Chapter 6: The Purusha of sixteen parts

अथ हैनं सुकेशा भारद्वाजः पप्रच्छ । भगवन्
हिरण्यनाभः
कौसल्यो राजपुत्रो मामुपेत्यैतं प्रश्नमपृच्छत । षोडशकलं
भारद्वाज पुरुषं वेत्थ । तमहं कुमारमब्रुवं नाहमिमं
वेद ।
यध्यहमिममवेदिषं कथं ते नावक्ष्यमिति । समूलो वा
एष परिशुष्यति योऽनृतमभिवदति तस्मान्नार्हम्यनृतं वक्तुम् ।
स तूष्णीं रथमारुह्य प्रवव्राज । तं त्वा पृच्छामि क्वासौ
पुरुष इति

atha hainaṃ sukeśā bhāradvājaḥ papraccha | bhagavan
hiraṇyanābhaḥ
kausalyo rājaputro māmupetyaitaṃ praśnamapṛcchata | ṣoḍaśakalaṃ
bhāradvāja puruṣaṃ vettha | tamahaṃ kumāramabruvaṃ nāhamimaṃ
veda |
yadhyahamimamavediṣaṃ kathaṃ te nāvakṣyamiti | samūlo vā
eṣa pariśuṣyati yo'nṛtamabhivadati tasmānnārhamyanṛtaṃ vaktum |
sa tūṣṇīṃ rathamāruhya pravavrāja | taṃ tvā pṛcchāmi kvāsau
puruṣa iti

Then Sukesha son of Bharadvaja asked him: "Revered sir, Hiranyanabha, a prince of Kosala, came to me and asked, 'Bharadvaja, do you know the Purusha of sixteen parts?' I told the youth, 'I do not know him. If I knew him, why would I not tell you? One who speaks untruth withers to the root, so I may not speak falsely.' Silently he mounted his chariot and went away. Now I ask you: where is that Purusha?"

तस्मै स होवाच । इहैवान्तःशरीरे सोभ्य स पुरुषो
यस्मिन्नताः षोडशकलाः प्रभवन्तीति

tasmai sa hovāca | ihaivāntaḥśarīre sobhya sa puruṣo
yasminnatāḥ ṣoḍaśakalāḥ prabhavantīti

He answered: "Dear one, that Purusha is right here, within the body. In him the sixteen parts arise."

स ईक्षाञ्चक्रे । कस्मिन्नहमुत्क्रान्त उत्क्रान्तो भविष्यामि
कस्मिन्वा प्रतिष्ठिते प्रतिष्ठास्यामीति

sa īkṣāñcakre | kasminnahamutkrānta utkrānto bhaviṣyāmi
kasminvā pratiṣṭhite pratiṣṭhāsyāmīti

He reflected: "When what departs shall I have departed? When what stays shall I stay?"

स प्राणमसृजत प्राणाच्छ्रद्धां खं वायुर्ज्योतिरापः
पृथिवीन्द्रियं मनः । अन्नमन्नाद्वीर्यं तपो मन्त्राः कर्म
लोका
लोकेषु च नाम च

sa prāṇamasṛjata prāṇācchraddhāṃ khaṃ vāyurjyotirāpaḥ
pṛthivīndriyaṃ manaḥ | annamannādvīryaṃ tapo mantrāḥ karma
lokā
lokeṣu ca nāma ca

He brought forth prana; from prana, faith, then space, air, light, water, earth, the senses, mind and food; from food, vigour; then tapas, the mantras, works and the worlds, and in the worlds, name.

स यथेमा नद्यः स्यन्दमानाः समुद्रायणाः समुद्रं
प्राप्यास्तं
गच्छन्ति भिद्येते तासां नामरूपे समुद्र इत्येवं प्रोच्यते ।
एवमेवास्य परिद्रष्टुरिमाः षोडशकलाः पुरुषायणाः
पुरुषं
प्राप्यास्तं गच्छन्ति भिद्येते चासां नामरूपे पुरुष इत्येवं
प्रोच्यते स एषोऽकलोऽमृतो भवति तदेष श्लोकः

sa yathemā nadyaḥ syandamānāḥ samudrāyaṇāḥ samudraṃ
prāpyāstaṃ
gacchanti bhidyete tāsāṃ nāmarūpe samudra ityevaṃ procyate |
evamevāsya paridraṣṭurimāḥ ṣoḍaśakalāḥ puruṣāyaṇāḥ
puruṣaṃ
prāpyāstaṃ gacchanti bhidyete cāsāṃ nāmarūpe puruṣa ityevaṃ
procyate sa eṣo'kalo'mṛto bhavati tadeṣa ślokaḥ

As flowing rivers bound for the sea reach it and vanish, their names and forms broken, and are called only "the sea", so these sixteen parts of the seer, bound for the Purusha, reach him and vanish, their names and forms broken, and are called only "the Purusha". He is then without parts and immortal. On this there is a verse:

अरा इव रथनाभौ कला यस्मिन्प्रतिष्ठिताः ।
तं वेद्यं पुरुषं वेद यथ मा वो मृत्युः परिव्यथा इति

arā iva rathanābhau kalā yasminpratiṣṭhitāḥ |
taṃ vedyaṃ puruṣaṃ veda yatha mā vo mṛtyuḥ parivyathā iti

Know that Purusha who is to be known, in whom the parts are fixed like spokes in the hub of a wheel, so that death may not trouble you.

तान् होवाचैतावदेवाहमेतत् परं ब्रह्म वेद । नातः
परमस्तीति

tān hovācaitāvadevāhametat paraṃ brahma veda | nātaḥ
paramastīti

He said to them: "This much I know of the supreme Brahman. There is nothing beyond it."

ते तमर्चयन्तस्त्वं हि नः पिता योऽस्माकमविद्यायाः
परं परं तारयसीति । नमः परमऋषिभ्यो नमः
परमऋषिभ्यः

te tamarcayantastvaṃ hi naḥ pitā yo'smākamavidyāyāḥ
paraṃ paraṃ tārayasīti | namaḥ paramaṛṣibhyo namaḥ
paramaṛṣibhyaḥ

Worshipping him, they said: "You are our father, who carry us across ignorance to the farther shore." Salutation to the supreme rishis! Salutation to the supreme rishis!