All the names of Śrī Bhagavān that are invoked, in general, in relation to Lord Viṣṇu—whether intentionally to glorify the particular transcendental attributes of Śrī Viṣṇu, the husband of Śrī Lakṣmī, or even unintentionally in a general sense—carry the same potency, possess equal mahimā, and therefore produce the same effect upon the chanter. In this regard, there is no tāratamya or intrinsic gradation among the Holy Names, since every name is complete and eternal (sarve pūrṇāḥ śāśvatāś ca — Padma Purāṇa).
A devotee whose iṣṭa-vigraha is the four-handed form of Śrī Viṣṇu or Śrīman Nārāyaṇa may glorify the husband of Śrī Lakṣmī by calling Him Rāma—“He in whom the yogīs delight” (ramante yogino ’nante). He may also glorify that same Lord as Kṛṣṇa, the bluish-dark-complexioned Lord, or as He whose transcendental form is the embodiment of transcendental bliss (kṛṣir bhū-vācakaḥ śabdo ṇaś ca nirvṛti-vācakaḥ). In each of these cases, the names Rāma and Kṛṣṇa are being used as epithets or attributes of Śrī Viṣṇu.
Thus, when a devotee intends to glorify the particular attributes of his iṣṭa-vigraha—for example, the catur-bhuja form of Śrī Viṣṇu—and uses names such as Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, and so forth as epithets or attributes of Lord Viṣṇu, he is not calling upon other specific avatāras of Bhagavān, such as Daśarathi Rāma or Yaśodā-tanaya Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In such a case, whichever name he uses to address his iṣṭa-vigraha produces the same effect, for there is no svagata-bheda within Bhagavān: His name, form, qualities, and pastimes are intrinsically nondifferent from one another. Thus, due to ruci-vaicitrya, whatever particular name a devotee finds especially attractive or feels deep affection for, he may chant that Holy Name, and it will bestow the same perfection.
sarveṣāṁ bhagavan-nāmnāṁ samāno mahimāpi cet |
tathāpi sva-priyeṇāśu svārtha-siddhiḥ sukhaṁ bhavet ||
Although all of Bhagavān’s names are equally glorious, one’s desired goal is attained quickly and easily through the Holy Name that one cherishes the most. — Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 2.3.160.
sarvārtha-śakti-yuktasya devadevasya cakriṇaḥ |
yac cābhirucitaṁ nāma tat sarvārtheṣu yojayet ||
All the names of Bhagavān Cakrapāṇi, who is endowed with the power to fulfill all purposes, are capable of accomplishing every purpose. Therefore, whatever name one finds especially attractive, one should chant that name to attain one’s desired perfection. — Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.401.
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.2.40 also acknowledges that one can quickly advance on the path of bhakti by chanting the name that is especially dear to one’s heart (evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā). Thus, some devotees may have one favourite name of their beloved iṣṭa-vigraha, some may have two or three, while others may relish many names. As a devotee gradually advances and develops genuine taste (ruci), he naturally begins to relish all the names of his beloved Lord, for each name evokes a unique variety of devotional emotions in his heart (kramāt sarveṣu nāmasu | priyatā-sambhavāt tāni sarvāṇi syuḥ priyāṇi hi). Every name evokes its own particular sweetness, reminding him of a particular quality, form, or pastime of his beloved Lord.
Since every name of Bhagavān is like a cintāmaṇi (wish-fulfilling gem or touchstone), each name can independently bestow the complete perfection that any other Holy Name can bestow, in relation to one’s iṣṭa-vigraha. Therefore, when one name is glorified as being equal to a thousand names, the purpose is not to establish the inferiority of the remaining names, but to proclaim the unlimited potency of every individual Holy Name, in relation to one’s iṣṭa-vigraha. Whichever name of one’s iṣṭa-vigraha one considers especially dear to oneself (sva-priya-nāma) is fully capable of independently bestowing the complete perfection that can be attained through chanting all the other names of the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma.
Since Lord Śiva has a special attachment to Rāma-nāma, he advises Mother Pārvatī to chant that beloved Name.
rāma rāmeti rāmeti rame rāme manorame
sahasra-nāmabhis tulyaṁ rāma-nāma varānane[Lord Śiva addressed his wife, Durgā:] ‘O Varānanā, I chant the holy name of Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, and thus delight in this beautiful sound. This holy name of Rāma is equal to one thousand holy names of Lord Viṣṇu.-Bṛhad-viṣṇu-sahasranāma-stotra in the Uttara-khaṇḍa of the Padma Purāṇa, 72.335
The intention is that if one finds it difficult or does not have sufficient time to chant all one thousand names of Viṣṇu, one should at least take shelter of a single Holy Name of Bhagavān that is dear to one’s heart and keep that name constantly upon one’s tongue. That one cintāmaṇi-nāma is sufficient to bestow the complete perfection attainable through chanting the entire Viṣṇu-sahasranāma.
The implied purport is: “What is the need for many touchstones if a single touchstone can fulfill all desires?” Be that as it may, devotees who possess deep affection for their beloved Lord are not satisfied with merely uttering His name once. Rather, they delight in repeatedly chanting the name that is most dear and charming to them, never becoming satiated. Similarly, a devotee who has affection for several names may relish chanting many names, or even all one thousand names, repeatedly. The essential principle is to chant the Holy Name with deep affection.
yadyapi samānas tulya eva mahimā “ekenaiva cintāmaṇinā aśeṣārtha-siddheḥ, bahubhis tair alam!” itivad ekasya bhagavan-nāmnaḥ sahasra-tulyatoktyā anantatā paryavasānāt |
tathāpi svasya sevakasya priyeṇa manorameṇa bhagavan-nāmnā, ata eva rāma-nāma-priyair uktam—sahasra-nāmabhis tulyaṁ rāma-nāma varānane ity-ādi ||
Although the glory of all the names of Bhagavān is indeed equal, just as a single cintāmaṇi can fulfill all varieties of desires and therefore there is no need for many such cintāmaṇis, similarly, the statement that one name of Bhagavān is equal to a thousand names ultimately establishes the unlimited glory of each and every Holy Name.
Nevertheless, one’s desired goal is attained quickly, effortlessly, and happily through the Bhagavān-name that is especially dear and charming to that particular devotee. Therefore, those who are fond of the name of ‘Rāma’ say, ‘sahasra-nāmabhis tulyaṁ rāma-nāma varānane,’ and so forth.
— Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī’s Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta 2.3.160.
Yet, there is another consideration of rasa in the chanting of Bhagavān’s Holy Names, whereby tāratamya exists in their capacity to manifest different degrees of prema and intimacy with the beloved Lord. If one is a devotee of the son of Daśaratha, Śrī Rāma, the husband of Sītā, then he invokes the name Rāma specifically in relation to that iṣṭa-vigraha, and not merely in a general sense or as an attribute of the four-handed Lord Viṣṇu. At this point, the discussion enters the domain of rasa, and distinctions therefore arise in the fruits attained.
viṣṇor ekaika-nāmāpi sarva-vedādhikaṁ matam |
tadṛṅ-nāma-sahasreṇa rāma-nāma samaṁ smṛtam ||Even a single name of Viṣṇu is considered superior to all the Vedas. A single name of Rāma is remembered as being equal to a thousand such names.— Śrī Rāmāṣṭottara-śata-nāma-stotram, Padma Purāṇa, cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.380
Just as śāstras often describe distinctions among the avatāras according to the degree of manifestation of transcendental qualities such as aiśvarya and mādhurya, resulting in corresponding gradations of rasa experienced and exchanged, they also describe these manifestations in terms such as pūrṇa, pūrṇatara, pūrṇatama, aṁśa, kalā, and so forth.
