Kṛṣṇa's names - a deeper look
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namasté
I thought I would add some additional insights to Kṛṣṇa's name and create this seperate post:
- keśava
- hṛṣikeśaḥ
- janardana
- more to follow
keśava
We know this word keśava means having long ,handsome hair. Yet if we look deeper we see the brilliance of His name keśava. It is ka + a + īśa = keśava.
ka क- is brahmā ; it is also splendor, light; it is 1st consonant of the saṃskṛt assembly of akṣara¹, that is, the nāgarī¹ letters of the saṃskṛt alphabet.
a अ- is a noun of viṣṇu ; it is the first letter the first vowel (svara) of the saṃskṛt assembly of akṣara¹, that is, the nāgarī¹ letters of the saṃskṛt alphabet. From here , from this a, all else proceeds. īśa ईश- is master, lord; it is a noun of śiva, the Supreme, Śivabhaṭṭāraka
hṛṣikeśaḥ
Another favorite name of Kṛṣṇa's ( for me) is hṛṣikeśaḥ हृषिकेशः hṛṣi हृषि is joy, splendor. Note that hṛṣya means to thrill with rapture , rejoice , exalt , be glad or pleased; + keśa केश is the hair on the head, which somewhat gets us back to keśava described above. Yet keśa is another name for the lunar mansion (nakṣhtra) of rohiṇī. This is the nakṣhtra of Kṛṣṇa's birth.
But what of this hṛ? This hṛ is to master, hold, win, subdue. But to master what? That of hṛṣīka हृषीक or the organs of the senses. Hence hṛṣikeśaḥ is the Lord, controller of the senses. It also ties in keśa , the one with long hair. Is there any relationship?
It is said ( by Mahaṛṣi Mahesh Yogī ) that long hair has to do with control of the senses. Cutting the hair , says Mahaṛṣi, some energy is released that also tends to release the senses from control.
So, in one word we see how hṛṣikeśaḥ is one filled with joy , splendor, and a master of the senses who has control. What can Kṛṣṇa control ? He is the Supreme so nothing is outside of his jurisdiction and will.
janardana
Kṛṣṇa is addressed as janardana by Arjuna in the Bhāgavad gītā. What do we find in this name?
janar = janas race , class of beings + dāna - the act of giving
jan जन् - to produce; to cause to be born; to generate or produce;
jana the next world or level of existence beyond mahar-loka. The 7 worlds...
- bhū-loka - the earth ;
- bhuvar-loka- the space between the earth and sun inhabited by munis , siddhas &c ;
- svar-loka - indra's heaven above the sun or between it and the polar star ;
- maha-rloka - a region above the polar star and inhabited by bhṛgu and other saints who survive the destruction of the 3 lower worlds ;
- janarloka - inhabited by brahmā's son sanakumāra
- tapar-loka - inhabited by deified vairāgins ;
- satya-loka or brahma-loka - abode of brahmā
This jana also means creature , living being , man , person , race. We see this used as in King Janaka , the father of sītā, śrī rāma's wife.
Now ja ज means to be born or decended from. ja is also in the masculine gender (puṃ-liṅga ) viṣṇu. A nice connection!
So janardana is rich in meaning. He that gives the class of beings; The one that produces (jan) all; And who is this person? 'ja'
or viṣṇu.
But what of this name Kṛṣṇa कृष्ण - we know this to mean black, dark blue. Yet is there more that can be revealed? I think so and we can take a look in the next post.
praṇām
Last edited by yajvan; 26 September 2016 at 02:49 PM.
यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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