757. Kṣarākṣarātmikā
Kṣarākṣarātmikā reveals the Divine Mother as the one reality underlying both the perishable universe and the imperishable Self. The name teaches that she is simultaneously immanent and transcendent, manifesting as the ever-changing world while remaining the eternal Consciousness that never changes. Through this name, the seeker is led to the recognition of the non-dual unity underlying all existence.
Kṣarākṣarātmikā (क्षराक्षरात्मिका)
This is the 757th name of the Lalitā Sahasranāma.
After celebrating the Divine Mother as Caṇḍa-muṇḍāsura-niṣūdinī, the destroyer of powerful demonic forces, the Sahasranāma now returns to profound metaphysical teaching:
Kṣarākṣarātmikā: She whose nature is both the perishable and the imperishable; She who exists as both the changing universe and the eternal reality behind it; She who is the essence of both kṣara and akṣara.
This name reflects one of the deepest teachings of the Upaniṣads and the Bhagavad Gītā.
1. Literal Meaning
Word-by-word
Kṣara – the perishable, changing, decaying, manifest universe
Akṣara – the imperishable, unchanging, eternal reality
Ātmikā – whose nature is, whose essence is
Literal translation
"She whose nature is both the perishable and the imperishable."
or
"She who exists as both kṣara and akṣara."
2. Traditional Meaning
The commentators explain:
The Goddess is called Kṣarākṣarātmikā because she manifests as the entire changing universe while also existing as the eternal and imperishable reality underlying it.
She is both:
the world,
and the truth behind the world.
3. What Is Kṣara?
The Bhagavad Gītā uses the term kṣara to describe everything subject to change.
Kṣara includes:
bodies,
thoughts,
emotions,
worlds,
gods,
galaxies,
all manifested existence.
Everything that arises and passes away is kṣara.
4. What Is Akṣara?
Akṣara means:
imperishable,
eternal,
changeless,
undecaying.
It refers to the eternal principle underlying all change.
In Vedānta it often signifies Brahman or the imperishable Self.
5. The Goddess as Both
The uniqueness of this name lies in its inclusiveness.
The Mother is not merely the transcendent reality.
She is also the universe.
She is:
the wave,
and the ocean.
the form,
and the formless.
the changing,
and the changeless.
6. Why Does This Name Follow Caṇḍa-muṇḍāsura-niṣūdinī?
The sequence is meaningful.
Caṇḍa-muṇḍāsura-niṣūdinī
The Mother destroys the forces of ignorance.
Kṣarākṣarātmikā
What truth is revealed when ignorance is destroyed?
That the Divine Mother alone appears as both the manifest universe and the eternal reality beyond it.
7. Śākta Meaning
In Śākta philosophy, the Supreme Goddess is both:
transcendent (para),
immanent (apara).
She exists beyond creation and yet permeates every aspect of creation.
Thus she is Kṣarākṣarātmikā.
8. Relation to the Bhagavad Gītā
The fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita speaks of:
Kṣara Puruṣa – the perishable principle,
Akṣara Puruṣa – the imperishable principle.
Beyond both stands the Supreme Reality.
In the Śākta understanding, the Divine Mother encompasses all these dimensions.
9. Advaita Vedāntic Meaning
Now the deeper layer.
A profound insight
How can one reality be both changing and unchanging?
The hidden teaching
Through appearance and essence.
The Ocean and the Waves
Consider the ocean.
Waves constantly arise and disappear.
The waves are changing.
The water remains the same.
Likewise:
the universe is kṣara,
Consciousness is akṣara.
The Mother is both.
Immanence and Transcendence
The Divine is not separate from creation.
Nor is it limited to creation.
The Mother pervades every form while remaining beyond all forms.
The Unity of Opposites
Ordinarily we think:
changing and unchanging,
finite and infinite,
form and formless
must be separate.
The Mother transcends such divisions.
The Secret of Non-Duality
The changing universe is not independent of the eternal.
It is a manifestation of it.
Thus kṣara is not separate from akṣara.
Both are expressions of the same reality.
Beyond Both
Some commentators note that the Supreme ultimately transcends even the distinction between kṣara and akṣara.
The Mother is therefore not merely both.
She is the reality in which both concepts arise.
Relation to Earlier Names
Observe the progression:
Mahāgrāsā: Absorber of the universe.
Mahāśanā: Consumer of all manifestation.
Kṣarākṣarātmikā: The essence of both the universe and the eternal reality behind it.
The Sahasranāma is leading the seeker from cosmic vision to metaphysical realization.
The Non-Dual Meaning
At the highest level, Kṣarākṣarātmikā signifies the Divine Mother as the one non-dual reality appearing as both the changing universe and the changeless Self. Nothing exists outside her, and every apparent distinction resolves into her infinite Consciousness.
A Deeper Contemplation
The name Kṣarākṣarātmikā is one of the great philosophical names of the Sahasranāma.
Human thought naturally divides reality into opposites:
spirit and matter,
eternal and temporal,
divine and worldly.
This name dissolves those divisions.
The Mother is not merely beyond the world.
She is also present within it.
Every changing form is her manifestation.
Every eternal truth is her nature.
The sequence after the fierce names is significant.
After destroying ignorance and its demonic forms, the Sahasranāma reveals the vision that dawns upon the purified seeker:
The Divine Mother alone exists as both the changing universe and the imperishable reality underlying it.
From a devotional perspective, she is both the visible world and its unseen source.
From a Śākta perspective, she is simultaneously immanent and transcendent.
From a scriptural perspective, she encompasses both kṣara and akṣara described in the Bhagavad Gītā.
From an Advaitic perspective, she is the non-dual Consciousness in which all distinctions between change and permanence ultimately disappear.
The Mother is all that appears and all that remains.
Ultimately, Kṣarākṣarātmikā teaches that the Divine Mother is the essence of both the perishable universe and the imperishable Self. She is the changing and the changeless, the manifest and the unmanifest, revealing the profound unity that underlies all existence.
To contemplate Kṣarākṣarātmikā is to recognize the Divine Mother everywhere, both as the world that is experienced and as the eternal Consciousness that makes all experience possible.
One-line Essence
Kṣarākṣarātmikā reveals the Divine Mother as the essence of both the changing universe and the eternal, imperishable reality.
