Devanagari
बहूनि सन्ति नामानि रूपाणि च सुतस्य ते ।
गुणकर्मानुरूपाणि तान्यहं वेद नो जना: ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
bahūni santi nāmāni
rūpāṇi ca sutasya te
guṇa-karmānurūpāṇi
tāny ahaṁ veda no janāḥ
Synonyms
bahūni
—
various
;
santi
—
there are
;
nāmāni
—
names
;
rūpāṇi
—
forms
;
ca
—
also
;
sutasya
—
of the son
;
te
—
your
;
guṇa
—
karma — anu — rūpāṇi — according to His attributes and activities
;
tāni
—
them
;
aham
—
I
;
veda
—
know
;
no janāḥ
—
not ordinary persons .
Translation
For this son of yours there are many forms and names according to His transcendental qualities and activities. These are known to me, but people in general do not understand them.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
For this son of yours there are many forms and names according to His transcendental qualities and activities. These are known to me, but people in general do not understand them.
KB 10.8.15
“But one thing you must know: this son has had many, many other names and activities due to His different pastimes.”
Garga Muni further hinted to Nanda Mahārāja that his son would also be called Giridhārī because of His uncommon pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill. Since Garga Muni was an astrologer, he could understand everything past and future, and thus he said, “I know everything about His activities and names, but others do not know.
Purport
Bahūni:
the Lord has many names.
Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca.
As stated in the
Brahma-saṁhitā
(5.33)
, the Lord is one, but He has many forms and many names. It was not that because Garga Muni gave the child the name Kṛṣṇa, that was His only name. He has other names, such as Bhaktavatsala, Giridhārī, Govinda and Gopāla. If we analyze the
nirukti,
or semantic derivation, of the word “Kṛṣṇa,” we find that
na
signifies that He stops the repetition of birth and death, and
kṛṣ
means
sattārtha,
or “existence.” (Kṛṣṇa is the whole of existence.) Also,
kṛṣ
means “attraction,” and
na
means
ānanda,
or “bliss.” Kṛṣṇa is known as Mukunda because He wants to give everyone spiritual, eternal, blissful life. Unfortunately, because of the living entity’s little independence, the living entity wants to “deprogram” the program of Kṛṣṇa. This is the material disease. Nonetheless, because Kṛṣṇa wants to give transcendental bliss to the living entities, He appears in various forms. Therefore He is called Kṛṣṇa. Because Garga Muni was an astrologer, he knew what others did not know. Yet Kṛṣṇa has so many names that even Garga Muni did not know them all. It is to be concluded that Kṛṣṇa, according to His transcendental activities, has many names and many forms.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"These names Krsna and Vasudeva stated by me are not the only names. The white and other forms recited by me are not the only forms." He has names such as bhakta vatsala, sarvajna or govardhana dhara, according to the qualities and activities he manifests. In the name Krsna, krsi means existence (satta) and na means bliss (anandatmika).Or according to Kesavacarya and others, he is called Krsna because his body composed of mantras attracts the devotees (krs) and its color is black (krsna) . He is called Govinda because he herds the cows. "If I, an astrologer do not know this, what then can be said of the common man?" From Gargamuni’s words Nanda could understand that his son was a mahapurusa, who had undergone many births with many names. This was known to Gargamuni because he was omniscient.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Previously examples were given of his various forms. Just as he had a white or red form, so he had many names in previous births. I know this but other men do not. Since this knowledge is impossible for ordinary people, the forms are many but not revealed to all.
There is a secret meaning. There are forms suitable to certain qualities, like Nārāyaṇa and Nrṣiṁha. There are forms suitable for certain activities, like Matsya. There are names suitable to qualities like bhakta-vatsala and names suitable to actions like creating the universe or protecting the universe. The names, like the forms of saccidānanda, are eternal. Thus the names with their qualities and forms are eternal since the Lord is eternally endowed with qualities. Worship of activities like lifting Govardhana or defeating Kāliya are well known in the eternal Vedas. The worshippers worship these actions without break and the Lord likes to fulfill the desires of the devotees by performing those pastimes. Therefore actions of the Lord are eternal and the names describing them are also eternal. This is explained in Bhāgavatāmṛta. Just as the forms describing qualities and activities are unlimited, so the names are also unlimited. The names may appear material but they are spiritual, completely saccidānanda. They are realized in the heart of the worshipper. I do not know these names and other people also do not know these names. Viṣṇu Purāṇa says anākhyeyābhidhānaṁ tvām anākhyeya-prayojanam: I offer respects to you with unnamable goals, who cannot be named.
tad aśma-sāraṁ hṛdayaṁ batedaṁ
yad gṛhyamāṇair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ |
na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro
netre jalaṁ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ ||
That heart which does not transform on hearing the names of the Lord, even though he shows tears in the eyes and hair standing on end, is made of iron. SB 2.3.24
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Previously examples were given of his various forms. Just as he had a white or red form, so he had many names in previous births.
Names and forms according to guṇa indicates the avatāras of sattva, rajas and tamas, with appropriate colors or the four presiding deities of citta, ahaṅkāra, intellect and mind. Or forms displaying qualities like affection for devotees are meant. Forms according to activities are Matsya and others, with activities of wandering around in the waters of pralaya etc.