A casual glance at the scripture reveals that in Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna uses the latter and in Vishnu Sahasra Namas the former is used. In simple words: "Purushottama signifies an exalted supreme being, embodying virtues and divine essence, often associated with Lord Vishnu." For the latter, an entire Chapter 15 called "Purushottam Yoga" was devoted in Gita.
The question: is there a difference? Gita answers affirmatively in terms of kshara purusha and akshara purusha where the latter means that which is imperishable, indestructible, fixed, immutable. What about Kshara Purusha?
This is where the masculinity concept is brought in. Starting with Greek gods like Hercules, Atlas, et al. the west had venerated masculinity in the fine arts and warfare. In the American context a phrase called "Hegemonic Masculinity" was constructed as: "men that are aiming to join military service to position themselves on the top of the hegemonic construct of masculinity". In the film, Pan’s Labyrinth, the idea of "fascist masculine" was used. As for the rest psychoanalytic theory, cognitive-development theory and learning theory definitions of masculinity apply which are:
Sex is biologically defined and gender is a social construct as male or female. Masculinity is a societal construct that is commonly associated with social problems like racism, depression, losing family and cultural value because in pursuit of true masculinity just to prove critics wrong, some men indulge in social vices like murder, theft and rape.
So anyway we cut it, masculinity is pejorative. In other words, as hindus we don't want to raise our children to live up to the masculine role models. That means, flexing muscles, subjugating minorities, exploiting females for progeny, etc. are not the qualities sought by us.
In the 20th century after hindus were finally liberated from the clutches of foreigners, a new found freedom led to the current "Kshara Purusha Crisis" for men that manifest as youth sporting beards (epitomized in the pan-India film Pushpa), women getting molested in public, sex tourism, pan-world films where heroes inspired by Super Man and James Bond project virility, machismo and chauvinism.
These kshara purushas have high fecundity which made sense when the economy was mostly agrarian and the infant mortality was high as more hands were necessary to tend the agricultural land even though it meant more mouths to be fed.
The kshara pusushas are also afraid that other religious groups will over-take them in terms of head-count and gain advantage in elections and convert Bharat to a theocratic state. While this seems like a legitimate grievance, the diaspora ascending to political heights in USA, UK, etc. is considered the same as "cognitively superior" merit-based immigration that opened the floodgates to immigrants in the west in general and USA in particular since 1965.
Regardless, the rest of the world sees Kshara Purushas using racist lens dividing them into androgynous and androgamus. The former is what we call "arathnaareeswara", the latter being my coinage that means subordination to the American hegemony.
In the west bollywood icons who are not Kshara Purushas were awarded honorary doctorates perhaps to create a competitive spirit among the religious minorities in Bharat that otherwise look up to "toxic masculinity" abroad. Many Kshara Purushas in the USA who spread hinduism through speeches, music, pravachanas, etc. project the Bharatiya soft power.
As Kshara Purushas come in more contact with other nationalities, preferring other women, we see a general feeling among their women as abandonment, rejection, and shame. So the Bharatiya women do the same and prefer macho men with shiny muscles or more wealth in other cultures. And this competition for appropriate mate goes on.
Lord Krishna is an Uttama Purusha because despite being in the midst of gopikas during raasa lilas, he was not swayed by any of them. The "Maryada Purusha" Lord Rama is known to all. At the same time, the follies of King Harischandra and King Dushyanta indicate the flip side of our culture.
The Adi Sankara's Bhaja Govindam advises the youth as:
nārī stanabhara nābhīdeśaṃ dṛṣṭvā mā gā mohāveśam | etanmāṃsa vasādi vikāraṃ manasi vicintayā vāraṃ vāram
Do not get drowned in delusion, infatuated with passion and lusty desires, by seeing a woman’s raised breasts and navel. These are nothing but a modification of flesh and fat, and the like. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.
mā kuru dhanajana yauvana garvaṃ harati nimeṣāt-kālaḥ sarvam | māyāmayamidam-akhilaṃ hitvā brahmapadaṃ tvaṃ praviśa viditvā
Do not take pride in wealth, friends and youth. Each one of these is destroyed within an instant by Time. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of māyā and attain the realm of brahman, timeless truth.
Regards
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