Mirror: http://tinyurl.com/hoja98x
Viśvakarman is वाचस्--पति [p= 937,2] m. (वाच्/अस्-) " lord of voice or speech " , N. of a divine being (presiding over human life which lasts as long as there is voice in the body ; applied to सोम , विश्व-कर्मन् , प्रजा-पति , ब्रह्मा &c , but esp. to बृहस्-पति , who is lord of eloquence , preceptor of the gods , and regent of the planet Jupiter) RV. AV. &c.
viśvákarman ʻ creating everything ʼ, m. ʻ the divine creator ʼ RV. [víśva -- , kárman -- 1 ] Pa. vissakamma -- m. ʻ the architect of the gods ʼ, Pk. vissayamma -- m., Si. vissam (< *visyam).(CDIAL 11963) विश्वकर्मा (p. 446) viśvakarmā m (S) The son of Brahmá and the artist of the gods. 2 Applied, appellatively, to an ingenious mechanic or artist. (Marathi)
See: Tvaṣṭṛ, ākhyāna or narration of itihāsa, from the Bronze Age Rigveda, sacred text http://tinyurl.com/gpayut8
विश्वकर्म्मन् पु० विश्वेषु कर्म व्यापारो यस्य । १ सूर्य्ये २ देवशिल्पिनि अमरः । ३ मुनिभेदे मेदि० ४ परमेश्वरे च । https://sa.wikisource.org/wiki/वाचस्पत्यम्
विश्वकर्म्मा, [न्] पुं, (विश्वेषु कर्म्म यस्य ।) सूर्य्यः । देवशिल्पी । इत्यमरः । तत्पर्य्यायः । त्वष्टा २ विश्वकृत् ३ देववद्धेकिः ४ । इति हेमचन्द्रः ॥ (यथा, महाभारते । १ । २१२ । १० । “दृष्ट्वा च विश्वकर्म्माणं व्यादिदेश पितामहः ॥”) मुनिभेदः । इति मेदिनी । ने, २४७ ॥ स प्रभासस्य वसोः पुत्त्रः । यथा, -- “विश्वकर्म्मा प्रभासस्य पुत्त्रः शिल्पप्रजापतिः ॥ प्रासादभवनोद्यानप्रतिमाभूषणादिषु ।तडागारामकूपेषु स्मृतः सोऽमरवर्द्धकिः ॥” इति मात्स्ये ५ अध्यायः ॥ * ॥ अन्यच्च । “प्रत्यूषस्य विदुः पुत्त्रमृषिं नाम्ना तु देवलम् । विश्वकर्म्मा प्रभासस्य विख्यातो देववर्द्धकिः ॥” इति गारुडे ६ अध्यायः ॥ * ॥ अपि च । “बृहस्पतेस्तु भगिनी वरस्त्री ब्रह्मचारिणी । योगसिद्धा जगत् कृत्स्नमसक्ता विचरत्युत ॥ प्रभासस्य तु भार्य्या सा वसूनामष्टमस्य तु । विश्वकर्म्मा महाभागस्तस्यां जज्ञे महामतिः ॥ कर्त्ता शिल्पसहस्राणां त्रिदशानाञ्च वर्द्धकिः । भूषणानाञ्च सर्व्वेषां कर्त्ता शिल्पवतां वरः ॥ यः सर्व्वेषां विमानानि देवतानां चकार ह । मनुष्याश्चोपजीवन्ति यस्य शिल्पं महात्मनः ॥” इति विष्णुपुराणे १ अंशे १५ अध्यायः ॥ अन्यच्च । “द्वौ प्रोक्तौ विश्वकर्म्माणो मयस्त्वष्टा च योग- वित् ॥ द्वौ धाता च विधाता च पौराणौ जगतः-पती ॥”इति वह्निपुराणे गणभेदो नामाध्यायः ॥ (चेतनाधातुः । तद्विवृतिर्यथा । “तत्र पूर्व्वं चेतनाधातुः सत्त्वकरणो गुणग्रहणाय प्रवर्त्तते । स हि हेतुः कारणं निमित्तमक्षरं कर्त्ता मन्ता वेदिता बोद्धा द्रष्टा धाता ब्रह्मा विश्वकर्म्मा विश्वरूपः पुरुषः प्रभवोऽव्ययो नित्यो गुणी ग्रहणं प्राधान्यमव्यक्तं जीवोज्ञः प्रतुलश्चेतनावान् विभु- र्भूतात्मा चेन्द्रियात्मा चान्तरात्माचेति ।” इति चरके शारीरस्थाने चतुर्थेऽध्याये ॥)
विश्वकर्मन् ह्रविषा वर्धनेन त्रातारमिन्द्रमकृणोरवध्यम् ।
तस्मै विसः समनमन्त पर्वीरयमुग्रो विह्रव्या यथाSसत् ।।YV 17.24।।
Let us invoke to day, to aid our labour, the Lord of Speech, the thought swift
Viśvakarman
May he hear kindly all our invocations, who gives all bliss for aid, whose works are righteous.
