Rig Veda The Hymn of Man

Reading Consideration: What does the Hymn of Man say about the creation of the world? How does it differ from the The Creation Hymn?

 

The Hymn of Man says that the world came about through the dismemberment and sacrifice of Purpusa. {I was confused as to whether he was a he was a god or a being because the text refers to him as The Man, however describes him as the ruler of immortality. The Hymn also begins by stating that “The Man has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet” (1).  Regardless of whether he is a god or a being, The Man is clearly powerful based on how he is described. I was confused as to what The Man was because the introduction before the hymn explains that Purpusa was sacrificed by the gods but was not labeled a god himself.}*

 

The main difference between The Creation Hymn and The Hymn of Man is that The Creation Hymn says that there was neither non existence nor existences. The Hymn of Man on the other hand provides the reader with the entire beginning, middle, and end of how the world was created. Another difference I noticed between the hymns was the tone. The Hymn of Man was very authoritative and ensured the reader that events happened as the narrator posed them. The tone of The Creation Hymn was unsure and questioning. When I read The Creation Hymn, I felt as though the narrator was privy to the same knowledge as I was and that we were learning about the creation together. The Hymn of Man was more satisfying to me because I felt I could rely on the narrator and that he was knowledgeable about the information he was presenting.

 

 

 

{}* –> This section was just my thoughts while I was reading however did not answer the question. I still wanted to add it in though.