The Gopāla-Mantra in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism and Beyond: Journal of Vaishnava Studies

Abstract

Of the many dīkṣā-mantras (mantras given at initiation) in the Vaiṣṇava scriptures, the Gopāla-mantra is one of the most esoteric as it reveals the highest, most intimate aspect of prema or pure divine love, ultimately connoting mādhurya-rasa or the conjugal love of the gopīs, the cowherd maidens of Vṛndāvana: klīṁ kṛṣṇāya govindāya gopī-jana-vallabhāya svāhā—“oblations unto Kṛṣṇa, the tender of cows and lover of the cowherd damsels.”