Taken upon a base art thou.
For Indra Viśvakarman thee.
This is thy home.
For Indra Viśvakarman thee.
Taken upon a base art thou.
For Indra Viśvakarman thee.
This is thy home.
For Indra Viśvakarman thee.
With strengthening libation,Viśvakarman, thou madest Indra an undying guardian.
The people of old time bowed down before him because the Mighty One was meet for worship. Taken upon a base, etc.
विश्वकर्मा ह्राजनिष्ट देव आदिद् गन्धर्वो अभवद् द्वितीयः ।
तृतीयः पिता जानितौषधीनामपां गर्भ व्यदधात्पुरूत्रा ।।YV 17.32।।
Third in succession was the plants’ begetter: he laid the waters’ germ in many places.
Puruṣasūkta is repeated with some variations in Taittiriya Aranyaka (3.12,13; 10.11), the Vajasaneyi Samhita (31.1-6), the Sama-veda Samhita (6.4), and the Atharva-veda Samhita (19.6). An explanation of parts of it can also be found in the Shatapatha Brahman (13.6.2.1.1), Taittiriya Brahmana, Pancavims'a Brahmana,ShvetashvataraUpanishad, Apastamba Shrauta Sutra (16.28.3; 20.20),Vrddhaharita Samhita (5.3.86), Baudhayana Dharma Shastra (4.7.5), Mahanarayana Upanishad,13, Mudgalopanishad gives a summary of the entire Purusha Sukta. The significance is elaborated in Bhagavata Purana (2.5.35 to 2.6.1-29) and in Mahabharata (Mokshadharma Parva 351 and 352).
All forms of existence are grounded in this primordial Yajña of the puruṣa.Uploaded on Oct 16, 2009
English Translation by Ramesh Krishnakumar, to the invocative rendering by Vedic priests
No Vedic Yagna is performed without the chanting of the Purusha Suktha.
Purusha is the source of all creation. The Suktham describes this form of his, as having countless heads, eyes, legs, manifested everywhere, and beyond the scope of any limited method of comprehension. All creation is but a part of him. The Suktham describes the creative process in the universe and the oneness in all.
Sukla Yajurveda references to Viśvakarman
1. A THOUSAND heads hath Purusa, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet.
On every side pervading earth he fills a space ten fingers wide.
2 This Purusa is all that yet hath been and all that is to be;
The Lord of Immortality which waxes greater still by food.
3 So mighty is his greatness; yea, greater than this is Purusa.
All creatures are onefourth- of him, threefourths- eternal life in heaven.
4 With threefourths- Purusa went up: onefourth- of him again was here.
Thence he strode out to every side over what cats not and what cats.
5 From him Viraj was born; again Purusa from Viraj was born.
As soon as he was born he spread eastward and westward over the earth.
6 When Gods prepared the sacrifice with Purusa as their offering,
Its oil was spring, the holy gift was autumn; summer was the wood.
7 They balmed as victim on the grass Purusa born in earliest time.
With him the Deities and all Sadhyas and Rsis sacrificed.
8 From that great general sacrifice the dripping fat was gathered up.
He formed the creatures ofthe- air, and animals both wild and tame.
9 From that great general sacrifice Rcas and Samahymns- were born:
Therefrom were spells and charms produced; the Yajus had its birth from it.
10 From it were horses born, from it all cattle with two rows of teeth:
From it were generated kine, from it the goats and sheep were born.
11 When they divided Purusa how many portions did they make?
What do they call his mouth, his arms? What do they call his thighs and feet?
12 The Brahman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rajanya made.
His thighs became the Vaisya, from his feet the Sudra was produced.
13 The Moon was gendered from his mind, and from his eye the Sun had birth;
Indra and Agni from his mouth were born, and Vayu from his breath.
14 Forth from his navel came midair- the sky was fashioned from his head
Earth from his feet, and from his car the regions. Thus they formed the worlds.
15 Seven fencingsticks- had he, thrice seven layers of fuel were prepared,
When the Gods, offering sacrifice, bound, as their victim, Purusa.
16 Gods, sacrificing, sacrificed the victim these were the earliest holy ordinances.
The Mighty Ones attained the height of heaven, there where the Sadhyas, Gods of old, are dwelling.
