Some of the archana paddhatis prescribe chanting this hymn for puja and arotik. Does anyone have any specific information on its use in raganuga bhakti practices? Is it mainly for Salagram Sila worship, or is it also being used for general puja of all Deities? I do not recall any of the babajis using it on a daily basis, but that may not be true for householder Vaishnavas or the larger temples.
I am not an expert of arcana, but having read the Purusa-sukta, it appears unbefitting to chant it to anyone but a Vishnu-murti, such as salagram-shila. I know of one Arcana-paddhati in the Gaudiya Math (of GVS) which prescribes chanting this hymn during the worship of all silas, including Govardhana-sila.
The Purusa-sukta hymn of Rig-Veda Samhita (10.7.90.1-16) praises the Lord in his form of Virat-purusha (the universal form). It is also to be found in Taitriya Aranyaka (3.12.13), Vajasaneyi Samhita (31.1-6) and the Samaveda Samhita (19.6).
oM sahasra-zIrSA puruSaH sahasrAksaH sahasra-pAt |
sa bhUmiM vizvato vRtvA 'tyatiSThad dazAGgulam || 1 ||
"The Purusa (or the Primeval Being) has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. He has enveloped this world from all sides and has (even) transcended it by ten angulas or inches."
puruSa evedaM sarvaM yad bhUtaM yac ca bhavyam |
utAmRtatvasyezAno yad annenAtirohati || 2 ||
"All this is verily the Purusa. All that which existed in the past or will come into being in future (is also the Purusa). Also , he is the Lord of immortality. That which grows profusely by food (is also Purusa)."
etAvan asya mahimA 'to jyAyAMz ca puruSaH |
padh 'sya vizvA bhUtAni tripAd asyAmRtaM divi || 3 ||
"So much is His greatness. However, the Purusha is greater than this. All the beings form only a quarter (part of) Him. The three-quarter part of His, which is eternal, is established in the spiritual domain."
(Read the complete Purusa-sukta here)I cannot imagine chanting this during arcana. It is a complete antithesis of madhuryamayi-smarana. As I do not chant the Brahma Gayatri, I do not chant the Purusa-sukta. Of course someone could write a rasika commentary on Purusa-sukta if he wished.
Here is the phala-stuti of Purusa-sukta:
yajJena yajJam ayajanta devAs tAni dharmANi prathamAny Asan |
te ha nAkaM mahimAnaH sacanta yatra pUrve sAdhyA santi devAH || 18 ||
"The (demi)gods worshiped (the Supreme Creator in the form of) yajna through yajna (sacrifical ceremonies). Those very processes became the primary dharmas (laws guiding humanity). Those great ones attain that heaven where the ancient devas (demigods) and sadhyas live."
This may be of some relevance: I one time asked Ananta Das Baba about 'Radha-krpa-kataksa' and he said it is in aiswarya bhava. He recommended prayers to Radha by Das Goswami and Rupa Goswami. If that is so for 'Radha-krpa-kataksa' I would be safe to assume it would apply for 'Purusa-sukta'.
Before I took diksa from Baba I told him I had Shalagram Shilas and a Govardhana Shila. He told me to give the Shalagram Shilas away and keep the Govardhana Shila for worship. He said Shalagram Shila is for worship in a mandir.
According to Visvanatha (RVC 1st chapter), mudras, nyasa and Dvaraka-dhyana are harmful for developing the desired mood (svAbhiSTa-bhAva-viruddha). I find it hard to understand how Purusa-sukta could be chanted during the worship of Radha-Krishna without distracting the aspiration for the desired feeling.