The purusha-Sūkta, on the mystical Sacrifice of Purusha

Hymns of the Atharva Veda, by Ralph T.H. Griffith, [1895], at sacred-texts.com

HYMN VI

The purusha-Sūkta, on the mystical Sacrifice of Purusha

1Purusha hath a thousand arms, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet.
  On every side pervading earth he fills a space ten fingers wide.
2He with three quarters rose to heaven here reappeared a fourth
   of him.
  Thence he strode forth on every side to all that eats not and that
   eats.
3So mighty is his grandeur, yea, greater than this is Purusha.
  All creatures are one-fourth of him, three-fourths what dieth
   not in heaven. p. 214
4Purusha is in truth this All, what hath been and what yet shall;
   be
  Lord, too, of immortality—and what hath grown with some-
   what else.
5When they divided Purusha how many portions did they make?
  What was his mouth? what were his arms? what are the names
   of thighs and feet?
6The Brāhman was his mouth, of both his arms was the Rājanya
   made.
  His waist became the Vaisya, from his feet the Sūdra was
   produced.
7The Moon was gendered from his mind, and from his eye the
  Sun had birth.
  Indra and Agni from his mouth were born and Vāyu from his
   breath.
8Forth from his navel come mid-air; the sky was fashioned from
   his head.
  Earth from his feet, and from his ear the regions. Thus they
   formed the worlds.
9In the beginning rose Virāj: Purusha from Virāj was born.
  As soon as he was born he spread westward and eastward o'er
   the earth.
10When Gods performed the sacrifice with Purusha as their
   offering.
  Spring was the butter, summer was the fuel, autumn was the
   gift.
11That sacrifice, first-born Purusha, they hallowed with the sprink-
   led Rains.
  The Deities, the Sādhyas, all the Vasus sacrificed with him.
12From it were horses born, from it all creatures with two rows of
   teeth.
  From it were generated kine, from it were goats and sheep
   produced.
13From that great general sacrifice Richas and Sāma hymns were
   born;
  Therefrom the metres were produced: the Yajus had its birth
   from it.
14From that great general sacrifice the dripping fat was gathered up:
  It formed the creatures fleet as wind, and animals both wild and
   tame. p. 215
15Seven fencing-logs had he, thrice seven layers of fuel were
   prepared.
  When, offering sacrifice, the Gods bound as their victim Purusha.
16Forth from head of the high God seven-and-seventy bright
   beams.
  Sprang into being, of the King Soma produced from Purusha.

p. 216