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 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.
