Real name of God

Expressions researched:
"real name of God"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

That one name is Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. That is the real name of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Mayapura, October 13, 1974: Kṛṣṇa can expand Himself in millions' and millions' forms. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ [Bs. 5.37]. Everything is there. Although He is living in Goloka, still, by His omnipotency, omnipresence, He can be everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-ca... So that Paramātmā, or the Supersoul, is equal with Kṛṣṇa. Not anything else equal with Kṛṣṇa, but the Paramātmā is equal with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore by His expansion, He agreed to become son of Devakī, and there may be hundreds and thousands of Devakī, devotees. He is unlimited. His devotees are unlimited. Their demands are unlimited. So everything is Kṛṣṇa's unlimited. So therefore all-unlimited means Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. That is the real name of God, if God can be given one name. Because God has no name, but His names are given according to His activities. Then how to concentrate in one name? That one name is Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. That is the real name of Kṛṣṇa.

General Lectures

If the word you use as the name of God, if it's actually real name of God, then by chanting that holy name, you realize God.

Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973: When you employ your tongue in the service of the Lord, then he becomes revealed. The tongue's business is to glorify the Lord, chant the holy names of God. That is specially recommended in this age. You cannot follow all the rituals in any scripture. That is very difficult. We are now so fallen it is not possible. Therefore the general regulation is that you chant the holy name of the Lord. It does not mean that we are requesting you to chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. We believe that Kṛṣṇa is the name of God, but if you have got another name... God has many names. God is unlimited, therefore He has got unlimited names. So if you chant the holy name of God, it doesn't matter, if it actually meaning... Just like "water." Water, if somebody says jala, he means water. If somebody says "water," he means water. If somebody says pāni, he means water. So actually, if the word you use as the name of God, if it's actually real name of God, then by chanting that holy name, you realize God. Therefore tongue is the beginning of realization. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau [Brs. 1.2.234]. As well as controlling the tongue, we have to spiritualize the tongue. If you keep the tongue materialized, then it is defective. So two things are done by the tongue: tasting foodstuff and chanting the glories of the Lord. If we engage our tongue in this way... Foodstuff means..., our process is to offer foodstuff to the Lord and the remnants of foodstuff we eat, prasāda. So this is one process, this is one business of the tongue. And another business of the tongue is to chant the holy name of the Lord. So in this way, if you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then gradually your realize. You cannot realize, but God reveals Himself, what He is. So Vedic knowledge means to realize God. That is ultimate aim of Vedic knowledge. And here, Bhagavad-gītā, He's revealing Himself to Arjuna, because he's a devotee. So if we take the words of Arjuna, then we also realize God. This is the process.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

German devotee: He says that when we speak of a real name of God, that is Christos. Prabhupāda: This Christos means Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation with Pater Emmanuel (A Benedictine Monk) -- June 22, 1974, Germany:

Pater Emmanuel: Yes, when we can't speak of a name of God, of a proper name... (German)

German devotee: He says that when we speak of a real name of God, that is Christos.

Prabhupāda: This Christos means Kṛṣṇa. (German)

Pater Emmanuel: Because a name is of God. We know the name of God only by revelation, by revelation of the son of God because the son of God is also God. He has the three personality: God, father, son and holy ghost. And the son has revealed the name of father, and His name is, who has revealed is Christos, Christ. And also you can as a name or all you take Christ, Jesus Christ.

Prabhupāda: So it doesn't matter, Kṛṣṇa or Christ. The name is there. And we are recommending according to Vedic scripture that in this age one should simply chant the holy name of God. We are chanting that,

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

If you chant real name of God, then you'll be purified.

Evening Darsana -- August 9, 1976, Tehran: Atreya Ṛṣi: Authorized name of God.

Prabhupāda: Yes, name means authorized. Name means authorized. Not fictitious. If you chant fictitious name, that will not be effective. But if you chant real name of God, then you'll be purified. So if you have got name of God, chanting, there is no question of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You chant. If you have got the name, real name of God, chant it. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. God is unlimited, therefore He must have unlimited names also. But the name must be God's name; then you chant, you'll be purified. So there is no question of sectarianism in this movement. We are recommending that you chant the holy name of the Lord. Do it. Is there any objection? Suppose you say that you are Muhammadan. If I say you chant the holy name of God, have you got any objection?

Ali: Yes.

Prabhupāda: You have got objection?

Ali: Oh, no, no, chanting, I do chant myself.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's all. We are preaching this. We don't say that you become one of us. You chant the holy name of the Lord, that's all.