Corresponding distinctions may also be understood in relation to the names belonging to those particular forms, because nāma is ultimately nondifferent from nāmī. Thus, whatever tāratamya exists among the forms of Bhagavān is also reflected in their respective names (yac chaktir nāma yat tasya tasminn eva ca vastuni). Consequently, the fruits of chanting these names manifest to a much greater degree when a sādhaka chants with a specific devotional mood directed toward his iṣṭa-deva, rather than chanting the name merely in a general sense.
However, this distinction does not concern siddhāntic completeness—for all these forms are svarūpas of Bhagavān. Rather, it concerns the degree to which His transcendental qualities are manifested and the corresponding gradations of rasa exchanged, according to the degree of intimacy arising from the intensity of prema.
For example, one may exchange śānta-rasa and dāsya-rasa with Śrī Viṣṇu; with Śrī Rāma, one may develop relationships extending up to sambhrama-sakhya and vātsalya-rasa; whereas with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, one can enter fully into mādhurya-rasa. Thus, as the degree of intimacy and the corresponding manifestation of transcendental qualities increase, the rasa exchanged with the particular form of Bhagavān also reaches progressively higher levels.
It is in this sense that one will often find statements in śāstras glorifying the name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa over the other names of Bhagavān. This pertains specifically to the domain of rasa, which becomes relevant when one chants the name with a specific devotional mood directed toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa, rather than invoking the name merely in its general sense, according to its meaning as an attribute, or as a name applicable to other avatāras of Bhagavān. This is the extraordinary working of the nāma’s pārakā-śakti that reaches its zenith in the name of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the beloved of Śrī Rādhā.
siddhāntatas tv abhede ’pi śrīśa-kṛṣṇa-svarūpayoḥ |
rasenotkṛṣyate kṛṣṇa-rūpam eṣā rasa-sthitiḥ ||
Although according to siddhānta, there is no difference between the forms of Śrīśa and Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s form is superior by virtue of rasa. This is the conclusion of rasa-tattva. — Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 9.117 (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.59).
nāmnāṁ mukhyatamaṁ nāma kṛṣṇākhyaṁ me parantapa
Śrī Bhagavān said: O chastiser of the enemies, among My names, the name Kṛṣṇa is the foremost.—Prabhāsa Purāṇa, Nārada-Kuśadhvaja-saṁvāda; cited by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī in Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha (82) and in his Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1
vyaktīkriyate cādhika-phalatvaṁ kṛṣṇa-nāmnaḥ pādme pātāla-khaṇḍe śrī-mathurā-māhātmye śrī-mahādevasyaiva vākye—tārakāj jāyate muktiḥ prema-bhaktis tu pārakātiti | pūrvam atra mocakatva-premadatvābhyāṁ tāraka-pāraka-saṁjñe rāma-kṛṣṇa-nāmnor hi vihite | tatra ca rāma-nāmni mocakatva-śaktir evādhikā, śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmni tu mokṣa-sukha-tiraskāri-premānanda-dātṛtva-śaktiḥ samadhiketi bhāvaḥ |
The superior result bestowed by Kṛṣṇa-nāma is explicitly demonstrated in the Padma Purāṇa, Pātāla-khaṇḍa, in the Śrī Mathurā-māhātmya, in the very words of Śrī Mahādeva:
‘’tārakāj jāyate muktiḥ prema-bhaktis tu pārakāt’’
‘From tāraka arises liberation (mukti), whereas from pāraka arises prema-bhakti.’
Earlier in this context, the names tāraka and pāraka were assigned to Rāma-nāma and Kṛṣṇa-nāma respectively, on the basis of their respective functions of delivering one from bondage and bestowing prema. The purport is that, in Rāma-nāma, the power to liberate (mocakatva-śakti) is especially prominent, whereas in Śrī Kṛṣṇa-nāma, the power to bestow the bliss of prema (pure unadulterated: prema ), which surpasses the happiness of liberation, is equally prominent.
-Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī’s Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha (82)
Therefore, when the name Rāma is invoked specifically to please the husband of Mother Sītā, Śrī Rāmacandra, that Holy Name manifests the prema corresponding to the mood of the residents of Ayodhyā. Likewise, when the name Kṛṣṇa is invoked to call upon Svayaṁ Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the son of Yaśodā, the Holy Name manifests the highest degree of prema—Vraja-prema—culminating in the sweetness of mādhurya-rasa. This highest mādhurya-rasa cannot manifest when the name Rāma is invoked specifically as Daśarathi Rāma, but it can certainly manifest when the name Rāma is invoked as Rādhikā-ramaṇa Kṛṣṇa. These are the subtle nuances that arise in the domain of rasa.
śrīman-nāmnāṁ ca sarveṣāṁ māhātmyeṣu sameṣv api |
kṛṣṇasyaivāvatāreṣu viśeṣaḥ ko’pi kasyacit ||
Although the glories (māhātmya) of all the names of Śrī Bhagavān are equal, there is nevertheless some particular distinction (viśeṣaḥ) among them, just as there is a particular distinction among Kṛṣṇa’s avatāras.-Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.487
evaṁ sāmānyato nāmnāṁ sarveṣāmapi māhātmyaṁ likhitvā idānīṁ viśeṣato likhan tatra māhātmyasya sāmye'pi kiñcidviśeṣaṁ dṛṣṭāntena sādhayati-śrīmaditi śrīmato bhagavataḥ śrīmatāṁ vā aśeṣaśobhāsampattyatiśayayuktānāṁ nāmnāṁ kasyacinnāmnaḥ ko'pi māhātmyaviśeṣo'sti | nanu cintāmaṇeriva bhagavannāmnāṁ mahimā sarvo'pi sama eva ucita ityāśaṅkya dṛṣṭāntena sāmye'pi kiñcidviśeṣaṁ darśayati—kṛṣṇasyaiveti | yathā śrīnṛsiṁha-raghunāthādīnāṁ mahāvatārāṇāṁ sarveṣāṁ bhagavattayā sāmye'pi kṛṣṇastu bhagavān svayam (śrībhā. 1.3.28) ityuktyā kṛṣṇasyāvatāratve'pi sākṣādbhagavattvena kaścidviśeṣo darśitaḥ tadvadityarthaḥ |
Having thus described the glories (māhātmya) of all the names of Bhagavān in general, now we proceed to describe a particular distinction (viśeṣaḥ) among them. Although their glories are equal, he establishes through an example that there is nevertheless some particular distinction.
The word śrīmat refers to Bhagavān, who is endowed with the supreme abundance of all beauty and splendour, and śrīmatām refers to His names, which are endowed with an extraordinary abundance of all such beauty and splendour. Among these names, the name of a particular [form of Bhagavān] possesses some special excellence of glory (māhātmya-viśeṣa).
One may object: “Since the glory of Bhagavān’s names should, like that of cintāmaṇi gems, be entirely equal, how can there be any distinction among them?” In response, through an example, he demonstrates that even while there is equality, a particular distinction may nevertheless exist.
This is expressed by the word kṛṣṇasyaiva. Just as, although all the great avatāras, such as Śrī Nṛsiṁha and Śrī Raghunātha, are equal in their status as Bhagavān, nevertheless the statement “kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.3.28) establishes a particular distinction in Kṛṣṇa: although Kṛṣṇa is counted among the avatāras, He is directly Svayam Bhagavān. Similarly, there is a particular distinction among Bhagavān’s names.
—Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī’s Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 11.487
Thus, this is confirmed by the following statement of the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa.
sahasra-nāmnāṁ puṇyānāṁ trir āvṛttyā tu yat phalam |
ekāvṛttyā tu kṛṣṇasya nāmaikaṁ tat prayacchati ||
The result attained by reciting Lord Viṣṇu’s thousand Holy Names three times is attained by reciting Kṛṣṇa’s name once.-Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa (2.36.19), Nārada Pañcarātra (4.1.15)
baladevaḥ: vaiśampāyanoktānāṁ sahasra-nāmnāṁ trir āvṛttyā yat phalaṁ, tat, kṛṣṇasya ekaṁ nāma—brahmāṇḍa-purāṇagatāṣṭottara-śata-nāmasthaṁ kṛṣṇāvatāra-sambandhy ekam eva nāma, ekāvṛttyā prayac chatīty arthaḥ | teṣu sarva-svāvirbhāvatva-viśiṣṭasya nāmāny uktāni, iha tu kṛṣṇatvena viśiṣṭasyeti viśeṣaḥ
The result attained by reciting three times the thousand names of Lord Viṣṇu spoken by Vaiśampāyana (Mahābhārata Viṣṇu-sahasranāma) is attained by reciting once a single name among the 108 names pertaining specifically to Kṛṣṇa-avatāra, as found in the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa (2.36.21–41). In the thousand names of Lord Viṣṇu, the names are characterised by the Lord’s manifestation in all His various forms, whereas here the name is specifically characterized by Kṛṣṇa-ness (kṛṣṇatvena), being related specifically to Kṛṣṇa-avatāra. This is the distinction (viśeṣa).—Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s Sāraṅga-raṅgadā-ṭīkā on Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (1.5.354)
sādhāraṇānāṃ keśavādi-nāmnāpi tadīyatā-vailakṣaṇyenāgṛhyamāṇānām avatārāntara-nāma-sādhāraṇa-phalam eva jñeyam |
nāma-kaumudyāṃ tu sarvānartha-kṣaya eva jñānājñāna-viśeṣo niṣiddhaḥ na tu premādi-phala- tāratamye |
tad evaṃ kṛṣṇa-nāmnaḥ sādhāraṇa-phala-dattve sati - sahasra- nāmabhis tulyaṃ rāma-nāma varānana ity api yuktam uktam | vastutas tv evaṃ sarvāvatārāvatāriṇām abhyaḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmno'bhyadhikaṃ phalaṃ svayaṃ bhagavattvāt tasya |
Those who chant names such as Keśava and others only in a general sense, without realising their unique and intimate relationship to the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa (tadīyatā-vailakṣaṇya), attain only the general results (up to the point of mukti) common to the names of other incarnations (avatāras).
In the Nāma-kaumudī, however, the distinction between chanting with knowledge or ignorance is dismissed (jñānājñāna-viśeṣo niṣiddhaḥ) only with respect to the eradication of all unwanted impediments (anarthas ); this rule does not apply to the gradations of higher fruits like divine love (na tu premādi-phala- tāratamye).
Therefore, when the name of Kṛṣṇa is considered solely from the perspective of bestowing these general results, the scriptural statement—‘sahasra- nāmabhis tulyaṃ rāma-nāma varānana’—is appropriate. Yet, in absolute reality, the fruit of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s name is immensely superior to the names of all other avatāras and even the source of all avatāras (avatārī), because He Himself is Svayaṁ Bhagavān—the original Supreme Lord.
—Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa’s Sarva-saṁvādinī-ṭīkā on Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī’s Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha (82)
Thus, the statement that Rāma-nāma is equal to the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma must be understood at both levels: in terms of the general mahimā and liberating potency of the Holy Name, a single name of Bhagavān is complete in itself and can bestow the full perfection attainable through the thousand names; yet, when a name is invoked specifically in relation to a particular iṣṭa-vigraha, its viśeṣa manifests according to that form’s particular qualities, identity, and rasa. Therefore, there is no tāratamya in the completeness or essential potency of the names, but there can be tāratamya in the specific prema and rasa they manifest according to the form of Bhagavān being invoked and the devotee’s corresponding devotional mood. It is precisely this distinction between the universal completeness of nāma and the particular rasa revealed through nāma that reconciles the statement ‘rāma-nāma is equal to a thousand names’ with the śāstric glorification of particular names such as Kṛṣṇa-nāma.