Purushottama

Purushottama is an epithet of the Hindu preserver deity, Vishnu. According to Vaishnavism, Vishnu is the source of moksha, the liberator of sins, the fount of knowledge, and the highest of all beings.

Etymology

The epithet means the "Supreme Purusha", "Supreme Being," or "Supreme God".
It has alternatively also been put forth to mean: "One who is the Supreme Purusha, beyond the kshara, and akshara ".

Literature

Purushottama is one of the names of Vishnu, and appears as the 24th name of the deity in the Vishnu Sahasranama of the Mahabharata. Rama as an avatara of Vishnu is called Maryada Purushottama, Krishna as an avatara of Vishnu is known as Leela Purushottama.

Bhagavad Gita

In Bhagavad Gita 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:
In verse 15.18, Krishna defines purushottama as a being superior to two purushas, kshara and akshara :

Harivamsha

In the Harivamsha, Brahma refers to Vishnu by this epithet before the events of the Samudra Manthana:

Garuda Purana

The epithet is featured in the Vishnu Panjaram, a mantra to the deity:
Purushottama was explained by the philosopher Haridas Chaudhuri as representing that ineffable phenomenon that lies even beyond the undifferentiated Godhead.