The Atharva Veda

"The Virāj Cosmic Manifestation came into being first, and from the Virāj came the Puruṣa" (9) records the creation of the person. "When the gods performed the sacrifice with the Puruṣa as the offering" (10) records the creation of sacrifice with the Puruṣa as the instrument. With that Puruṣa as the focal point, the questions of the Brahmavādins regarding the creation of the social order (Brahmins, etc.) are stated here. When they prepared the Puruṣa as the sacrifice, in how many ways did they divide him? This is the general question. Grammatical note: The suffix dhā is added to the word "how many" to signify division. "What is his mouth" and so on are the specific questions. What was the mouth of this sacrificial Puruṣa? What were his arms, thighs, and feet? What is said to be the two arms and thighs?

From the spiritual perspective, when the gods, who are manifestations of breath through the intent of the Prajāpati known as the mind, prepared the Puruṣa, the Virāj, the rest follows as before.

Thus ends the sixth hymn of the first Anuvāka of the nineteenth book.

The hymn "The Brahmin was his mouth" is employed, along with the previous hymn, in the sacrifice of the human during the Puruṣamedha and in the butter-offering rituals to the planet Saturn.

The Brahmin was his mouth, the Rājanya Warrior/Noble became his arms; His middle became the Vaiśya Merchant/Farmer, and from his feet, the Śūdra Servant was born. || 6 ||

The answer to the general question "in how many ways did they divide him" will be provided by verses starting with "The moon was born from his mind." The answer to the specific questions about the mouth is stated here: the Brahmin was the mouth of this sacrificial Puruṣa. This means the Brahmin class was born from his mouth. The Rājanya class was his two arms. The middle part of this sacrificial Puruṣa became the Vaiśya. The Śūdra was born from his feet.

The Taittirīya scripture records the birth of the Brahmins and others from these parts: "From the mouth, he created the Trivṛt three-fold chant... the Brahmin among humans. From the chest and arms, he created the Pañcadaśa fifteen-fold chant... the Rājanya among humans. From the middle, he created the Saptadaśa seventeen-fold chant... the Vaiśya among humans. From the feet, they were created."