Actually God has no particular name. By saying He has no name, we
mean that no one knows how many names He has. Since God Krsna is unlimited,
His names also must be unlimited. Therfore we cannot settle on one name.
For instance, Kṛṣṇa is sometimes called Yasoda-nandana, the son of
mother Yasoda; or devaki-nandan, the son of Devaki; or vasudeva-nandana,
the son of Vasudeva; or Nanda-nandana, the son of Nanda. Sometimes He
is called Partha-sarathi, indicating that He acted as the charioteer of
Arjuna, who is sometime called Partha, the son of Prtha.
God has many dealings with His many devotees, and according to those
dealings, He is called certain names. Since He has innumerable devotees
and innumerable relations with them, He also has innumerable names. We
cannot hit on any one name. But the name Kṛṣṇa means “all attractive”.
God attracts everyone; that is the definition of God. We have seen many
pictures of Kṛṣṇa and we see that He attracts the cows, calves, birds,
beasts, trees, plants, and even the water in Vrndavana. He is attractive
to the cowherd boys, to the gopis, to Nanda Maharaja, to the Pandavas,
and to all human society. Therefore if any particular name can be given
to God, that name is “Kṛṣṇa”.
Some people say that God has no name – that we can call Him only
“Father”. A son may call his father “Father”, but the father has a
specific name. Similarly, “God” is the general name of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, whose specific name is Kṛṣṇa. Jesus, as the son
of God, has revealed to us the actual name of God: Christ. We can call
God “Father”, but if we want to address Him by His actual name, we have
to say “Christ”. “Christ” is another way of saying Krsta, and “Krsta” is
another way of pronouncing Kṛṣṇa, the name of God. Jesus said that one
should glorify the name of God. Therefore whether you call God “Christ”,
“Krsta”, or “Kṛṣṇa”, ultimately you are addressing the same Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Christ comes from the Greek word Christos,
meaning “the anointed one” and Christos is the Greek version of the word
Kṛṣṇa. So when we address God as “Christ”, “Krsta” or “Kṛṣṇa”, we
indicate the same all attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Sri Caitanya said: namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktih.
“God has millions and millions of names, and because there is no
difference between God’s name and Himself, each one of these names has
the same potency as God.” Therefore, even if you accept designations
like “Hindu,” “Christian,” or “Muhammadan,” if you simply chant the name
of God found in your own scriptures, you will attain the spiritual
platform. Human life is meant for self-realization-to learn how to love
God. That is the actual beauty of man. Whether you discharge this duty
as a Hindu, a Christian, or a Muhammadan, it doesn’t matter-but
discharge it.
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