purushottama

Purushottama is a Sanskrit term meaning the "supreme Purusha" or the "highest person." Purusha, in Indian philosophy, often denotes the conscious self or the cosmic person, while uttama means highest or supreme. Thus Purushottama refers to the transcendent source of the universe, beyond ordinary individuals and beyond prakriti (material nature).

In Vaishnavism and many Puranic texts, Purushottama is an epithet of the supreme deity, commonly identified with Krishna or Vishnu. As such, Purushottama denotes the supreme person who is the source of all beings, the controller of the cosmos, and the ultimate object of devotion. In texts such as the Bhagavata Purana and the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is framed or interpreted in ways that align with the idea of Purushottama—the supreme, personal God who stands above the material world.

In Vedanta, the term is used with varying nuance. In Advaita Vedanta, Purushottama can be understood as the supreme Brahman, the ultimate reality that is the substratum of all existence and beyond dualities. In other schools such as Vishishtadvaita and Dvaita, Purushottama takes a more personal form as the supreme God who possesses definite attributes, engages with devotees, and governs cosmic order.

Thus, the term carries both personalist and metaphysical senses, its exact meaning depending on the scriptural and philosophical context. It is commonly treated as a title for the supreme Lord and features prominently in discussions of God, devotion, and cosmology within Hindu thought.