Puruṣa Sūktam: a Hymn to the Self

The Puruṣa is consciousness, caitanya, the truth of the unmanifest. This Puruṣa is presented in a hymn of praise in this popular Ṛg Veda mantra, which is a description of the Puruṣa. We repeat the glory of Īśvara everyday by chanting this sūktam. In doing so, we also recognise that the Puruṣa is the self, ātman.

There is nothing higher than the puruṣa, I am not separate from the puruṣa; I am not a separate entity. The entire knowledge of the upaniṣads is contained in the Puruṣa sūktam.

Chanting the Puruṣa Sūktam regularly neutralises the sense of ownership and our erroneous I-sense, ahaṅkāra, slowly goes away. This sūktam is a prayer repeated daily, towards that end. The daily pārāyaṇa (chanting) helps us establish a certain relationship with Īśvara.

In this course of 10 lessons, we will meticulously learn the recitation of this Sūktam with a high level meaning. As aspiring yogīs working towards understanding our true nature, this hymn will become a powerful prayer in our yogic journey.