04/11/98 - 1739

Comparitive Analysis Of God's Names

USA (VNN) - by Isa dasa

DEVOTEE: Rabbi, in the Vedas, Krsna is one name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Jewish tradition, is there a similar name?
RABBI: Yes. The name of God, which is most similar to Krsna, is El KNA. In Judaism, an example would be the name of Rabbi Nehuniah ben HaKana. The name HaKana is one of the combinations of the forty-two names of God. Its formation is almost identical with the name YHVA (Jehovah). YHVA is made up of four Hebrew letters- Yod He VA He. Yod and Va are considered to be names of God. The He represents the primal female principle who is referred to as the Shekinah, My beloved. Kana is the male principle and its root is in the name of God EL KANA.
DEVOTEE: In the Hare Krsna mantra, Hare is the vocative form of the word Hara that represents the energy of God, which is feminine. So it seems very significant that in both the Jewish and the Vedic traditions, God is not alone but is always with His female pleasure energy. The word Harä is a form of addressing the energy of the Lord, and the words Krsna and Rama are personal forms of addressing God Himself. In this connection, Rama can refer to either Lord Balaräma or to Lord Rämacandra. The incarnation of God, Väsudeva expands from Lord Balaräma and Lord Rämacandra is an incarnation of Väsudeva.
In a conversation with a Benedictine monk in Germany in 1974, our spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, discussed the similarity between the names Krsna and Christ. He pointed out that the Greek word Kristos means Christ or "the anointed one".
RABBI: Kana (KNA) is also the name one should meditate on during morning meditation, Mondays. The significance being that on Monday, the heavens and Earth were created. God as the Supreme Creator is the King of His creation and the name KNA refers to the Supreme King, God.
DEVOTEE: This is very interesting, because the name Kana is an intimate name for Lord Krishna in the Vedic literature.
RABBI: This is considered to be the most intimate name for God in the Old Testament. Where it is translated, "I am a jealous God, have no other gods before you", the literal Hebrew translation is, "My name is EL KNA, have no other gods before you."
The Greek word Krista is a derivation of KNA, and in English the word Christ, is the best-known example of the inner meanings of the name. The Son of God, taking His Father's name, as His last name.
On Monday, you must intertwine the associated name "KRE ShTN" as explained by Rabbi Aryeh Kapln, in Meditation and the Kabbalah.
DEVOTEE: Jesus said to glorify the holy name of God and that name is Christ or, by a different pronunciation, Krsna. The essential principle is to glorify and chant the holy names of God.

from http://www.equalsouls.org/