Encyclopedia
Purusha
Conscious spirit, the knower paired with prakriti.
ConceptBhagavad Gitaपुरुष
Definition
Conscious spirit, the knower and witness of nature.
Meaning
In Sankhya, purusha is plural conscious selves amid prakriti. In the Gita, the supreme Purusha (Purushottama) is Krishna beyond the perishable and imperishable.
Etymology
Sanskrit purusha, person, man, cosmic Person (Rigvedic sense).
Primary sources
- Bhagavad Gita · ch. 8
- Bhagavad Gita · ch. 13
- Bhagavad Gita · ch. 15
Related chapters
Related characters
Related events
Examples
- Knower of the field as purusha (ch. 13)
- Purushottama, the supreme Person (ch. 15)
- Two purushas: perishable and imperishable
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