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<blockquote class="definition">'''Purusha''' ( पुरुष) is a vedic term syncretic with the [[Fabric of Consciousness]].</blockquote>

==Syncretic Terms==

[[Force]] > {{#ask: [[Is a syncretic term::Force]]}}

==Notes==

"Sānkhya philosophy postulates two supreme realities: a) Purusha (self or spirit) and b) [[Prakriti]] (primordial nature or matter). According to Sānkhya, Purusha is independent of Prakriti, is inactive, is pure consciousness, is unchanging principle of intelligence, and is above and beyond Gunas (see later). Purusha is regarded as the prime mover and is the first cause of the cosmic process. Purusha is the unchangeable reality behind all the changing phenomena of the universe, which in turn are the products of the never-resting Gunas. Hence, Purusha is ever free, and is above and beyond the limits of time, space and cause. It has neither beginning nor end. It is eternal. It is Suddha, Buddha and Mukta— that is, purity, consciousness and freedom. 

Purusha of Sānkhya in many respects resembles the Ātman of the Vedānta, but with the fundamental difference that Ātman, the unchanging component of the Self, which is one with the all-pervading Brahman but the Purushas are many.<ref>Bhattacharyya, Ashim Kumar. Hindu Dharma: Introduction to Scriptures and Theology. Lincoln, NE: iUnvierse, 2006.</ref>

The concept is quite fluid, and its meaning in vedic scripture depends on the when and where it was used. In the Taittiriya Upanishad it is used to refer to [[Spiritual Ego]], residing in the heart center. "There is a space within the heart. Within it dwells Purusha, made of mind, immortal, golden. That which hangs down between two sides of the palate like a nipple, that is along the pathway of Indra (the soul). It pierces the two halves of the skull, passing out at the crown of the head where the hair ends. With the sound bhūh he is established in fire, with bhuvah in air."<ref>Katz, Vernon, and Thomas Egenes. The Upanishads: A New Translation. New York: Penguin, 2015. https://amzn.to/2XAhN7M.</ref>


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[[category:terms]]
[[Is a syncretic term::Fabric of Consciousness| ]] [[Is a::Vedic concept| ]]