ॐ क्लीं कृष्णाय नमः ॥
Frequently asked questions about Krishna Maha Mantra
What does the kleem syllable do?
Kleem is the kama beej, the seed of attraction and desire - so Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah is used where the aim is love, magnetism and the drawing of good relationships, rather than the plain salutation of the longer Vishnu mantras.
When is it chanted?
On Wednesdays and at Janmashtami, and at the evening lamp before a Krishna murti. A mala of a hundred and eight morning or evening is the usual count, often as a sankalpa over a fixed number of days.
Is a guru needed for a beej mantra?
The traditional position is that beej mantras are taken at diksha, with the pronunciation given by the teacher. Practice today is looser and this one is widely chanted; if you intend a serious sadhana rather than occasional japa, seek initiation.
Can it be used to attract a particular person?
The tradition is clear that mantras are not instruments of control over another person, and using them so is treated as abhichara - it damages the one who attempts it. Chant it for your own capacity to love and be loved well, which is what it is for.
How does it differ from the Hare Krishna mantra?
The Maha Mantra is a pure calling of the names, open to everyone, sung in kirtan. This is a beej-form japa mantra with a specific aim and stricter handling. Different instruments for different work.
About the Krishna Maha Mantra - Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah
The Krishna Mantra - "Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah", a seed (beej) mantra invoking the all-attractive Lord Krishna.
Meaning
With the kama-beeja "Kleem" - the seed of divine attraction and love - the mantra bows to Krishna, drawing the heart toward his all-attractive, blissful presence.
Benefits
Chanted for loving devotion, charm, harmony in relationships and the grace of Krishna; a popular beej mantra for bhakti and the fulfilment of noble desires.
Word by Word Meaning
Om - the Pranava. Kleem - the kama-beeja, the seed syllable of divine attraction and love; in Vaishnava tantra it is called the very seed of Krishna, the all-attractive. Krishnaya - to Krishna. Namah - salutation. The mantra thus bows to Krishna through the seed of attraction itself: "Om Kleem, salutation to Krishna."
The beej Kleem is built of ka (Krishna, or desire), la (contentment), ee (fulfilment) and the closing anusvara that releases the prayer. Tradition treats it as the concentrated essence of the Gopala mantras: where the full mantras describe, the seed simply attracts.
How to Chant
Chant 108 repetitions on a tulsi mala at dawn, facing east, keeping the count for a vowed period (21 or 40 days is common) rather than chanting irregularly - beej mantras are traditionally worked steadily, like a seed watered daily. Wednesdays and Thursdays, Janmashtami, and the month of Margashirsha are favoured times. Keep the practice private and unhurried; seed mantras are chanted softly or mentally, not called aloud.
Who Chants It, and When
Devotees chant it to deepen bhakti and draw Krishna's presence into the heart; it is also traditionally chanted for harmony in marriage and family, for winning goodwill in difficult relationships, and for charm of speech in work that depends on persuasion. Because it is a tantric seed mantra, older custom prefers it be received from a guru; those without initiation may chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, which carries the same grace without restriction.
In the Gopala-Tapani Upanishad and the tantras of the Krishna tradition, Kleem is treated as the sonic form of Krishna's flute - the call that drew the gopis across the Yamuna at night. Chanting it is therefore understood not as compelling anything outward but as making the heart able to hear what already calls it. That inward reading is the tradition's safeguard: the mantra of attraction is finally a mantra of surrender.
The Krishna Maha Mantra - Om Kleem Krishnaya Namah above is given in both Devanagari (Sanskrit) and Roman transliteration so you can read it in whichever script you are comfortable with - switch between the two using the buttons above, share the link, or download a PDF.
A mantra is a compact formula for japa, not a long hymn. Forty-verse hymns live under Chalisa; lamp-songs under Aarti; longer stotras under Stotram. Browse every formula on the Mantra index. Count repetitions with the online japa mala counter.
