Govinda

Govinda and Gopāla are names of Krishna, referring to his youthful occupation as a cowherd. He is regarded as the Supreme God in the Vaishnava tradition and also by much of the pan-Hindu tradition. The ancient text Sri Brahma Samhita (5.1) describes Him as the source of all that is and the original cause of all causes.

Gopala Kṛṣṇa of Krishnaism is often contrasted with Vedism when Krishna asks his followers to desist from Vedic demigod worship such as Indra worship. Thus the character of Gopala Krishna is often considered to be non-Vedic in one interpretations, while it can also be based on the popular understanding or rather misunderstanding of the Rig Vedic texts.

According to Klaus Klostermaier, Krishna Gopijanavallabha, Krishna the lover of the Gopis, is the latest stage in the historical process resulting in contemporary Krishnaism, being added to the worship of Bala Krishna (the Divine Child Krishna), and the original cult of Krishna-Vasudeva which may date back to several centuries before the Common Era.