Prajapati's relations with Brahman, Brhaspati and Brahma - DWC

121, 1, the stanza of the Golden Germ and the Unknown God (ka)'" who according
to a probably later interpretation is Prajä{?ati, as weIl as the Puru­
/?asükta are used to consecrate the process (e. g. SB. 13, 5, 2, 23; 13, 6,
2, 12).
It is moreover hardly due to the merest chance that the Puru/?asükta
should consist of sixteen stanzas. As already argued above, sixteen is in
India long since an important number denoting a whoie, completeness, totalityS
(see, e.g., SB. 13,2,2,13; 13,5,1,15; 13,6,2,12). A poem of
sixteen stanzas was because of its outward form no doubt considered preeminenUy
suitable for making the reciter or sacrificer whoie, sound, complete.
On the other hand, sixteen is also often one of Prajäpati's numbers 6 ;
the oldest occurrence probably is VS. 8, 36 "Prajäpati, being sixteen-partite
... belongs to (abides in) the three luminaries (sun, lightning, fire)".
See also SB. 7, 2, 2, 17; 9, 2, 2, 2. This conception of the sixteenfold Prajäpati
has in all probability exerted influence on the doctrine of the sixteenfold
Brahman in ChU. 4, 5-9 (cf. also JUB. 3, 7, 1, 8), which seems to have
developed from the idea of the fourfold Puru/?a in IJ.V. 10, 90, 3 f., and
this theorem has probably also led to the doctrine of the sixteen-partite
man (§o{i.asakalai) puru§al) , TB. 1, 7, 5, 5; SB. 11, 1, 6, 36 (where also the
sacrifice and the Puru/?a are declared to be identical); JUB. 3, 7, 2, 1;
C hU. 6, 7, 1 ff.; Pr U. 6, 2; 5) 7 •
That the figures of Puru/?a ~nd Prajäpati came to fuse is therefore no
great surprise. According to SB. 6, 1, 1, 1 ff.; 10, 2, 2, 1; 5 there emanated
by ritual means seven puru§as (male persons) that were made one
Puru/?a (Person) , who became the creator-god Prajäpati 8 • That means that
here Prajäpati is considered to be (a) Puru/?a composed of seven individualities
. In accordance with his very nature this Prajäpati produced living
beings and went upwards to the heavenly regions . He is, moreover , identical
with, or represented by, Agni, that is the great fireplace, the construction
of which is in SB. 6, 1, 1, 1 ff. under discussion . See also § 5;
cf. 6, 2, 1, 23; 6, 2, 2, 4; and cf. 6, 2, 2, 8 f. Prajäpati is the year, is
Agni and is Puru/?a 9 ; 7,1,1,37; 10,2,3,5; in JB. 2, 56 Prajäpati is declared
to be the Puru/?a (although in T Ä. 1, 23 (the) Puru!?a, ideptified
with the primaeval tortoise 10 , was Prajäpati's first creation). In SB. 12,3,
1,1 the question is posed, "how is it that the sacrifice, Purusa, and Prajäpati
do not exceed (surpass) one another?" .
According to KB. 23, 7, 2 S. Puru!?a PrajäpatiQ existed before this All
(Le. the universe , piirvo 'sya sarvasya ll ). The name Puru!?a PrajäpatiQ
occurs, e. g. , also JUB. 1, 15, 4, 3; 4. In SB. 11, 1, 6, 1 ff. we are told
that in the beginning the universe was nothing but (the primordial) water,
which by means of tapas produced a golden egg: at the end of a year (the)
Puru!?a was produced from it, namely Prajäpati, who broke it open and
4 See Gonda, The pronoun ka and the proper noun Ka (n. VII, 14 above).
5 See above, pp. 46 and 55.
6 For more particulars ; Gonda, Change and continuity, p. 121 ff.; Prajäpati's
number, Vol. G. Tueei, Rome 1987, p. 560 ff.
7 On the sixteen-partite and the person without parts see also PrU. 6, 5 f.
8 See above, p. 41, also for TA. 3, 13,2; on SB. 6, 1, 1, 8 p. 42.
9 See above, p. 45.
10 See Gonda, Rice and barley offerings, Leiden 1987, p. 5; 18.
l! Not "Prajäpati is man, being before all this" (Keith, Rigveda Brahmanas, p.
477 (KB. 23, 4,1».
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