The Santana Gopala Mantra — the prayer to Lord Krishna as the divine child (Bala Gopala), chanted by couples who long for a child and for the wellbeing of children.
सन्तान गोपाल मूल मन्त्र
ॐ देवकीसुत गोविन्द वासुदेव जगत्पते ।
देहि मे तनयं कृष्ण त्वामहं शरणं गतः ॥
बीज युक्त रूप
ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं क्लीं ग्लौं देवकीसुत गोविन्द
वासुदेव जगत्पते ।
देहि मे तनयं कृष्ण
त्वामहं शरणं गतः ॥
बाल गोपाल स्मरण
ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं क्लीं ग्लौं देवकीसुत गोविन्दाय
वासुदेवाय जगत्पतये नमः ॥
santana gopala mula mantra
om devakisuta govinda vasudeva jagatpate ।
dehi me tanayam krishna tvamaham sharanam gatah ॥
bija yukta rupa
om shrim hrim klim glaum devakisuta govinda
vasudeva jagatpate ।
dehi me tanayam krishna
tvamaham sharanam gatah ॥
bala gopala smarana
om shrim hrim klim glaum devakisuta govindaya
vasudevaya jagatpataye namah ॥
The Santana Gopala Mantra — the prayer to Lord Krishna as the divine child (Bala Gopala), chanted by couples who long for a child and for the wellbeing of children.
"O Govinda, son of Devaki, Vasudeva, Lord of the universe — grant me a child, O Krishna; I have come to you for refuge." The mantra surrenders to Krishna, who himself came as the divine child, asking for the gift of progeny.
Chanted (especially on Thursdays and during Santana Gopala puja) by couples praying for a child, for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery, and for the health and long life of children; the classical mantra remedy for progeny-related afflictions in the birth chart.
Devaki-suta — O son of Devaki. Govinda — protector of the cows, giver of joy. Vasudeva — son of Vasudeva, the all-pervading. Jagat-pate — O Lord of the universe. Dehi me tanayam — grant me a child (tanaya). Krishna — O Krishna. Tvam aham sharanam gatah — I have come to you for refuge.
The prayer deliberately calls Krishna by his own childhood names — the son of Devaki, the darling of the cowherds — asking the Lord who himself came as a divine child to bless the family with one. The beej-yukta form adds the seeds Shreem (abundance), Hreem (divine energy), Kleem (loving attraction) and Glaum (removal of obstruction) before the same prayer.
The classical practice is a steady daily count — 108 repetitions on a tulsi mala — kept jointly or by either partner, traditionally begun on a Thursday or on Putrada Ekadashi ("the Ekadashi that grants children," observed twice a year in Pausha and Shravan). Chant in the morning after bathing, facing east, before an image of Bala Gopala (the child Krishna); offering butter or milk sweets and keeping a small crawling-Krishna image at home are beloved accompaniments. Vowed practices often run for a fixed period, such as 40 days or until a mala of 125,000 is complete, arranged with family elders or a priest.
Couples longing for a child chant it together; parents continue it for the health, safety and long life of children already born; grandparents chant it over the family line. In Vedic astrology the fifth house and Jupiter govern progeny, and this mantra is the classical remedy prescribed alongside that analysis — the Child Birth Timing calculator looks at the same houses of your chart. As a plain prayer of refuge, the mula mantra is open to everyone; the beej-yukta form is traditionally received from a guru or family priest.
The Santana Gopala Mantra 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.
