It is sometimes thought tilak is clay from the bank of the sacred Ganges, but this is also not correct. If you do a little research, you will find that tilak is mined from a dry river bed in Dwarka, Gujarat, nowhere near Vrindavan.

So what’s the connection with the Gopis?

During the time that Lord Krishna was playing the role of a King in Dwaraka five thousand years ago, the Gopis of Vraja went on a pilgrimage to Kurukshetra. Unknown to anyone, they secretly met Krishna during the night in a forest outside of the royal city to perform the Rasa dance with their beloved. After dancing and playing musical instruments for what seemed like a day of Brahma, the Gopis were very fatigued.

Krishna took them to a nearby lake where they refreshed themselves by bathing and sporting with Shyamasundara in the cool water. As they swam, all the sandalwood, mascara, fragrant oils, saffron, and musk they had applied to adorn their beautiful, transcendental bodies washed off and settled at the bottom of the lake, merging with the clay of the lake bed.

It is this same river bed where we get our tilak from today. It is the divine Chandan coming from the bodies of Gopis themselves and has been used by devotees of Krishna to decorate their bodies since that time.

Some people say this tilak still carries the fragrance of those heavenly substances.

It is said in the Padma Purana that because this clay is so supremely pure if one is wearing this Gopi Chandan while performing Yajnas, Homas, or other Vedic rites, even if mantras are chanted without proper pronunciation or an error is made in ritual, one will still get the full benefit of those acts.

KESHAV IS SITUATED ON FORHEAD, NARAYANA IN BELLY REGION, MADHAVA IN HEAD, GOVIND IN THROAT, VISHNU ON RIGHT SIDE OF BELLY, MAGHUSUDAN BETWEEN LEFT SIDE OF BELLY AND LEFT HAND, TRIVIKRAM IN EAR, VAMAN IN THE LEFT BELLY REGION, SHRIDHAR IN LEFT ARM, HARISHIKESH IN RIGHT EAR, PADMANABHA ON BACK AND DAMODAR IS SITUATED ON SHOULDER. THESE SHOULD BE REMEMBERED. TILAK SHOULD BE PUT AFTER REMEMBERING THESE TWELVE VASUDEVAS.