Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari (Krishna Naam Mantra)

Where it comes from

Most people know this line as the refrain of a Hindi bhajan, but it is older than the bhajan. The Sanskrit verse above is from the Govinda Damodara Stotra, a hymn traditionally attributed to Bilvamangala, also known as Lilashuka, the Krishna devotee-poet remembered for the Krishna Karnamrita. In the edition published on shlokam.org and wisdomlib.org it is verse 70 of 71. Editions of this stotra differ in length, so the number can vary.

The whole stotra is built on one refrain: every verse ends govinda damodara madhaveti, "saying Govinda, Damodara, Madhava". It opens with Draupadi, her hair and garment seized by Duhshasana in front of the Kurus and Pandavas, crying out to Krishna with these three names because she has no other protector. Many of the verses that follow show the gopis of Vraja calling the same names while they go about their work: a milkmaid who means to sell curd absent-mindedly calls out "Govinda, Damodara, Madhava" instead, women pounding rice sing them, and Yashoda says them to the baby on her lap. Near the end, several verses address the poet's own tongue: jihve pibasvamritam etad eva, "O tongue, drink this nectar alone". Our verse is one of these.

The same string of names turns up elsewhere too. The Pandava Gita gives Abhimanyu a verse beginning गोविन्द गोविन्द हरे मुरारे. These names were a shared vocabulary of Vaishnava prayer, and poets kept setting them in new verses.

What it means

The first two lines are nothing but names, all in the vocative, calling out to Krishna:

• Shri Krishna: Krishna, with the honorific Shri, which also names Lakshmi, who is always with him.
• Govinda: the one who protects and delights the cows. The name is also read as "the one who gladdens the senses".
• Hare: O Hari, the one who takes away sorrow and sin.
• Murare: O Murari, enemy of the demon Mura. Murare is the Sanskrit vocative; Hindi singers say Murari.
• He Natha: O Lord, O protector.
• Narayana: the refuge of all beings, the one who rests on the waters.
• Vasudeva: the son of Vasudeva, and also "the one who dwells in all".

The last two lines are an instruction to oneself: Jihve pibasvamritam etad eva, "O tongue, drink only this nectar", govinda damodara madhaveti, "the nectar of saying Govinda, Damodara, Madhava". Damodara is the child Krishna with a rope around his belly, tied to a mortar by Yashoda (the story of the Damodarashtakam). Madhava is the husband of Ma, Lakshmi. The point is simple: speaking the Lord's names is itself the sweetest thing the tongue can taste.

The Hindi bhajan

The bhajan sung across North India, and widely known through Jagjit Singh's recording, takes the first two lines as its refrain in Hindi form: श्री कृष्ण गोविन्द हरे मुरारी, हे नाथ नारायण वासुदेवा. It adds its own second line, पितु मात स्वामी, सखा हमारे, "our father, mother, master and friend". Between refrains its verses tell Krishna's story: born in a prison, raised elsewhere, the flute on his lips and Radha in his heart, the teaching of the Gita. It ends with the Sanskrit prayer Twameva Mata Cha Pita Twameva, which says the same thing as pitu mat swami sakha hamare. So the bhajan joins a line from the Govinda Damodara Stotra with a verse from the Pandava Gita, held together by new Hindi verses.

When and how to chant it

• As naam-japa: many devotees repeat the first two lines on a tulsi mala, 108 times, as a simple name-mantra of Krishna. No initiation is needed; it is a string of names, not a bija mantra.
• In kirtan and bhajan: sung in call and response, especially on Janmashtami, Ekadashi and in the month of Kartik.
• Before or after Krishna puja: it fits naturally after Aarti Kunj Bihari Ki.
• At any time: the verse itself is a reminder to keep the names on one's tongue through the day, as the gopis in the stotra do while churning and cooking.

Variants worth knowing

• Murare / Murari, Vasudeva / Vasudeva: the Sanskrit has मुरारे and वासुदेव; the Hindi bhajan sings मुरारी and वासुदेवा. Both are fine in their own setting.
• Not the Hare Krishna mahamantra: this is a different text from the sixteen-word Hare Krishna mahamantra, though both are chanted as names of the Lord.
• Not from the Bhagavad Gita: the line is sometimes loosely called a Gita verse. It is from the Govinda Damodara Stotra.

Frequently asked questions

Where does "Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari" come from?

From the Govinda Damodara Stotra, a Sanskrit hymn attributed to Bilvamangala (Lilashuka). It is verse 70 of 71 in the edition published on shlokam.org and wisdomlib. The Hindi bhajan built on it is much later.

Is it a mantra or a bhajan?

Both. The Sanskrit verse is chanted as a name-mantra of Krishna, and its first two lines became the refrain of a popular Hindi bhajan.

Is it "Murari" or "Murare"?

The Sanskrit vocative is Murare, "O Murari". In the Hindi bhajan it is sung Murari. The meaning, the enemy of the demon Mura, is the same.

What does "jihve pibasvamritam etad eva" mean?

"O tongue, drink only this nectar." The nectar is saying the names Govinda, Damodara and Madhava. Several verses near the end of the stotra repeat this line.

Who sang the famous "Shri Krishna Govind Hare Murari" bhajan?

Many singers have recorded it; one of the best-known renditions is Jagjit Singh's. It ends with the Sanskrit verse "Twameva mata cha pita twameva".

Can it be chanted 108 times?

Yes. Many devotees chant the first two lines on a tulsi mala 108 times. Since it is a sequence of the Lord's names, it needs no initiation or special rules.

Is this the same as the Hare Krishna mahamantra?

No. The mahamantra is "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare". This verse uses different names and comes from a different text.