Sahasranama position 496 of the 1,000 names

Amitaya

अमिताय

Amitāya

What Amitaya means

Amitaya is name 496 in the Kalabhairava Sahasranama, the 1,000-name devotional text to Kalabhairava. Salutations To The one who is immeasurable, boundless, and infinite.

Also spelled

  • Amita
  • Source transliteration: AMITAAYA

Sanskrit names travel into English in several romanizations. This page keeps the common spelling, the IAST form, and the source transliteration together so the same name is discoverable under each spelling readers use.

Meaning and elaboration

Meaning: Salutations To The one who is immeasurable, boundless, and infinite.

Elaboration

The name Amita (अमित) is derived from the Sanskrit root "mi" (मि), meaning to measure, bounded, limited. The prefix "a" (अ) negates this, leading to "amita," which means immeasurable, boundless, infinite, unlimited, interminable, endless, or fathomless. This name profoundly describes Lord Kalabhairava's essential nature as Brahman, the ultimate reality.

Immeasurable and Boundless Amita signifies that Kalabhairava transcends all limitations of space, time, and form. Unlike created beings or objects that have a beginning and an end, a specific shape, or a defined location, Kalabhairava is universally pervasive and without any such constraints. His power, knowledge, and presence are infinite, extending beyond what the human mind or any cosmic measure can comprehend.

Infinite and Limitless This aspect emphasizes His absolute nature. There is nothing outside of Him, nor is there anything that can contain Him. Kalabhairava, as Amita, represents the infinite substratum upon which all of creation, sustenance, and dissolution takes place. He is the ultimate reality from which everything emanates and into which everything eventually dissolves, yet He Himself remains untouched by these processes.

Beyond Human Conception The term "Amita" also implies that He is beyond the grasp of conceptual thought and language. Any attempt to define or limit Him through human constructs will inevitably fall short. He is the anupameyā (incomparable) and adṛśya (unseen) truth, whose vastness dwarfs all finite understanding.

In the context of Kalabhairava, "Amita" asserts His supremacy as the unconditioned and absolute reality, who is the source and end of all measurements, yet Himself remains unmeasured and eternally boundless. It is a recognition of His ultimate transcendence and omnipresence.

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Text and sources

The name list follows the Kalabhairava Sahasranama as compiled for this project. The English meaning and elaboration are interpretive notes for devotional study, not a translation of a single critical edition.

Read the editorial method and source notes →

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