The Glories of Gopi Chandan According to the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, gopi-chandana, or the sacred mud from Dwaraka, is applied on the body in twelve places while reciting mantras to Lord Vishnu. This process purifies one’s body, designating it as a temple of the Lord. Besides purification, the tilak also offers the wearer protection from ghosts, evil influences, bad dreams, accidents and many other things. It keeps one’s mind calm and allows one to constantly remember Lord Krishna. The following story from the Garga Samhita describes the wonderful glories of the sacred mud known as gopi-chandana. [From Garga Samhita, Canto Six, Chapter Fifteen, Translation by Sri Kushakratha Das] Text 15 yasya sravana-matrena karma-bandhat pramucyate gopinam yatra vaso ‘bhut tena gopi-bhuvah smrtah Simply by hearing about Gopi-bhumi, which is so named because the gopis resided there, one become free from the bondage of karma. Text 16 gopy-angaraga-sambhutam gopi-chandanam uttamam gopi-chanda...