In the Hindu tradition, there are said to be 108 names for God. This blog post will focus on 72 of them and explore what each one means from a spiritual perspective. It is our hope that this list will help you in your journey as well as give you a deeper understanding of the Divine!
72 Names of God 101: The Essential Guide
In the Hindu tradition, there are said to be 108 names for God. This blog post will focus on 72 of them and explore what each one means from a spiritual perspective. It is our hope that this list will help you in your journey as well as give you a deeper understanding of the Divine!
Here we go!
Aadidev – One who cannot be seen or grasped by any sense organs; maya-mayi jagatmohini (The Creator)
Bhavanidharin – Protector of those lost in worldly pursuits; Paramatman (Godhead) incarnate on earth to show people wrong paths and lead them back home.
Brahma – The Creator of the Universe, often identified with Vishnu who absorbs and restores it.
Chakshum -One whose eyes can see everything; one who knows the truth about all things: Paramatman (Godhead) in manifestation on earth to show people wrong paths and lead them back home.
Firanginana -The All-Pervading Lord manifested as a human being from His own divine will for boundless love, without any desire or motive except that he may bless those around Him by his mere presence. He is called “Man” because through him God has become present among mankind. Such an avatar was Krishna in Dwapara Yuga (the third cycle).
Guru -The Light of the World, who removes all darkness from our minds.
Krishna -God as love personified in human form; He is also called “Man”. Krishna’s mission on earth was to remove people’s ignorance and show them the way home through His boundless love for humankind.
Nara -One incarnation of Vishnu-Narayana (the Supreme Being) incarnated into a man to save humanity: The first Avatar or Incarnation of Narayana Himself, namely NARA or MANU born out of his own divine will without any desire whatsoever other than that he may bless those around Him by mere presence. Such an avatar was KALKI Avatara in Kali Yuga (fifth cycle).
This article is a basic introduction to the 72 names of God.
If you would like to read more about any specific name, please let me know in the comments below and I will do my best!
I am not an expert on this topic but just wanted to share what little knowledge I have with other people who might be interested. Thank you for reading!
A common mistake that many people make when trying figure out how many Names of G-d there are, is by listing them all in one go as if they were different items on a shopping list: “G-d has 99 Names,” or “There are 120 G-d’s.” This can result from looking at lists online which include some variant spellings (such as “G-d” and “Allah”) or lists that include descriptions of the qualities G-d has within these Names, such as “The Merciful”.
This is because when you read about a Name like this in English, it seems like an attribute rather than a name—you could replace any one of them with another word and have just as much meaning. But if we consider the original Hebrew words for each Name separately (such as Elokah), then there are only 72 names mentioned at all. This means that although they can be translated into different languages to mean slightly different things depending on context, their totality still constitutes only 72 distinct identities: The Eternal One who reigns over infinity and fills every corner of existence with His Divine Light.
This can be seen in the verse from Isaiah 43:11, which says “I am He who created the heavens and stretched them out; I will also gather together their scattered inhabitants.” It doesn’t say “He is Eternal,” it says “I am.” And this word choice reflects G-d’s nature – He isn’t a thing that has been around for eons but rather an active agent of creation who sustains everything by continuing to create new potential at every moment while simultaneously sustaining what already exists.
The 72 Names reflect this aspect of G-d perfectly because each name denotes one facet of His Presence within Creation as well as another Name associated with different qualities or attributes (
The 72 Names of God are a list of names used to describe the compassionate and merciful nature of God. These names were compiled by Rabbi David ben Yitchak Elchanan Spektor (1817-1904) in his work “Shemoneh Esrei – The Eighteen Blessings.”
To see an explanation for each name, scroll down or hover over its respective link below:
Echad = One | Ahava = Love | Elohim = Gods/God’s Name | Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh= I Am What I Am
Agla = Light | Eheieh Tzevaot= Strength and Might; Holy Armies (Hebrew)| Yeshua
The 72 Names of God are a list of the divine names used in Judaism. There is no single definitive version and various versions exist which have been translated from Hebrew into other languages, altered at will by translators or based on misunderstandings. The most complete listing can be found in “Sefer Raziel HaMalakh” (Book of Raziel).
Written: Jan 12th 2019 @ 11:42am EST
Updated: Jan 12th 2019 @11:44am EST
By : Jessica Smart-McMaster
