purusha

Purusha is a Sanskrit term meaning “person,” “being,” or “cosmic man.” In early Vedic literature, Purusha denotes a primal cosmic entity whose sacrifice by the gods gives rise to the universe. The Purusha Sukta of the Rig Veda (10.90) describes how different parts of Purusha’s body become elements of the cosmos and social order: from his mouth came the priests (Brahmins), from his arms the rulers (Kshatriyas), from his thighs the merchants (Vaishyas), and from his feet the servants (Shudras). The hymn links cosmic creation with the origin of social hierarchy and order, using the body of Purusha as the source of all being.

In later Hindu philosophy, Purusha assumes more technical meanings. In Samkhya and Yoga, Purusha is the principle of pure consciousness, eternal and unchanging, distinct from Prakriti, the evolving material nature. There are countless Purushas, each a separate witness-consciousness, while Prakriti constitutes the manifold of experience. Liberation involves realizing the separation of Purusha from Prakriti and identifying with pure awareness.

In Vedanta, Purusha often designates the self (Atman) or universal consciousness (Brahman). In Advaita Vedanta, Purusha/Brahman is the ultimate, nondual ground of being, untouched by the changing world, with the apparent world arising from ignorance (maya). Other Vedantic schools reinterpret the relationship between Purusha and the world in various ways, but the term consistently marks consciousness as distinct from matter.

Purusha thus functions as a foundational concept across Vedic myth, Samkhya-Yoga dualism, and Vedantic metaphysics, linking cosmology, psychology, and the nature of consciousness.