Purushottama (, from पुरुष, ''purusha'', "person," "personal animating principle," or "soul," and उत्तम, ''uttama'', "highest") is an epithet of the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

preserver deity,

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

. According to

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

, Vishnu is the source of

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

, the liberator of sins, the fount of knowledge, and the highest of all beings.

Etymology

The epithet means the "Supreme

Purusha ''Purusha'' (, ʊɾʊʂᵊ ) is a complex concept whose meaning evolved in Vedic and Upanishadic times. Depending on source and historical timeline, it means the cosmic being or self, awareness, and universal principle.Karl Potter, Presupposit ...

", "

Supreme Being {{broad-concept article A supreme deity, supreme god or supreme being is the conception of the sole deity of monotheistic religions or, in polytheistic or henotheistic religions, the paramount deity or supernatural entity which is above all other ...

," or "Supreme God". It has alternatively also been put forth to mean: "One who is the Supreme Purusha, beyond the ''kshara'' (destructible — i.e.,

Prakṛti Prakriti ( ) is "the original or natural form or condition of anything, original or primary substance". It is a key concept in Hinduism, formulated by the '' Samkhya'' school, where it does not refer merely to matter or nature, but includes all co ...

), and ''akshara'' (indestructible — i.e.,

Atman Atman or Ātman may refer to: Religion * ''Ātman'' (Hinduism), meaning "Self", a philosophical concept common to all schools of Hindu philosophy * ''Ātman'' (Buddhism), ''attā'' or ''attan'', a reference to the essential self ** ''Anattā'' ...

)".

Literature

Purushottama is one of the names of

, and appears as the 24th name of the deity in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

as an

avatara Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...

of Vishnu is called Maryada Purushottama,

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

as an avatara of Vishnu is known as Leela Purushottama.

Bhagavad Gita

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

verse 10.15, Arjuna fully accepts Krishna's divine nature and acknowledges Him as source of all creation, including the gods. The text invokes this epithet in its verses: A sculpture of sleeping Vishnu Hindu deity at Museum CSMVS Mumbai

A sculpture of sleeping Vishnu Hindu deity at Museum CSMVS Mumbai

In verse 15.18, Krishna defines purushottama as a being superior to two purushas, kshara (perishable) and

akshara Akshara () is a term used in the traditional grammar of the Sanskrit language and in the Vedanta school of Indian philosophy. The term is derived from अ, '' a-'' "not" and क्षर्, ''kṣar-'' "melt away, perish". The uniting aspect of ...

(imperishable):

Harivamsha

In the Harivamsha,

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

refers to Vishnu by this epithet before the events of the

Samudra Manthana The Samudra Manthana () is a major episode in Hinduism that is elaborated in the Vishnu Purana, a major text of Hinduism. The Samudra Manthana explains the origin of the elixir of eternal life, amrita. Nomenclature *Sāgara manthana (साग� ...

Garuda Purana

The epithet is featured in the Vishnu Panjaram, a

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

to the deity: Purushottama was explained by the philosopher

Haridas Chaudhuri Haridas Chaudhuri (May 1913 – 1975) was an Indian integral philosopher. He was a correspondent with Sri Aurobindo and the founder of the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS). Early life and career He was born in May 1913 in Shyam ...

(1913–1975) as representing that ineffable phenomenon that lies even beyond the undifferentiated Godhead.

Etymology

Literature

Bhagavad Gita

Harivamsha

Garuda Purana

See also

References

Sources

Further reading