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PURUSHA SUKTHAM
and Material. Early Christians presented Jesus as this cosmic Man who pervaded all cosmos. One of the titles of Jesus was "Son of Man" or in Indian terminology Narayana or Purushotama (Great Man).
The Purusha Suktha therefore contains various layers of historical development.
The first innermost layer was the Thomasian layer following the teachings of St.Thomas during his twenty year ministry in India. This was augumented by the Judao-Christian mysticism of Kaballa. These essentially fall within the first five verses. However following the ministry of Manichaen, whose ministry covered all over India starting from the North to the South, we see another layer, the Gnostic layer, where the gods and seers become the creators of the lower worlds. Later layers come in simply as an attempt to introduce Vishnavism into the Purusha Suktham which must have come very recently after Vaishnavism became popular. It may have been just a few interpolations within the old document also. Most of the apparent difficulties which commentators struggle will disappear as we see this historical realiy. Interpolations makes it difficult to exactly pin point which layer belongs to which period and which portions of a documents are redactions and interpolation. As you go through this commentary you will be able to make your own judgement.
Early Christian Layer: Thomasian Layer of Isai 1-3 AD
Judeao- Christian Mystic Layer: Kaballa Influence 1-3 AD
Gnostic Layer: Manichaen Influence 3- 7 AD
Later Vaishanavite Layer from Puranas and Ithihasas 7 AD ---
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