Puruṣottama — The Supreme Person
Puruṣottama (puruṣa = person or conscious self, uttama = highest) is the name by which Kṛṣṇa identifies Himself in Bhagavad Gītā 15.18: because He transcends the kṣara and is higher even than the akṣara, He is proclaimed in the world and in the Veda as Puruṣottama.
Kṣara, Akṣara and Puruṣottama
In Rāmānuja's interpretation of Gītā 15.16–18:
- Kṣara-puruṣas are the bound jīvas whose knowledge and experience are contracted through association with mutable prakṛti.
- Akṣara-puruṣas are the liberated jīvas, free from that bondage and established in their imperishable nature.
- Puruṣottama is Bhagavān, distinct from and supreme over both classes, sustaining and ruling them as their inner self.
Thus akṣara in this passage is not merely 'the individual soul in its essential nature' with an alternative identification as unmanifest prakṛti. The contrast, as explained by Rāmānuja, is between bound and liberated selves, over both of whom Bhagavān is sovereign.
Theological Significance
The name establishes Bhagavān's unsurpassed status without reducing Him to the greatest member of the jīva class. He is the śarīrī of cit and acit, the antaryāmin, supporter, ruler and final goal. His transcendence and immanence are simultaneous: He exceeds all beings while dwelling within and sustaining them.
Devotional Resonance
For the devotee, Puruṣottama is the Lord who is infinitely above the soul yet intimately its owner, protector and indwelling support. The title is celebrated throughout Vaiṣṇava scripture and stotra literature and invites contemplation of the Lord as both transcendent and indwelling.