Purusha

Purusha

In Hinduism, Purusha (Sanskrit "IAST|puruṣa, पुरुष" "man, Cosmic Man", in Sutra literature also called "IAST|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 Ymirfact|date=April 2008, 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 Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs, and the Shudras from his feet. [2] The Moon was born from his spirit, the Sun from his eyes, the heavens from his skull. Indra and Agni emerged from his mouth.

The parallel to Norse Ymir is often considered to reflect the myth's origin in Proto-Indo-European religion.

In Samkhya, a school of Hindu philosophy, Purusha is pure consciousness. It is thought to be our true identity, to be contrasted with Prakrti, or the material world, which contains all of our organs, senses, and intellectual faculties.

Caste System

"Varna" refers to the Hindu belief that most humans 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. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6050408.stm BBC News Article: "Low-caste Hindus adopt new faith", Last accessed 15 October 2006] ] .

ee also

*Adam Kadmon
*Anthropos
*Brahman
*Cipactli
*Hindu deities
*Hindu idealism
*Hindu mythology
*Indian caste system
*Narayana
*Purushamedha
*Purusha Mruga
*Purusha sukta
*Sankhya philosophy
*Yama

References


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  • purusha —    The term purusha has two meanings. In the ancient RIG VEDA, X. 90, the Purusha (usually spelled in English with a capital P) is the divine being who existed before time and was sacrificed to create both the transcendent and the material realms …   Encyclopedia of Hinduism

  • purusha — /poor euh sheuh/, n. Hinduism. (in Sankhya and Yoga) one s true self, regarded as eternal and unaffected by external happenings. Cf. prakriti. [ < Skt purusa lit., man] * * * ▪ Indian philosophy Sanskrit  Puruṣa        (“person,” or “spirit”), in …   Universalium

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  • Purusha —    In Vedic myth the male half of Brahma as opposed to Satarupa, the female half. Purusha has also been described as a primeval giant from whose dead body the world was created. The confusion between Purusha and Viraj may have arisen from the… …   Who’s Who in non-classical mythology

  • Purusha sukta — ( IAST|puruṣa sūkta ) is hymn 10.90 of the Rigveda, dedicated to Purusha, the cosmic man . It has 16 verses, 15 in the IAST|anuṣṭubh meter, and the final one in the IAST|triṣṭubh meter. It is the only Rigvedic hymn dedicated to Purusha, and thus …   Wikipedia

  • Purusha Mruga — was renowned as one of the biggest devotees of Lord Shiva. As the name suggests, he was half man and half animal. In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas were performing the Rajasuya Yagna. Yudhishthira suggested that Purusha Mruga s presence in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Purusha — Le Puruṣa (devanāgarī : पुरुष) est un terme sanskrit qui signifie Mâle, homme, personne, mais aussi héros[1]. En philosophie hindoue ce terme désigne l Être, le macrocosme. Dans le courant philosophique du Sāṃkhya, le Puruṣa est le principe… …   Wikipédia en Français

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