God Is Called - The Divine Designations of the Supreme Lord
The names and titles of the Supreme Lord are not mundane labels; they are absolute sound vibrations that perfectly describe His infinite opulences and transcendental activities. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that understanding why the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called by specific names reveals the deepest philosophical truths about His nature and His relationship with the conditioned souls.
The All-Attractive and Opulent Lord
The primary names of God identify His supreme attractiveness and complete perfection. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the title Bhagavān denotes His possession of all six opulences in full, while the name Kṛṣṇa specifically indicates His power to attract every living entity.
- Bhagavata means from the word bhagavan. Bhagavan means the person who has got all the six opulences in full. He is called Bhagavan, or God.
- Both materialists and spiritualists can enjoy the beauty of the Lord. Because the Supreme Lord attracts everyone, including demons and devotees, materialists and spiritualists, He is called Krsna.
- The Lord was attractive for everyone - not only the King (Prthu) but also the priestly order, who were very much addicted to the performance of Vedic rituals. Because the Lord is all-attractive, He is called Krsna, or "one who attracts everyone."
- The Lord's name already exists because of His transcendental activities. The Lord is sometimes called guna-karma-nama because He is named according to His transcendental activities. For example, Krsna means "all-attractive.
- He (God) is called renounced because He is not attached to anything in this material world; He is specifically attached to the spiritual world and the living entities there.
The Infallible Protector of Devotees
The Lord's relationship with His pure devotees generates some of His most endearing names. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that God is celebrated as Acyuta because He never fails to protect His surrendered servants, and as bhakta-vatsala due to His profound, fatherly affection.
- The Lord is called Acyuta because He never fails in His prime duty, to give protection to His devotees.
- The devotees are referred to as acyuta-gotra, or the dynasty of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is called Acyuta, as indicated in Bhagavad-gita (senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me 'cyuta) - BG 1.21.
- The fallen living entity is cyuta, whereas the Lord is called acyuta.
- One of the most important qualities of the Lord is His inclination to His devotees, for which He is called bhakta-vatsala.
- He (the Lord) is called bhaktanam mana-vardhanah, He who increases the honor of His devotees.
The Master of the Universe
As the absolute creator and maintainer, the Lord holds titles denoting His supreme control. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that God is called the supreme īśvara because He manages the entire cosmic manifestation, and Hṛṣīkeśa because He is the ultimate master and conductor of all senses.
- So how we can think that there is no control, there is no government, everything has come out of its own course? There is controller, and He is called Isvara. Isvara means God. There is management of God. It is very commonsense understanding.
- The Sanskrit word isvara (controller) conveys the import of God, but the Supreme Person is called the paramesvara, or the supreme isvara.
- The Lord is called Hrsikesa, for He is actually the proprietor and ultimate master of the senses.
- The Supreme Lord is called Hrsikesa; He is the only conductor of the senses. Unless empowered by His energy, our senses cannot act. In other words, He is the only seer, the only worker, the only listener, and the only active principle or supreme controller.
- The mother of Brahma is Narayana. Because the Lord is the resting place of all the living entities after the dissolution of the universe, He is called Narayana. The word nara means the aggregate total of all living entities. Ayana means the resting place.
Transcendental to Material Nature
Philosophical designations emphasize the Lord's absolute separation from material contamination. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord is called nirguṇa because He is untouched by material modes, and adhokṣaja because He completely eludes the measurement of blunt material senses.
- As described in the beginning of the Vedanta-sutra, the Supreme Person is the origin of all qualities. He is generally called nirguna. Nirguna means "whose qualities are beyond estimation." Guna means "quality," and nir means "beyond estimation."
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, is always transcendental to material qualities, and therefore He is called nirguna, or without qualities. Because He is unborn, He does not have a material body to be subjected to attachment and hatred.
- We have material senses, but how can we see the Supreme Lord? He is called adhoksaja, which means that He cannot be seen by the material senses. Aksaja means "knowledge perceived by material senses."
- The Lord is called adhoksaja, or the person who is beyond perception by the blunt, limited potency of our senses. One cannot perceive the transcendental name or form of the Lord by mental speculation.
- The body of God and the body of a living being are differently constituted. Because the Lord's body is pure spirit, it never deteriorates, and therefore He is called avyayatma.
The Inconceivable Omnipotence
The names of the Lord also reflect His limitless power and independence. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights that God is called ajita because He can never be conquered, and Yogeśvara because He performs magnificent cosmic feats simply by His supreme will.
- Amongst various holy names of the Lord, He is also called ajita, or one who can never be conquered by anyone else. Yet He can be conquered by the paramahamsa path, as practically realized and shown by the great spiritual master Brahma.
- Because the Lord is not an object that can be understood by speculation with our material senses, He is also called ajita; He will conquer, but no one can conquer Him. What does it mean, then, that still He can be seen.
- He (God) can see with His hands and legs. He does not need a particular bodily part to perform a particular action. Angani yasya sakalendriya-vrttimanti (SU): He can do anything He desires with any part of His body, and therefore He is called almighty.
- He (God) is transcendentally so full of inconceivable potencies that simply by His willing, everything is done without physical or personal endeavor. He is called, therefore, Yogesvara, or the Lord of all mystic powers.
- If the Personality of Godhead did not possess both limited and unlimited energies, He could not be called omnipotent.
The Eternal Spiritual Form
Ultimately, all of the Lord's designations culminate in the truth of His personal, spiritual existence. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that because the Lord is celebrated in the finest poetry as uttama-śloka, and because His form is eternal, blissful, and cognizant, He is definitively called sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha.
- In the Vedic literature we find that His whole embodiment is spiritual. He has His eternal form called sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. He is full of all opulence.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called sac-cid-ananda-vigraha.
- In the Vedanta-sutra also the Supreme is called anandamayo 'bhyasat. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is by nature full of joy, and to enjoy His transcendental bliss, He expands into vijnanamaya, pranamaya, jnanamaya, and annamaya.
- Uttama-sloka means the Supreme Lord who is described by transcendental literature or very fine, scholarly language. He's called Uttama-sloka. Uttama-slokasya urukramasya. That will save all conditioned souls from being implicated in the clutches of maya.
- The holy name of the Lord and topics in relation with Him are always worth hearing, and therefore He is called here in this verse nama-dheya, or one whose holy name is worth chanting.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully demonstrates that every title and name attributed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead carries deep, absolute significance. The Lord is called Bhagavān because He flawlessly possesses all six opulences in their entirety, and He is called Kṛṣṇa because His transcendent beauty and pastimes attract all living entities. His intimate relationship with His devotees is highlighted by the name Acyuta—the infallible one who never fails to protect His surrendered servants—and bhakta-vatsala, the supremely affectionate father. To establish His absolute supremacy over the cosmos, He is called īśvara, the supreme controller, and Hṛṣīkeśa, the ultimate master of all senses. The Vedic literatures further protect the Lord's pure spiritual status by calling Him adhokṣaja, confirming He is completely beyond the reach of blunt material senses and mental speculation, and nirguṇa, proving His qualities are entirely spiritual and completely free from the contamination of the three material modes. Ultimately, because His divine body is composed exclusively of eternity, knowledge, and bliss, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is rightfully called sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. By scientifically understanding why the Supreme Lord is called by these various absolute names, a conditioned soul awakens their dormant love, fully surrenders to the supreme controller, and achieves the ultimate perfection of liberation.
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