Purusha Sukta

Rig Veda 10.90 • Verse 15

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Verse 15
intermediate
सप्तास्यासन्परिधयस्त्रिः सप्त समिधः कृताः । देवा यद्यज्ञं तन्वाना अबध्नन्पुरुषं पशुम् ॥

saptāsyāsanparidhayastriḥ sapta samidhaḥ kṛtāḥ | devā yadyajñaṃ tanvānā abadhnanpuruṣaṃ paśum ||

Seven were the enclosing sticks, thrice seven the fuel sticks made. When the gods, spreading the sacrifice, bound Purusha as the victim.

What This Means:

The cosmic ritual had seven boundary sticks and twenty-one fuel sticks. The gods prepared this vast sacrifice by binding Purusha as the sacred offering. Numbers carry symbolic significance — seven represents completeness, twenty-one is three times seven.

Going Deeper:

The binding of Purusha as "pashu" (sacrificial animal) is not violence but willing self-offering. The divine gives itself completely for creation. The specific numbers echo Vedic ritual structure, connecting cosmic and human sacrifice.

How To Apply This:

Sometimes you must "bind" yourself to a purpose, constraining your freedom for something greater. This willing self-offering is how creation happens — through focused dedication.

Key Sanskrit Terms:

paridhi= enclosing stick, boundarysamidh= fuel stick, kindlingpaśu= sacrificial animal, victim
#ritual#sacrifice#self-offering#sacred numbers