108 names of Krishna with meaning

All 108 names of Krishna with meaning

Numbered in the order they are recited. The first column gives the name and the line it is offered with; the second, its transliteration.

How the 108 names of Krishna are recited

1. Sit before an image of Krishna, or simply face east, after a bath if you can.
2. Say each line in turn — Om, the name, namah — and if you are doing an archana, offer a flower, a leaf or a few grains of rice with each name.
3. Keep an even pace. A name said with attention is the point of the practice; speed is not.
4. Close with a moment of silence, and with aarti if it is part of your worship.

Krishna mantras with meaning

Source of this list of Krishna's 108 names

श्रीकृष्णाष्टोत्तरशतनामावलिः — Collated from the Shri Krishna Ashtottarashatanama Stotram (spoken by Shesha to the Earth, beginning 'श्रीकृष्णः कमलानाथो वासुदेवः सनातनः'). The colophons on sanskritdocuments.org and vignanam.org place that stotram in the Narada Pancharatra (vignanam adds: Jnanamritasara, fourth ratra); the same hymn also stands in the Brahmanda Purana, Madhya-bhaga 36.21–41, as printed on Sanskrit Wikisource.

The Sanskrit is traditional and in the public domain. We compared two independently published editions name by name and settled every difference against a third; the editions are listed below. The meanings are written for this site.

• vignanam.org — श्री कृष्णाष्टोत्तर शत नामावलि
• sanskritdocuments.org — श्रीकृष्णाष्टोत्तरशतनामावलिः १

Where editions differ, this page follows the reading most sources give; the other reading is noted:

• 1. श्रीकृष्णाय — also read as कृष्णाय
• 17. पूतनाजीवितहराय — also read as पूतनाजीवितापहराय
• 24. नवनीतनवाहारिणे — also read as नवनीतनवाहाराय, नवनीतलवाहारिणे
• 30. गोविदाम्पतये — also read as योगिनाम्पतये / योगिनां पतये
• 31. वत्सवाटचराय — also read as वत्सवाटीचराय, वत्सवादहराय, वत्सपालनसञ्चारिणे
• 42. परस्मै ज्योतिषे — also read as परञ्ज्योतिषे
• 56. मथुरानाथाय — also read as मधुरानाथाय
• 63. कुब्जाकृष्णाम्बरधराय — also read as कुब्जाकृष्टाम्बरधराय
• 72. कृष्णाव्यसनकर्षकाय — also read as कृष्णाव्यसनकर्शकाय
• 82. जिष्णवे — also read as विष्णवे
• 88. बाणासुरकरान्तकाय — also read as बाणासुरबलान्तकाय
• 97. दानवेन्द्रविनाशकाय — also read as दानवेन्द्रविनाशनाय
• 103. तीर्थपादाय — also read as तीर्थकराय
• 108. परात्पराय — also read as परात्परस्मै

A short meaning cannot hold everything an epithet carries; where a name has several senses, the commonest is given.