Purusha: Encyclopedia - Purusha

Purusha

Shruti

• Vedas
  • Rig Veda
  • Sama Veda
  • Yajur Veda
  • Atharva Veda
• Brahmanas
• Aranyakas
• Upanishads

Smriti

• Itihāsas
  • Mahābhārata
    • Bhagavad Gītā
  • Ramayana
  • Puranas (List)
• Tantras
• Sutras (List)
• Stotras
• Ashtavakra Gita
• Gita Govinda
• Hatha Yoga Pradipika

In Hinduism, Purusha ("Cosmic Man") is the "self" which pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are considered to be the human mind's interpretation of the many facets of Purusha. According to mythology, Purusha was dismembered by the gods -- his mind is the moon, his eyes are the sun, and his breath is the wind.

In Samkhya, a school of Hindu Philsophy, Purusha is pure consciousness. It is stated that this is each our true identity, to be contrasted with prakrti, or the material world, which contains all their organs, senses, and intellectual faculties.

See also

• Purushamedha
• Narayana
• Ymir
• Cipactli
• Hindu mythology
• Hindu deities

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Purusha", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki