Gopi (, ) or Gopika in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

are commonly referred to the group of milkmaids of Braj. They are regarded as the consorts and devotees of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

and are venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (''

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

'') to him as described in ''

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...

'' and other

Puranic Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

literature. Gopis are often considered as the expansion of

Radha Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prak� ...

, the chief consort of Krishna. The Raslila of gopis with Krishna has inspired various traditional performance art forms and literatures. Gopi (, ) when used as a male name of Indian origin is a short form of the name Gopala Krishna, literally translates to "cow-protector Krishna" or "Krishna the cowherd". While traditionally used for both genders, it's more commonly used as a male name, especially within the Indian diaspora and communities. According to Indian philosopher

Jiva Goswami Jiva Goswami (; ) was an Indian philosopher and saint from the Gaudiya Vaishnava school of Vedanta tradition, producing a great number of philosophical works on the theology and practice of Bhakti yoga, Vaishnava Vedanta and associated discip ...

, gopis are considered as the eternal beloved and manifestations of the internal spiritual potency of Krishna. Among the gopis,

is the chief gopi and is the personification of the bliss potency (''hladini

shakti Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...

'') of Krishna. She alone manifests the stage of ''mahabhava,'' or supreme love for Krishna, and holds a place of particularly high reverence and importance in a number of religious traditions.

Etymology

Gopi (गोपी) is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word originating from the word Gopa. In

, the name ''Gopika'' or ''Gopi'' is especially used to refer the milkmaids of Braj region. The word Gopis in the plural refers to the group of cowherd women who possess devotion toward Krishna. When it is used in the singular ("Gopi"), it generally refers to Radha, who was the Krishna's favourite gopi.

Prominent gopis

The prominent ''gopis'' of

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

are total 108 in numbers. They share the eternal intimate friendship with

Radha Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God and gender in Hinduism, God, in several Krishnaism, Kr ...

. No one can equal or exceed the love they bear for the divine couple. Out of 108 gopis, the primary eight gopis are considered as the foremost of

's devotees after goddess

Radharani Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Mū ...

who is considered as the chief of gopis. Their names are as follows: *

(Chief gopi, Krishna's favourite) * Lalita * Vishakha * Champakalata * Chitra * Tungavidya * Indulekha * Rangadevi * Sudevi All the eight primary gopis are together called as the '' Ashtasakhis'' (eight friends) of Radha and Krishna.

Unconditional love

According to Hindu Vaishnava theology, the stories concerning the gopis are said to exemplify '' Suddha-bhakti'' which is described as 'the highest form of unconditional love for God (Krishna). Their spontaneous and unwavering devotion is described in depth in the later chapters of the

, within Krishna's Vrindavan pastimes and also in the stories of the sage

Uddhava Uddhava () is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, described to be the friend and counsellor of Krishna. He plays a significant role in the Bhagavata Purana, being taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna. The principl ...

. For Vaishnava traditions, the most important representation of the gopis' love and devotion for Krishna is a story in the Bhagavata Purana (10.29-33) by the name of ''Rasa Lila Panchadhyaya'', which translates as "the five chapters on the story of the rasa dance". The ''bhakti'' or devotion that the gopis express in this story is believed by the

Chaitanya Chaitanya or Chaithanya may refer to Philosophy *Chaitanya (consciousness), Hindu philosophical concept People *Chaitanya (name) *Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1533), founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism Media *Chaitanya (film), ''Chaitanya'' (film), ...

tradition to exemplify the highest form of ''bhakti''. In the story, Krishna's flute music attracts the gopis' attention, making them leave behind their families and homes so that they can enjoy devotion of Krishna:

Upon hearing that sweet music, their passion for him swelling, The young women of Braj whose minds were captured by Krishna, Unaware of one another, ran off toward the place Where their beloved was waiting, with their earrings swinging wildly (Bhagavata Purana 10.29.4)

Gallery

File:The Gopis Plead with Krishna to Return Their Clothing Folio from a Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of Lord Vishnu) series. 1610 Metmuseum.jpg, 1610 painting of Krishna stealing clothes of Gopis File:Bodleian Library Indian paintings MS. Douce Or. a.3 fol31r.jpg, Krishna and Gopis, 18th century watercolour in the

Bodleian Library The Bodleian Library () is the main research library of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1602 by Sir Thomas Bodley, it is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second-largest library in ...

File:India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, 19th century - Krishna and Gopis - 1946.359 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, 19th century Rajasthan painting depicting Krishna and Gopis File:Radha and Krishna by DHURANDHAR MV.jpg, Gopika

with Gopal

, a 1915 painting File:Krishna dances in the Raslila with the Gopis.jpg, Raslila of Krishna with

and gopis File:Gopi Talab Dwarka during Dwaraka DWARASPDB 2015 (19).jpg, Gopi Talab dedicated to gopis in

Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...

References

External links