Puruṣasūkta
dvitIya anuvAkam
Verse 1
adbhyassambhoota: prthivyai rasAcca | vishvakarmaNassamavartatAdhi |
tasya tvaSHTA vidadhadroopameti | tatpuruSHasya vishvamAjAnamagre || 1 ||
of (prthivyai) earth (sambhoota:) was the bramhAnda, the
Universe, born. (vishvakarmaNa:) As vishvakarma, the divine
architect, did puruSHa, who is (adhi) more than that Universe, appear
(samavartata). (tvashTA) As tvashTA, the divine smith he
(vidadhat) establishes (tasya roopam) his form, that includes all the
worlds (eti) and manifests it everywhere. (agre) In the beginning
was (tat puruSHasya) that puruSHa's (vishvam) all, his vishva
roopa, (Ajanam) formed.The waters of destruction are again the waters of creation, and from them does the earth reveal itself after praLaya. From these elemental materials is the universe formed, and into these it dissolves. Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust. tvashTA was the smith who forges Indra's vajra, thunderbolt, from the bones of the RSHi dadeechi. Vishvakarma is the divine architect who planned and built, among other cities, Kubera's Alakaapuri and also Lanka, and Indra's city.
- From the waters and earth
Does all appear
As a builder he builds,
As a smith he forges it..
He who was all
Before the all was.
Verse 2
vedAhametam puruSHam mahAntam | AdityavarNam tamasas pArastAt |
tamevam vidhvAnamrta iha bhavati | nAnya: panthA vidhyate ayanAya || 2 ||
(etam) That (mahAntam) glorious (AdityavarNam) sun-brilliant(puruSHam) puruSHa, (astu) who transcends (pArastAt) all
(tamas) darkness, (aham) I (veda:) know him.(vidvAn) Who
knows (tam) Him (evam) in this manner (bhavati) becomes
(amrta:) immortal (iha) in this very birth. (ayaNaya) To moksha,
liberation (na vidhyate) I know not of (anya:) other (panthA:)
paths.This is a re-working of shlokas 16 and 17 in the first lesson, or pratama anuvAka.
- I Know Him,
Glorious,
Bright as the Sun,
Beyond all Darkness.
Who knows him thus
Conquers death now.
I know of no other
Ways, than this.
Verse 3
prajApatischarati garbhe anta: | ajAyamAno bahudhA vijAyate |
tasya dheerA: parijAnanti yonim | mareecheenAm padamiccanti vedhasa: || 3 ||
(prajApati:) As prajApati, Lord of his Subjects, he (carati)lives (anta:) in (garbhe) the womb. (ajAyamAna: ) Unborn,
(vijAyate) he appears (bahudhA) in many ways. (dheerA:) The
steadfast (parijAnanti) know well (tasya) his (yonim) true form.
Even (vedhasa:) the creators, the knowers (iccanti) desire to the
(padam) positions of (mareechenAm) sages like mareechi, who
worship Him.I must go to sAyaNa for commentary on this rather obtuse verse. What is this womb prajApati resides in ? 'bramhAnda roope garbhe anat madhye prajApatir vigrahavAn bhootva carati'. virAt, the shining universe, the female principle that puruSHa gave birth to, which in turn gave birth to puruSHa has now been formed into the bramhAnda, and is compared to a womb, in which prajApati, Lord of his Subjects, puruSHa manifested as a fertility diety invoked in weddings etc., resides. Purusha does not need to be born to manifest himself as all. That process begins before he appears from, in and as virAt. He encompasses satyam, gnyaanam, anantam - truth, knowledge, and infinity. Since he gives birth to all, he is yoni, themouth of the womb. His form is a yoni, from which all is born. 'tasya prajApater yonim jagatkAraNaroopam vAstavam svaroopam'. Who knows this ? 'dheera dhairyavantA yogena drtendriyA mahAtmAno jAnanti' - the brave, the courageous, those who have made their senses steadfast in yoga, those great ones know this truth. Such is the compulsion of this truth that even the srshtikartA-s of this world, those that puruSHa has manifested himself as in order to create, desire nothing but to worship him as 'tam eva upAsya mareeceenAm mareecyatri-pramukhAnAm' - the sage mareeci, and sages led by mareeci, atri (among the seven RSHis) - as these sages do.
- Birthing this word
Himself Unborn
He is known by those
Who yoked their senses..
And even the knowers
Of this world and more
Desire but to adore Him.
