Purusha Sukta

(“Hymn to the Primeval Man”) The most
common name for the hymn in the Rg
Veda (10.90) that describes the creation
of the material and social world as the
result of a primordial sacrifice.
According to the text, in the beginning
there was one primeval man, who was
dismembered in sacrifice. Different
parts of his body became different parts
of the physical universe, as well as the
four traditional major social groups
(varnas): the brahmins came from the
primeval man’s mouth, the kshatriyas
from his shoulders, the vaishyas from
his thighs (a common euphemism for
the genitals), and the shudras from his
feet. This hymn clearly reflects the sacrificial paradigm that was so central to the
later Brahmana literature, and is thus
believed to be one of the latest hymns in
the Rg Veda. It is also notable for giving
the first known articulation of the four
varnas, as well as the symbolic functions
associated with each: for brahmins,
speech and the authority of the sacred
word; for kshatriyas, protection and
military valor; for vaishyas, generation
and production, and for shudras, service
to others.