Krishna
Krishna bija-mantra
ॐ क्लीं कृष्णाय नमः
Simple reading
Om kleem krish-naa-ya na-mah
Oṁ Klīṁ Kṛṣṇāya Namaḥ
About this mantra
The short seed-mantra of Krishna: the bija Kleem joined to his name. Kleem is the kama-bija of the tantric tradition, the same seed that opens the eighteen-syllable Gopala mantra of the Gopala Tapani Upanishad.
Meaning
Om. Kleem. Salutations to Krishna. Kleem is the seed of akarshana, attraction: tradition says Krishna does not need to be reached so much as stopped being resisted, and the bija works on the resistance. His very name is glossed 'the all-attractive', so the mantra, in full, is a consent: draw me.
Learn it by heart
Say the first line until it comes without reading, then add the next line and say both, until the whole mantra comes on its own.
Whole mantra
This mantra is a single line. Learn it whole, then add it to your review deck so it comes back for a check.
ॐ क्लीं कृष्णाय नमः
Oṁ Klīṁ Kṛṣṇāya Namaḥ
0not said yet
Aim for eleven. Stop reading as soon as the whole mantra comes on its own.
Progress stays on this device.
When to recite it
For turning toward Krishna: mornings, Janmashtami, and Holi's love-coloured days; counted when the heart's own resistance is the actual obstacle.
Word by word
- ॐoṁ
- the primordial sound
- क्लींklīṁ
- the bīja of divine attraction
- कृष्णायkṛṣṇāya
- to Krishna
- नमःnamaḥ
- I bow, salutations
Source: Gopāla-tāpanī / tantra bīja-mantra tradition
Note: Given here in its commonly used form; wording can vary slightly between family and regional traditions.