahmins were made from Purusha's mouth, the Ksatriya from his arms, the Vaisyas from his thighs, and the Sudras from his feet. The Moon was born from his mind, the Sun from his eyes, the heavens from his skull. Indra and Agni emerged from his mouth.

The parallel to Norse Ymir is often^{[by whom?]} considered to reflect the myth's origin in Proto-Indo-European religion.

Interpretations

The Vedanta Sutras mention that: janmādy asya yatah Bhagavata Purana [S.1.1.1], meaning that 'The Absolute Truth is that from which everything else emanates'. This Absolute Truth, which is personal in nature, is the Purusha personified.

In Samkhya, a school of Hindu philosophy, Purusha is pure consciousness. It is thought^{[by whom?]} to be our true identity, to be contrasted with Prakrti, or the material world, which contains all of our organs, senses, and intellectual faculties^{[citation needed]}.

Varna System

Varna refers to the Hindu belief that human beings were created from different parts of the body of the divinity Purusha and according to which part they were created from it defines their social standing for issues such as whom they can marry and what jobs they can do.

See also

• Adam Kadmon
• Anthropos
• Brahman
• Cipactli
• Hindu deities
• Hindu idealism
• Hindu mythology
• Indian caste system
• Narayana

References