मनन Manana · ReflectStep 15 of 18
Puruṣa Sūkta · Ṛgveda 10.90.14
Verse 14So they arranged the worlds
नाभ्या आसीदन्तरिक्षं शीर्ष्णो द्यौः समवर्तत ।
पद्भ्यां भूमिर्दिशः श्रोत्रात्तथा लोकाँ अकल्पयन् ॥
nābhyā āsīd antarikṣaṃ śīrṣṇo dyauḥ sam avartata |
padbhyām bhūmir diśaḥ śrotrāt tathā lokāṃ akalpayan ||
Meaning
From his navel came the space between earth and sky. From his head, the sky took shape. From his feet came the earth, and from his ears, the four directions. That is how the gods arranged the worlds.
Word by word
Words joined in recitation are shown split. Where sounds change at the joins, the dictionary form is given under the word.
Reflection
Now the whole map of the cosmos falls into place. For the rishis there were three worlds: the earth below, the sky above, and the open air in between. And here they are, laid out on Puruṣa's body. The sky from his head, at the top. The air from his navel, in the middle. The earth from his feet, at the bottom. Even the four directions come from his ears, perhaps because we hear sounds coming from every side. So the universe is shaped like a person. Which means that if you want to understand the world, you could start by understanding yourself.
Your reflection
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