What is the difference between GOD and LORD?
A male devotee asked like this:
“Sir i wanted to ask that why our gods lyk krishnaji nd shivji are called lord not god… god means creater and destroyer of the universe as per my knowledge… but still we call them lord shiva nd krishna …plz clear this confusion… nd one more thing reading bhagwat gita in english make any diffrnce or we should only read it in hindi?..”
REPLY:
Lord is a general term that is applicable to anyone who has the authority to something. This authority may even be a man or a god.
For example, if a person has the authority of controlling so many acres of lands and farm workers in many acres of land, we call him as LAND LORD.
As a judge has the authority over law, he is called as LORD in courts.
In older days, ministers called their king as LORD, as King is the authority.
Similarly, as Krishna is the creator and authority for the whole creations and He is controlling everything. So, He is called as LORD.
Saivaites consider that Lord Shiva is the creator and controller for all creations. So, they call Shiva as LORD.
Christians believe that Jesus Christ is controlling everything. So, they call Jesus as Lord.
So, every religion considers someone as LORD based on whom they believe as the creator and controller.
Thus, ‘Lord’ often refers to the almighty or the creator of the universe or the savior of mankind. So, simply speaking, Lord is one that rules over others.
Thus LORD is a SPECIFIC term that refers only CONTROLLER & an ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY.
But, GOD is not a specific term. GOD is a generalized term.
REMEMBER!
LORD IS A GOD; BUT, ALL GODS ARE NOT LORD.
For example, Kubera is called as God, as he is MANAGING wealth. But, He is not LORD KUBERA because, he DOES NOT CREATE wealth, but, just manage the wealth created by LORD Krishna.
Sarasvathi ma is called as God as she is MANAGING arts. But, as the art comes from Krishna, He is called LORD, not Sarasvathi ma. Sarasvathi ma is generally called as God.
Kubera, Sarasvathi, etc are serving Lord Krishna and Krishna has appointed them to MANAGE the affairs of material worlds.
Gods do not create, but, just manage. Whereas, Lord CREATES & CONTROLS. So, in general, they are called as gods.
One can come across the god of wealth, god of fortune, god of love or the god of death, just to name a few.
But, Krishna is the LORD, ie, creator of everything.
Krishna is also God, but, He is LORD also, because He is THE CREATOR & AUTHORITY.
But, A Lord is Supreme. So, LORD need not be under any other person.
Though there can be only be ONE LORD or a few lords according to their belief, but, there are many gods.
TAIL PIECE:
Do you know who used the word LORD in English for the first time?
In the English language, it was the bible translators who first used the word Lord. The word God was first used in the 6th century.
Another point to note:
Lord can be used even for authorities in MEN. But, the term GOD is NOT used for human authorities.
And, reading Bhagavad Gita in any language is equally beneficial. However, if you read in sanskrit, you read the actual words of Krishna. Thats all. But, effects are the same.
Oh, my God, sorry, Lord, sorry sorry, God, I have explained A-Z of this topic like telling to a K.G student.
Hope you all enjoyed it.