Verse 4
yo devebhya Atapati | yo devAnAm purohita: |
poorvo yo devebhyo jAta: | namo rucAya brAhmaye || 4 ||
(nama:) We salute (ya:) who (Atapati) shines as divinity in(devebhya:) in the Gods, (ya:) who is (purohita:) Brhaspati, priest
to (devAnAm) the Gods, (ya:) who was (jAta:) born (poorva:)
before (devebhya:) the Gods, (rucAya) who brilliant in himself,
(brahmaye) is the parabramham, the supreme all.puruSHa was, 'hiraNyagarbha: samavartatAgre' - before the golden shining womb of all, virAt, was established. He is first of all the Gods, their priest, their guide to immortality, and the essence of their divinity. verily is he worthy of our salutations. This is one answer to the question "kasmai devAya havitA vidhema?" - Which God shall we worship by our offerings ?
- Who burns, fire-bright
In the Gods, who is their priest,
Eldest, who is the Essence,
Of what Is,
We worship Him.
Verse 5
rucam brAmham janayanta: | deva agre tadabruvan |
yastvaivam brAhmaNo vidhyAt | tasya deva asan vashe || 5 ||
(deva) The Gods, who (janayanta) send forth the (rucambrAhmam) essence of the knowledge of Brahman (abruvan) said
this (tat) about that Brahman (agre) in the Beginning : " (yastu)
whoever (brAhmaNa:) has an inclination towards Brahman, if he
(vidhyAt) knows Brahman (evam) thus, (devA:) the Gods (asan)
will be (tasya) in his (vashe) control. "The Gods taste of Brahman.. This "rucam brAmham" is yet another food metaphor for the joining, or the union of the seeker and the sought. Even as he who eats food tastes it, so shall you taste Brahman, and enjoy him. The Gods are in the Brahma- Vidyaa-Sampradaaya, and they are our teachers, our gurus too. They declare this in the beginning, as a sort of 'phalashruti', or list of fruits of knowing the puruSHa thus : Who, with heart steadfast on the puruSHa knows him thus, him even we will serve. Compare the Taittiriya Upanishad, that talks about he who knows Brahman - 'sarve asmai devA balim-Aharanti' - All the Gods bring him offerings.
- The Gods who taste
Him, and spread the word
Said this, in the beginning
``Who with his heart
Knows Him, thus,
Him even We will be bound by.''
Verse 6
hreeshca te lakshmeeshca patnyau | ahorAtre pArshve |
nakshatrANi roopam | ashvinau vyAttam |
iSHTam maniSHANa |
amum maniSHANa |
sarvam maniSHANA ||
(hreeshca) Hree and (lakshmishca) Laskhmi are (patnyau) wives (te)to you. (aho - rAtre) The day and the night (pArshve) your sides.
(nakshatrANi) the Stars (roopam) your brilliant form. (ashvinau)
the Healing Ashvins (vyAttam) your mouth
(maniSHANa) Grant us (iSHTam) the knowledge that we desire,
(maniSHANa) grant us (amum) happiness in this world,
(maniSHANa) grant us (sarvam) all that is, now and foreverHree is the Goddess that grants Modesty, and Lakshmi she who grants Wealth. ( hreer-lajjAbhimAninee devata , lakshmee- raishvayAbhimAninee devatA - iti sAyaNA) The Day and the Night are even such opposites. Sriman Narayana is the conciliation of all such opposites, even as Sesha, the snake, and garuda, the eagle, worshipping him together signify. He is brilliant as the stars, and healing comes from him.
Asking him to grant as iSHTam, amum, sarvam, is an analogue to asking for sat, Ananda, and chit. All we ask is to know Him.
- Hree and Lakshmi
Are your consorts, your
Two sides, Day and Night,
The stars your form,
Healing your words.Grant us
Our desires,
Our joys,
Your all.
Concluding Invocation
The Purusha Sooktam closes, as it began, with that unique and wonderful invocation to peace. In peace all begins, and in peace all ends. All we work for is so peace may flourish.
[Note: The following is not part of the Purusha Sukta proper. However, it is often chanted at the end and is found in many printed editions.]
