The Hindu Creation Story of ‘Purusha the Primal Man’
The Rig Veda (Book X, Chapter 90, verses 1-3 and 9-12) tells the Creation story of Purusha,
the Primal Man. Purusha is a divine being, a cosmic giant who exists before time began. He
split up, exploded or spread out, into all directions and created the gods and the Universe
itself. From him come all the spiritual beings in heaven, as well as all the remainder of
everything that is in the earthly world, both the living and the non-living. Here is a slightly
edited version of the story:
The Primal Man (Purusha) had a thousand heads, eyes and feet.
He filled the earth completely.
Indeed his body was larger than this world.
The Primal Man fills this universe and represents the past, the present and
the future.
He is eternal and outgrows the universe by consuming sacrificial food.
The visible world is only a quarter of his greatness.
The remaining three quarters is hidden in the immortal Heaven.
From the complete explosive self-sacrifice of Purusha came forth all the
sacred sounds of creation.
From it also arose all things and lives and minds that are born into the world,
including horses and other creatures with teeth in either jaw, like cattle,
sheep and goats.
When the Primal Man split up, into how many parts was He divided?
What represented his mouth, arms, thighs and feet?
The Brahmin (priest) was his mouth, the Kshatriya (warrior/king) his arms,
the Vaishya (merchant) his thighs and the Shudra (peasants) were born
from his feet.’
Ritual sacrifice (puja)
The central rite of Hindu religion is
the performance of ritual sacrifice
(puja). Fruit, flowers and sacred
food are popularly offered to the
gods by the Brahmins (priests). Read about Hindu puja (Coleman, Studies of Religion; pp. 113114).
In the light of the Purusha story:
1) What is the fundamental nature of all sacrificed things?
2) What is the fundamental nature of all who sacrifice?
3) Ultimately, to whom are all sacrifices made?
4) In 100 words, describe the essential nature of the Hindu Universe as a whole, give
some reasons for Purusha’s behaviour, and explain the meaning of life in Hinduism.
Research and imagine
The “caste system” gives shape to traditional Hindu society. Research and write 200
words of your own to explain the caste system in Hindu society.
In 100 words of your own, explain how the story of Primal Man is reflected in the
structures of Hindu society
Reflection: The solar system and the atom share a common structural
pattern – i.e. a large central core (Sun/ nucleus) encircled by smaller
fast moving components (planets/ electrons).
Recall the idea of Primal Man. If atoms make up organs and whole
organisms, might the solar system be like an atom or an organ in a
vastly larger organism?
Now: Illustrate (in paper or electronic form) how atoms, organisms,
solar systems and galaxies might make a single, whole, living Universe.
How the Big Bang and Purusa stories are both about creative origins
1. Discuss: What went BANG! and from where did it come?
2. “Purusa is eternal and outgrows the universe by consuming sacrificial food”: from
where does the sacrificial food come and of what does it consist?
3. Brainstorm some examples of design in the Universe.
4. In what sense are the Big Bang and Purusa stories linked to the idea of “design” in
the universe? Have some reasons and explanations.
5. How would a Universe of design differ from one of lucky accident?
6. How do these differences bare on ethics and life-goals?
7. Do you think the Universe is a machine or alive? What difference would it make to how
we view and treat each other, nature and the environment?
8. Blaise Pascal, a C.17th mathematician and mystic, said: “The heart has reasons of
which reason knows nothing.” A paraphrase of this idea turns up in Princess Diaries II:
“The heart does things for reasons that the mind can’t understand.” What do you think
the idea means? Give some examples.
9. In what way does the Purusa story address the question of meaning in life? In what
way does the Big Bang story address that question?
10. What makes the Purusa story religious and the Big Bang story not religious?