By whom were brought the two heels of a man (púruṣa)? by whom was his flesh put together? by whom his two ankle-joints (gulphá)? by whom his cunning (péçana) fingers? by whom his apertures? by whom his (two) uchlakhás in the midst? who [put together] his footing (pratiṣṭhā́)?
kasmān nu gulphāv adharāv akṛṇvann aṣṭhīvantāv uttarau puruṣasya | jaṅghe nirṛtya ny adadhuḥ kva svij jānunoḥ saṃdhī ka u tac ciketa ||2||
From what, now, did they make a man's two ankle-joints below, his two knee-joints above? separating (? nir-ṛ) his two back-thighs (ján̄ghā), where, forsooth, did they set them in? the two joints of his knees—who indeed understands (cit) that?
catuṣṭayaṃ yujate saṃhitāntaṃ jānubhyām ūrdhvaṃ śithiraṃ kabandham | śroṇī yad ūrū ka u taj jajāna yābhyāṃ kusindhaṃ sudṛḍhaṃ babhūva ||3||
There is joined, fourfold (cátuṣṭaya), with closed (sáṁhita-) ends, above the two knees, the pliant (çithirá) trunk; what the hips are, the thighs—who indeed produced (jan) that, by which the body (kúsindha) became very firm?
कति देवाः कतमे त आसन् य उरो ग्रीवाश् चिक्युः पुरुषस्य । कति स्तनौ व्य् अदधुः कः कफोदौ कति स्कन्धान् कति पृष्टीर् अचिन्वन् ॥४॥
kati devāḥ katame ta āsan ya uro grīvāś cikyuḥ puruṣasya | kati stanau vy adadhuḥ kaḥ kaphodau kati skandhān kati pṛṣṭīr acinvan ||4||
How many gods [and] which were they, who gathered (ci) the breast, the neck-bones of man? how many disposed the two teats? who the two collar-bones (? kaphoḍá)? how many gathered the shoulder-bones (pl.)? how many the ribs?
Who bored out the seven apertures in his head—these ears, the nostrils, the eyes, the mouth? in the might of whose conquest (vijayá) in many places quadrupeds [and] bipeds go their way.
हन्वोर् हि जिह्वाम् अदधात् पुरूचीम् अधा महीम् अधि शिश्राय वाचम् । स आ वरीवर्ति भुवनेष्व् अन्तर् अपो वसानः क उ तच् चिकेत ॥७॥
hanvor hi jihvām adadhāt purūcīm adhā mahīm adhi śiśrāya vācam | sa ā varīvarti bhuvaneṣv antar apo vasānaḥ ka u tac ciketa ||7||
Since in his jaws he put his ample (purūcī́) tongue, then attached (adhi-çri) [to it] great voice; he rolls greatly on among existences, clothing himself in the waters: who indeed understands that?
mastiṣkam asya yatamo lalātaṃ kakāṭikāṃ prathamo yaḥ kapālam | citvā cityaṃ hanvoḥ pūruṣasya divaṃ ruroha katamaḥ sa devaḥ ||8||
Which was that god who [produced] his brain, his forehead, his hindhead (? kakā́ṭikā), who first his skull, who, having gathered a gathering in man's jaws, ascended to heaven?
Who disposed in him waters, moving apart, much moving, produced for river-running, strong (tīvrá), ruddy, red, dark and turbid, upward, downward, crosswise in man?
With what did he stretch the waters along? with what did he make the day to shine? with what did he kindle (anu-idh) the dawn? with what did he give the coming-on of evening?
Wherewith does he obtain one learned in revelation (çrótriya)? wherewith this most exalted one? wherewith does man [obtain] this Agni? wherewith did he measure (make?) the year?
kena devāṃ anu kṣiyati kena daivajanīr viśaḥ | kenedam anyan nakṣatraṃ kena sat kṣatram ucyate ||22||
Wherewith does he dwell upon (? anu-kṣi) the gods? wherewith [upon] the people of the god-folk? wherewith this other asterism? whereby is authority (kṣatrá) called real (sát)?
brahma devāṃ anu kṣiyati brahma daivajanīr viśaḥ | brahmedam anyan nakṣatraṃ brahma sat kṣatram ucyate ||23||
The bráhman dwells upon the gods, the bráhman [upon] the people of the god-folk; the bráhman this other asterism; the bráhman is called real authority.
ऊर्ध्वो नु सृष्टा३स् तिर्यङ् नु सृष्टा३स् सर्वा दिशः पुरुष आ बभूवा३ं । पुरं यो ब्रह्मणो वेद यस्याः पुरुष उच्यते ॥२८॥
ūrdhvo nu sṛṣṭā3s tiryaṅ nu sṛṣṭā3s sarvā diśaḥ puruṣa ā babhūvā3ṃ | puraṃ yo brahmaṇo veda yasyāḥ puruṣa ucyate ||28||
Was he now created upward (ūrdhvá)? [or] was he now created crosswise? did man grow unto (ā-bhū) all the quarters?—he who knoweth the bráhman's stronghold, from which man is [so] called.
tasmin hiraṇyaye kośe tryare tripratiṣṭhite | tasmin yad yakṣam ātmanvat tad vai brahmavido viduḥ ||32||
In that golden vessel, three-spoked, having three supports—what soul-possessing monster (yakṣá) there is in it, that verily the knowers of the bráhman know.