tacchamyo-rAvrNeemahe | gAtum yagnyAya |
gAtum yagnyapataye | daivee: svastirastu na: |
svasti mAnushebhya: | oordhvam jigAtu bheSHajam |
sham no astu dvipade | sham chatushpade |
om shAnti: shAnti: shAnti: ||
(AvrNeemahe) We seek (tat) that which (chamyo) gives us peace from sorrows, present and future. We seek (gAtum) growth (yagnyAya) for the rite of sacrifice and (gAtum) growth for (yagnyapataye) patron of the rite, the yajamAna. (daivee: svasti) The grace of the Gods (astu) be (na:) unto us. (svasti) Well being (mAnushebhya:) to all mankind. (bheshajam) May plants, like medicinal herbs (jigAtu) flourish and grow (oordhvam) upwards. (sham) Good (na: astu ) come unto us from (dvipade) creatures that go on two feet (sham) and good from (chatuSHpade) those that go on four feet. (shAnti:) Peace.Sorrows that are, and sorrows to be We seek that which grants us Peace from these May the rite flourish, And those who keep it.. The grace of the gods Be with all mankind.. May the earth be covered With growing green And good come to us From all creation From beings that go On two feet and four.. May the three-fold peace Embrace the Land..http://www.ramanuja.org/purusha/sukta-6.html
The Yajur Vedins recite six more mantras dealing with the
Purusha found in TA (3.13) as a continuation of the Purusha Sukta. Taittiriya recension of Krishna Yajur Veda
The Taittiriya Aranyaka TA (3.12) has 18 mantras on Purusha; it
has all the 16 mantras in RV. Moreover the order of the presentation
of the mantras in TA (3.12) is different from that in RV. The mantras
TA (3.12.16) and TA (3.12.17) are not in RV. TA (3.12.16) is also in
Shvetashvatara U. Shukla Yajur Veda (madhyandina) Vajasaneya Samhita (VS)
VS has in all 40 adhyayas or chapters. The chapter 31, VS (31)
dealing with Purusha has 22 mantras.
The first 16 mantras of VS (31.1-16) are almost same as 16
mantras of RV, except for the ordering; there could be minor
variations in a small number of words. The major difference is in VS
(31.12). The first half is same as RV (10.90. 13), but the second half is
quite different namely shrotrat vayuh cha pranah cha mukhyat agnir
ajayata '.
VS (31) does not have the mantras TA (3.12.16) and TA (3.12.17)
mantras found in RV (10.90) and two more.
The remaining 6 mantras in VS(3l) namely (17-22) are same as
there in TA (3.13), the so-called Uttaranarayana anuvaka| yvs.1 | This Viśvakarman. |
| yvs.8 | 45 Let us invoke to day, to aid our labour, the Lord of Speech, the thought swift Viśvakarman. |
| yvs.8 | For Indra Viśvakarman thee. |
| yvs.8 | For Indra Viśvakarman thee. |
| yvs.8 | 46 With strengthening libation, Viśvakarman, thou madest Indra an undying guardian. |
| yvs.8 | Viśvakarman in Consecration. |
| yvs.13 | Thy light bestowing head to heaven thou liftest, making thy tongue the oblation bearer, Agni! 16 Steady art thou, sustainer, laid by Viśvakarman in thy place. |
| yvs.13 | The Rishi Viśvakarman. |
| yvs.13 | By thee, taken by Viśvakarman, I take Speech for people. |
| yvs.14 | Wave and drop of waters art thou; and Viśvakarman is thy Rishi. |
| yvs.14 | Viśvakarman is vital vigour, Parameshthin the metre. |
| yvs.14 | 12 On the air s back let Viśvakarman set thee, thee the capacious, thee the far extended. |
| yvs.14 | 14 On the air s back may Viśvakarman set thee luminous. |
| yvs.17 | 18 What was the place whereon he took his station? What was it that upheld him? What the manner, Whence Viśvakarman, seeing all, producing the earth, with mighty power disclosed the heavens? |
| yvs.17 | 21 Thine highest, lowest sacrificial natures, and these thy midmost here, O Viśvakarman, Teach thou thy friends at sacrifice, O Blessed, and come thy self, exalted, to our worship. 22 Bring those, thyself exalted with oblation, O Viśvakarman, Earth and Heaven to worship. Let enemies around us live in folly: here let us have a rich and liberal patron. |
| yvs.17 | 26 Mighty in mind and power is Viśvakarman, Maker, Disposer, and most lofty Presence. |
| yvs.17 | 32 First was the God engendered, Viśvakarman: then the Gandharva sprang to life as second. |
| yvs.17 | 78 I dedicate the thought with mind and butter so that the Gods may come who love oblation, strengthing Law, To Viśvakarman, Lord of all the earth, I offer up day after day the inviolable sacrifice. |
| yvs.18 | 65 There where all never failing streams of honey and of butter flow, May Agni, Viśvakarman's own, place us in heaven among the Gods. |
| yvs.24 | 17 Called contemporaneous, the dappled belonging to Indra Agni; those with projecting horns to Mahendra; the many coloured to Viśvakarman. |
| yvs.31 | 17 In the beginning he was formed, collected from waters, earth, and Viśvakarman's essence. |
S. KalyanaramanSarasvati Research Center January 22, 2017