790. Parāparā
Parāparā reveals the Divine Mother as both Parā, the transcendent Absolute beyond all manifestation, and Aparā, the immanent presence within the universe. The name teaches the non-dual truth that the Divine is simultaneously beyond creation and expressed through it. By contemplating Parāparā, the seeker recognizes the unity underlying all apparent distinctions and realizes the Divine Mother as the all-encompassing reality.
Parāparā (परापरा)
This is the 790th name of the Lalitā Sahasranāma.
After revealing the Divine Mother as Nistraiguṇyā, beyond the three guṇas, the Sahasranāma now presents a name that encapsulates one of the deepest truths of Śrīvidyā and Advaita:
Parāparā: She who is both Parā and Aparā; She who is both transcendent and immanent; She who is beyond the universe and yet present within it; She who unites the absolute and the manifest in her own being.
This name is a masterpiece of non-dual theology, reconciling all apparent opposites within the Divine Mother.
1. Literal Meaning
Word-by-word
Parā – supreme, transcendent, beyond, absolute
Aparā – lower, manifest, immanent, relative
Parāparā – both Parā and Aparā; transcendent and immanent simultaneously
Literal translation
"She who is both the Supreme and the Manifest."
or
"She who is both transcendent and immanent."
2. Traditional Meaning
The commentators explain:
The Goddess is called Parāparā because she exists both as the transcendent reality beyond creation and as the manifested universe itself.
She is simultaneously beyond everything and present in everything.
3. What Is Parā?
Parā refers to:
the Absolute,
the unmanifest,
pure Consciousness,
the transcendent Brahman.
It is the reality beyond:
name,
form,
time,
space,
causation.
4. What Is Aparā?
Aparā refers to:
the manifested universe,
creation,
names and forms,
the realm of experience.
It is the Divine appearing as the world.
5. Why Is She Both?
Because there are not two realities.
The same Divine Mother appears as:
the unmanifest source,
the manifest universe.
She transcends creation while simultaneously pervading it.
6. Why Does This Name Follow Nistraiguṇyā?
The sequence is extraordinarily profound.
Nistraiguṇyā
The Mother is beyond the three guṇas.
Parāparā
Yet being beyond the guṇas does not mean being absent from creation.
She is both:
beyond the world,
present as the world.
The Sahasranāma prevents transcendence from becoming separation.
7. Śākta Meaning
In Śrīvidyā, the Divine Mother is:
Parā
As pure, unconditioned Śakti beyond manifestation.
Aparā
As the universe, the gods, the elements, the mind, and all experience.
Parāparā
As the unity of both.
This is one of the central doctrines of the tradition.
8. Devotional Meaning
For devotees, Parāparā is deeply comforting.
The Mother is:
infinitely beyond comprehension,
yet intimately present in daily life.
She is found:
in the highest meditation,
in the simplest act of devotion.
9. Advaita Vedāntic Meaning
Now the deeper layer.
A profound insight
How can the same reality be both transcendent and immanent?
The hidden teaching
Because transcendence and immanence are perspectives, not separate realities.
The Ocean and the Waves
The ocean transcends any individual wave.
Yet every wave is nothing but the ocean.
Similarly:
the Mother transcends the universe,
the universe is nothing but the Mother.
The Absolute and the Relative
From one standpoint:
The Mother is beyond all manifestation.
From another:
Everything that appears is the Mother.
Both are true.
The End of Duality
The mind tends to divide:
spirit and matter,
sacred and secular,
transcendence and immanence.
Parāparā dissolves these divisions.
There is only one reality.
The Supreme Mystery
The Mother is:
beyond thought,
yet the source of thought.
beyond form,
yet every form.
beyond the universe,
yet the universe itself.
This is the mystery of Parāparā.
Beyond "Either-Or"
Ordinary logic seeks one side or the other.
The Divine Mother encompasses both.
She is not merely transcendent.
She is not merely immanent.
She is both and beyond both.
Relation to Earlier Names
Observe the progression:
Nistraiguṇyā: Beyond the three guṇas.
Parāparā: Both beyond creation and present as creation.
The Sahasranāma now presents one of its most complete visions of the Divine Mother.
The Non-Dual Meaning
At the highest level, Parāparā signifies the non-dual Consciousness that appears as both the unmanifest Absolute and the manifested universe. There is no separation between the transcendent and the immanent because both are expressions of the same infinite reality.
A Deeper Contemplation
The name Parāparā stands among the most profound names in the Lalitā Sahasranāma.
It resolves a question that has occupied philosophers and mystics for centuries:
Is God beyond the world, or present within it?
The answer given by the Sahasranāma is:
Both.
The Mother is the transcendent Absolute beyond all names and forms.
At the same time, she is every name and every form.
The sequence after Nistraiguṇyā is especially significant.
The Mother is first revealed as beyond all qualities and limitations.
Then the Sahasranāma immediately reminds us that this transcendence does not exclude creation.
Rather, creation itself is her expression.
From a devotional perspective, Parāparā is the Mother who is both infinitely exalted and intimately accessible.
From a Śākta perspective, she is both Parā Śakti and the manifested cosmos.
From a philosophical perspective, she reconciles transcendence and immanence.
From an Advaitic perspective, she is the one non-dual Consciousness appearing as both the Absolute and the relative.
The Mother is beyond everything.
And everything is within the Mother.
Ultimately, Parāparā teaches that the Divine Mother is both the transcendent Absolute and the manifested universe. She is the unconditioned reality beyond all creation and the immanent presence within every aspect of existence. Through this name, the seeker realizes that there is no separation between the Divine and the world, for both are expressions of the same infinite Consciousness.
To contemplate Parāparā is to awaken to the unity of transcendence and immanence and to recognize the Divine Mother as the all-encompassing reality that is both beyond and within all things.
One-line Essence
Parāparā reveals the Divine Mother as both the transcendent Absolute and the immanent universe, united in one non-dual reality.
