Kanta (Sanskrit), Kantha(n) (Tamil), Kanti

One meaning of Kanta is "the beloved", when referring to the Divine. When we refer to God as Kanta, it means that He (because Kanta is a masculine form) is the most precious and loved One in our lives.

It also means "the lovely One." Divinity shows its great beauty in a myriad of ways through the glory of nature and in this way God shows His exquisite loveliness through countless forms of all kinds of beings and landscapes. His beauty is a constant, changing and glorious marvel.

In the great string of names of the Divine, the Thousand Names of Vishnu (Vishnu Sahasranama), Kanta is mentioned in both the 296th and 654th Sanskrit names. Therefore, Kanta is one of the names of the sustainer of the universe that the Hindus generally refer to as Vishnu.

The great saint, Adi Shankara, wrote many beautiful scriptures and he has said about Vishnu that He is incredibly handsome and he moves in the most perfectly beautiful bodies that are lovely. By this, Shankara means that God is present in all beings throughout nature and His creation is perfect. Shankara also suggests that Kanta can even end creation - anta can mean 'putting an end to' in Sanskrit and Brahma, the creator, is sometimes referred to as 'Ka'. Thus K-anta is the One who, when He withdraws from sustaining at the end of a cosmic cycle, puts an end to Brahma, who created all beings.

Kanthan (pronounced Kaanta) is one of the names given to Lord Muruga. The son of Shiva and Shakti is renowned for His incredible beauty, which stems from His inner perfection.

Let us not forget Kanti, the lovely Goddess! Having similar meaning to the above, Kanti is a name of the Goddess Lakshmi (the home-maker who presides over spiritual and material wealth) and also of the strict and fiery warrior, but all-compassionate Mother Durga.