Purusha

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Purusha (devanāgarī: पुरुष puruṣa) is a Sanskrit word that means "man" or "Cosmic man". In the Hindu school Samkhya Purusha is pure consciousness. It is thought to be our true identity as opposed to Prakriti, or the material realm. In Vedic schools Purusha is seen as the "Self" that pervades the universe. The Vedic divinities are interpretations of the many facets of Purusha.

H. P. Blavatsky uses this term in a similar way:

The seventh principle . . . is called Atma when spoken of in connection with an individual and Purush when applied in its relation to the Universe.[1]

Notes

  1. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Collected Writings vol. VI (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1989), 261.