मनन Manana · ReflectStep 7 of /18
Puruṣa Sūkta · Ṛgveda 10.90.6
Verse 6The seasons as offering
यत्पुरुषेण हविषा देवा यज्ञमतन्वत ।
वसन्तो अस्यासीदाज्यं ग्रीष्म इध्मः शरद्धविः ॥
yat puruṣeṇa haviṣā devā yajñam atanvata |
vasanto asyāsīd ājyaṃ grīṣma idhmaḥ śarad dhaviḥ ||
Meaning
The gods held a sacrifice, and Puruṣa himself was the offering. Spring was the butter they poured into the fire. Summer was the firewood. Autumn was the offering itself.
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 we reach the heart of the story. To understand it, picture an ancient Indian ritual called a yajña. People gathered around a sacred fire and offered things into it, like butter or grain, while priests chanted. They believed the fire carried these gifts to the gods, and that this kept the world in balance. Now the rishi describes the very first yajña, held by the gods themselves, before the world existed. And what did they offer? Puruṣa. Even the seasons join in. Spring is the butter, summer the fuel, autumn the gift. Every year that turns, the ritual is still going on.
Your reflection
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