Siva Archana of Siva Linga.. Siva (Purusha) is everywhere and everyone.
In the 22 Avatars of Vishnu – Srimad Bhagavatam we have seen that the Purusha is the first avatar of Vishnu. In various other posts linked to from here : RV 10.90 : Purusha Suktham : Narayana Rshih : we have understood mantras that descibe the puruSa.
The Purusa of infinite capabilities (intelligence, strength, skill etc), enveloped the earth with the universe (stars, galaxies.. etc) and stood beyond at about 10 inches’ (a foot approx), length. (See Locating Purusha (Vishnu) : Using Purusha Suktham (Rig Veda) for astronomical meaning).We have seen that The puruSa alone is all this, which has taken place and which is yet to be. We have seen that the seasons are the elements of His Yajna see : Understanding the Purusha : Rg Veda: vasantoasyāsīdājyaṃ grīṣma idhmaḥ śaraddhaviḥ, and that the devas were born of his mind, eyes, face and breath.
RV_10.090.11.2{19} mukhaṃ kimasya kau bāhū kā ūrū pādā ucyete
This above line expresses this question : asya mukham kim? What is His face? kau bāhū kā ūrū pādā ucyete? What are said to be his arms, thighs and feet?
The answer to this question is an emotional one for all Indians and has been interpreted variously in many ways. Below I attempt to give my own understanding of this.
RV_10.090.12.1{19} brāhmaṇo.asya mukhamāsīd bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ
brāhmaṇo.asya mukhamāsīd : The brahmans are His face.
- In today’s legal context it is the birth certificate which determines a brahmin, in other words, the Govt. of India will accept that you are a brahmin if your birth certificate says so. (See Brahmans Then and Brahmins Now.)
- The brahmin caste societies will accept as members anyone with the right parentage.
- In the Vishnu Puranam, there is a passage that laments that, in the Kaliyuga, a yajnopavitam, is the only thing that marks a brahman. (See Kalki Avatar and Kaliyuga – Vishnu Puranam).
- The dharma sastras prescribe a very strict code of conduct for brahmins and rule that only those who follow those AcArAs or practices are brahmins. By the rigid definitions given in the dharma sastras there are no brahmins at all alive these days.. or they are in such remote places that we cannot find or reach them.
- Our spiritual gurus starting from Sri Krishna, tell us that it is not birth but guna (qualities) and karma (actions) that determine a brahmin. And that the most important trait of a brahman is his focus on The Brahman.
But what was the intention of nArAyaNa RSi? In my interpretation, it is those human beings who are learned and truthful and who are focussed eternally on The Brahman or The Purusha, who are the face of the Purusha. My interpretation is that if you focus on the brahman in your mind, heart, actions, antah karana, speech etc., then you can look in the mirror and you will see The Face of Vishnu or The Face of the Purusha. This is all you need to do to see what He looks like, if you want to.
bāhū rājanyaḥ kṛtaḥ : His arms are formed of the kings
Following the same argument as above, I interpret that if you want to see the arms of Vishnu, you need look no further than our soldiers who protect our country and our people. To extend this to more a global perspective, all the people who work to protect our environment and the people and species of the globe are the arms of Vishnu. So your friends who work so hard to save the Tigers and Turtles and Ecology are all Arms of The Purusha.
RV_10.090.12.2{19} ūrūtadasya yad vaiśyaḥ padbhyāṃ śūdro ajāyata
ūrūtadasya yad vaiśyaḥ : His thighs are the vaisyas.
Similarly, the untiring traders and workers of commerce from our vegetable cart retailers to all those who work for the economic benefit of the world are the thighs of The puruSa.
padbhyāṃ śūdro ajāyata : s’UdrAs were born of his feet.
- Legally, there is no modern varna or category called Sudras today. There are just thousands of kulas or castes and tribes that government classifies into forward, backward scheduled and so on. (See : Indian Caste System: Then and Now: Jati, Varna, Kula)
- In the ancient times, the sudra varna or category encompassed the entire services sector, including story telling and keeping accounts.
So how do I interpret this phrase? Annamacharya sings.. “Brahma kadigina Padam” : viSNu pAdam is so sacred that Brahma, the creator, himself washed the feet of Vishnu. Thyagaraja entreats Sri Rama Padam to come to his cittam or to his consciousness.
Therefore I believe that the most devout of brahmans always worship the feet of Vishnu. There is nothing more sacred to them than the feet of the puruSa. From these feet have sprung all those engaged in services, including agriculture, domestic help, hotel management and the information services technology.
In conclusion, I think that this mantra is telling us that if we want to look at Vishnu or the Purusha, all we have to do is to look around at the people around us. These are His thousands of heads, thousands of hands and thousands of feet.
Perhaps that is why Vivekananda asked the sanyasins of the Ramakrishna MaTam to serve people. Perhaps this why the phrase Manava Seve Madhava Seva (service to humanity is service to God) came into being. Perhaps this is why brahmagnyanins see God everywhere.
In this post : Meaning : RV_10.090.03.2{17} pādo.asyaviśvā bhūtāni tripādasyāmṛtaṃ divi , we learn that the all the living beings comprise but one fourth of the Purusha and that the immortal heavens comprise three fourths of the puruSa. So, I think, if you want to look at the puruSa, you can step out and take a look at the sky with all its stars and millions of planets etc.
s’ri kRSNArpaNam.
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