Parashreya (परश्रेय, IAST: Paraśreya) is a Sanskrit-origin Hindu boy-name meaning “The Supreme Good, the highest welfare”. Composed of 'para' (supreme) and 'śreyas' (the good, ultimate well-being, the blessed path that leads to liberation), this name identifies Vishnu as the highest good itself — not merely what is beneficial but what is supremely, eternally beneficial.

Meaning, etymology & significance

In Vedantic ethics, 'śreyas' is distinguished from 'preyas' (the pleasant): śreyas is what is truly good for the soul even if initially demanding, while preyas is merely agreeable in the moment. Vishnu as Paraśreya is the ultimate form of this genuine good — a blessing so profound that it encompasses liberation itself and leaves nothing of true value ungiven.

This epithet affirms that devotion to Vishnu is not an incidental good but the highest welfare a human life can pursue, a theme central to the Bhagavata Purana and the Narada Bhakti Sutras. The name is very rare in personal use; pronounced pa-ra-SHRAY-ya, with a soft palatal 'ś' opening 'shreya.'

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Scriptural source

Parashreya appears in the Vishnu Sahasranama, among the sacred names of Vishnu.

Astrology — nakshatra, rashi & numerology

By the standard Vedic correspondence between a name’s first syllable and the lunar mansion, Parashreya aligns with the Uttara phalguni nakshatra, under the Kanya rashi (Moon sign). Its Chaldean name-number is 2.