निदिध्यासन Nididhyāsana · AbsorbStep 6 of /6
Puruṣa Sūkta · Ṛgveda 10.90
Check your understanding
9 quick questions. Pick an answer to see why.
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Where is the Puruṣa Sūkta found?
It is hymn 90 of the tenth maṇḍala of the Ṛgveda. Versions of it also appear in the Yajurveda and Atharvaveda.
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What does ‘a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet’ suggest?
In Vedic usage a thousand stands for an uncountable number. Every head and eye belongs to Puruṣa.
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How much of Puruṣa do all beings make up?
Verse 3: “All living beings are just one quarter of him. The other three quarters are deathless, up in the heavens.”
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In the first sacrifice, what is the offering?
Verse 6: “The gods held a sacrifice, and Puruṣa himself was the offering.”
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In verse 6, which season is the melted butter?
Spring was the butter, summer the firewood, autumn the offering itself.
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What does verse 9 say was born from the sacrifice?
The ṛcs, sāmans, chandas and yajus, the materials of the Vedas, were born from the sacrifice.
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According to verse 13, what was born from Puruṣa's mind?
“The moon was born from his mind. The sun was born from his eye.”
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Which is true of the word śūdra in the Ṛgveda?
This verse is the only place in the Ṛgveda where the word śūdra occurs.
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How does the hymn end?
Verse 16: “With the sacrifice, the gods offered the sacrifice to the sacrifice. These were the very first laws.”