One Love

[Bankebihari dasa]

"All of us are in the family of one God. It is not that there is one God in England, another in America, and still another in India. The Christians, Muslims and Hindus are not worshiping different Gods. The names Allah, Brahma, Jehovah, Krsna and Yahweh refer to the same God, called by different names according to differences in language and culture.

If we love the same one God, why do we quarrel? We quarrel because we don’t know what real love is. If we have true love and affection for the one Supreme Lord, we will naturally love each other. There is a saying, “God is love and love is God.” And in Indian Vedic culture there is a saying, “All should be happy.”

Jesus also taught this philosophy. He went to India when he was about sixteen years old, and he visited many places of pilgrimage, like Vrndävana, Ayodhyä, South India and Jagannätha Puri. In Puri he saw the deities of Jagannätha, Baladeva and Subhadrä, and he heard Lord Jagannätha (meaning “Lord of the Universe”) addressed as Krsna. In this part of India, the name Krsna is pronounced Kroosna. Because of different languages, Greek and Hebrew, this name became Kroosta, then Krista, and now it is pronounced Christ. Krsna, Kroosna, Krista and now Christ – they are the same.

In this universe there is only one God, and He is not Russian, English, German or Spanish. He knows all languages without difficulty, but there is actually no need of knowing them. There is only one real language in the entire world, and that language is called love. Eyes can speak that language, ears and hands can speak and understand it, and a glowing face can tell everything.

God is one, and He is the embodiment of Love. Krsna is the original name of God, given in the ancient Vedas, and it means “the all-attractive reservoir of pleasure.” All other names, like Supersoul, Buddha, Allah and God, are included within Him.

(excerpt from The Way of Love by

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja

[Chiranjib Das]

Thanks for these words. The truths are basic and foundational yet it always good to reaffirm them.