Gopi ( sa, गोपी, ) or Gopika in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

are worshipped as the consorts and devotees of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

within the

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

and

Krishnaism Krishnaism (IAST: ''Kṛṣṇaism'') is a large group of independent Hinduism, Hindu traditions—sampradayas related to Vaishnavism—that center on the devotion to Krishna as ''Svayam Bhagavan'', ''Ishvara'', ''Para Brahman'', the source of ...

traditions for their unconditional love and devotion (''

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' ( sa, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally used in Hinduism, referring to d ...

'') to god Krishna as described in the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

scriptures like

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...

and other

Puranic Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

literature. Gopis are often considered as the expansion of goddess

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

, the chief consort of Krishna. The Raslila of gopis with Krishna has inspired various traditional performance art forms and literatures. According to Indian philosopher,

Jiva Goswami Jiva Goswami ( sa, जीव गोस्वामी, Jīva Gosvāmī; ) 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 ...

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

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

shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...

'') of Krishna. She alone manifest the stage of "''Mahabhav"'' 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

word originating from the word Gopa. In

, the name ''Gopika'' or ''Gopi'' is especially used to refer the milkmaids of

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhoomi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal and Ballabhgarh in Haryana ...

region.

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 Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...

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

Radha Krishna Radha-Krishna (IAST , sa, राधा कृष्ण) are collectively known within Hinduism as the combined forms of feminine as well as the masculine realities of God. Krishna and Radha are the primeval forms of God and his pleasure potenc ...

. 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 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 ''Bhakti'' ( sa, :wikt:भक्ति#Sanskrit, भक्ति) literally means "attachment, participation, fondness for, homage, faith, love, devotion, worship, purity".See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. It was originally us ...

'' 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 ...

Gallery

Radha and Krishna by DHURANDHAR MV.jpg, Gopika

with Gopal

, a 1915 painting 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, and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It derives its name from its founder, Sir Thomas Bodley. With over 13 million printed items, it is the second- ...

India, Rajasthan, Jaipur, 19th century - Krishna and Gopis - 1946.359 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, 19th century Rajasthan painting depicting Krishna and Gopis 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 Krishna dances in the Raslila with the Gopis.jpg, Raslila of Krishna with

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

Dwarka Dwarka () is a city and a municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat in Western India. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at the mouth of the Gulf of Kut ...

References

External links