Sri:
The word Krishna means — “One who gives Moksha (liberation) and joy on this earth.” The Sanskrit phrase कृषिर्भूवाचकः शब्दो नस्च निर्वृत्तिवाचकः means — ‘Krushi’ means the Earth, and ‘Na’ means one who gives bliss or liberation. So, Krishna means the one who brings happiness and liberation to everyone in this world.
The name Krishna has six meanings as given in Garga Bhagavatam (1.15.28–30):
सद्यः प्राणि-पवित्राणि
जगतां मङ्गलानि च
क-कारः कमला-कान्त
ऋ-कारो राम इत्य् अपि 1.15.28
His names at once purify the living entities. His names are the auspiciousness of all the universes. In His name the letter क-कारः stands for Kamalā-kānta (the husband of the goddess of fortune). ऋ-कार: stands for Rāma (the supreme enjoyer).
ष-कारः षड्-गुण-पतिः
श्वेतद्वीप-निवास-कृत्
ण-कारो नारसिंहो ऽयम्
अ-करो ह्य् अक्षरो ऽग्नि-भुक् 1.15.29
ष-कारः - stands for Ṣaḍ-guṇa-pati (the master of six opulences) or Śvetadvīpa-nivāsa-kṛt (The Lord who resides in Śvetadvīpa). ण-कार: stands for Lord Nṛsiṃha. अ-कर: stands for Akṣara (the immortal) or Agni-bhuk (the Lord who enjoys the offerings of agni-hotra yajñas).
विसर्गौ च तथा ह्य् एतौ
नर-नारायणाव् ऋषी
सम्प्रलीनाश् च षट् पूर्णा
यस्मिन् च्छुद्धे महात्मनि 1.15.30
The letter Ḥ(विसर्ग:) stands for Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi. In this way these six letters combine to become the name of the pure Supreme Person.
