View source for Gopi

{{Short description|Milkmaids of Braj associated with Hindu god Krishna}}
{{about|the milkmaids|other uses|Gopi (disambiguation) }}

{{redirect |Gopa|other uses|Gopa (disambiguation) }}
{{Infobox deity <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Hinduism-->
| type = Hindu
| name = Gopis
| other_names = Krishnasakhi, Krishnapreyasi
| image = Krishna with gopis.jpg
| caption = [[Krishna]] with gopis in the forest of [[Braj]], a [[Pahari painting]] by [[Manaku]], c. 1730
| Sanskrit_transliteration = Gopi
| Devanagari = गोपी
| affiliation = [[Avatar]] of [[Radha]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5cQH17-HnMC&q=Gopis+incarnations+radha |author=Phyllis G. Jestice |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2004 |pages=316–317 |isbn=1576073556}}</ref> [[Krishnaism]], [[Vaishnavism]]
| abode = [[Goloka]], [[Vrindavan]], [[Barsana]]
| texts = [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]], [[Garga Samhita (Vaishnavite text)|Garga Samhita]], [[Gita Govinda]], [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Tiruppavai]]
| birth_place = [[Braj]]
| consort = [[Krishna]]
| festivals = [[Sharad Purnima]], [[Kartik Purnima]], [[Holi]], [[Lathmar Holi]]
| gender = Female
| venerated_in = [[Radha Vallabh Sampradaya]], [[Nimbarka Sampradaya]], [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]], [[Pushtimarg]]
| temple = Ashtasakhi Temple in [[Vrindavan]]
| region = [[Braj|Braj region]]
}}
{{Vaishnavism}}

'''Gopi''' ({{langx|sa|गोपी}}, {{IAST3|Gopī}}) or '''Gopika''' in [[Hinduism]] are commonly referred to the group of milkmaids of the [[Braj]] region in India. They are regarded by Hindus as the consorts and devotees of [[Krishna]] and are  venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (''[[Bhakti]]'') to him as described in  ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' and other [[Puranas|Puranic]] literature.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Walters |first=Holly |date=2016-12-01 |title=Playing God: Participant Frameworks in the Ras Lilas of Krishna |url=https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/jrpc.28.2-3.3611 |journal=The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture |volume=28 |issue=2–3 |pages=135–144 |doi=10.3138/jrpc.28.2-3.3611 |s2cid=192161968 |issn=1703-289X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Gopis are often considered as the expansion of [[Radha]], the chief consort of Krishna.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jestice |first=Phyllis G. |year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H5cQH17-HnMC&dq=Gopis+incarnations+radha&pg=PA316 |title=Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-57607-355-1 |pages=316–317 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hawley |first=John Stratton |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NHdZH-d2xM4C&q=radha+&pg=PA17 |title=At Play with Krishna: Pilgrimage Dramas from Brindavan |date=1992 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=978-81-208-0945-1 |pages=17 |language=en |quote="Radha expresses herself in the multiple forms of gopis"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/brahma-vaivarta-purana-gitapress-hindi/page/n44/mode/1up |title=ब्रह्मवैवर्त पुराण |trans-title=Brahma Vaivarta Purana |publisher=Gitapress |pages=35 |language=hi}}</ref> The [[Raslila]] of gopis with Krishna has inspired various traditional performance art forms and literatures.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mohapatra |first=J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UdpzAgAAQBAJ&dq=worship+radha&pg=PA164 |title=Wellness In Indian Festivals & Rituals |date=2013 |publisher=Partridge Publishing |isbn=978-1-4828-1690-7 |pages=164 |language=en}}</ref>

'''Gopi''' ({{langx|sa|गोपी}}, {{IAST3|Gopī}}) 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]], gopis are considered as the eternal beloved and manifestations of the internal spiritual potency of Krishna. Among the gopis, [[Radha]] is the chief gopi and is the personification of the bliss potency (''hladini [[shakti]]'') of Krishna.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Mohanty |first=Prafulla Kumar |date=2003 |title=Mask and Creative Symbolisation in Contemporary Oriya Literature : Krishna, Radha and Ahalya |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23341400 |journal=Indian Literature |volume=47 |issue=2 (214) |pages=181–189 |jstor=23341400 |issn=0019-5804}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Francis Bryant|first=Edwin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HVDqCkW1WpUC&dq=The+six+sandarbhas+of+Jiva+Gosvami&pg=PA373|title=Krishna: A Sourcebook|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2007|isbn=978-019-514891-6|location=United States of America|pages=382}}</ref>

== Etymology ==
'''Gopi''' (गोपी) is a [[Sanskrit]] word originating from the word Gopa. In [[Hinduism]], the name ''Gopika'' or ''Gopi'' is especially used to refer the milkmaids of [[Braj]] region.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Walters |first=Holly |date=2016-12-01 |title=Playing God: Participant Frameworks in the Ras Lilas of Krishna |url=https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/jrpc.28.2-3.3611 |journal=The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture |volume=28 |issue=2–3 |pages=135–144 |doi=10.3138/jrpc.28.2-3.3611 |s2cid=192161968 |issn=1703-289X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> 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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Schweig |first=Graham M. |title=Krishna : a sourcebook |date=2007 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-972431-4 |editor-last=Bryant |editor-first=Edwin |location=Oxford |pages=448–450 |chapter=Chapter 18: The Divine Feminine in the Theology of Krishna |oclc=181731713}}</ref>

==Prominent gopis==
The prominent ''gopis'' of [[Vrindavan]] are total 108 in numbers. They share the eternal intimate friendship with [[Radha Krishna]]. No one can equal or exceed the love they bear for the divine couple.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.vrindavan.de/gopis.htm | title=Gopis }}</ref> Out of 108 gopis, the primary eight gopis are considered as the foremost of [[Krishna]]'s devotees after goddess [[Radharani]] who is considered as the chief of gopis. Their names are as follows:<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Ph.D |first=Lavanya Vemsani |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4fw2DAAAQBAJ&q=Barsana-+Krishna+in+History%2C+Thought%2C+and+Culture+An+Encyclopedia+of+the+Hindu+Lord+of+Many+Names&pg=PP1 |title=Krishna in History, Thought, and Culture: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names: An Encyclopedia of the Hindu Lord of Many Names |date=2016-06-13 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-211-3 |location=United States of America |pages=107–108 |language=en}}</ref> 
* [[Radha]] (Chief gopi, Krishna's favourite)
*[[Lalita (gopi)|Lalita]] 
* Vishakha 
* Champakalata 
* Chitra 
* Tungavidya 
* Indulekha 
* Rangadevi 
* Sudevi 
All the eight primary gopis are together called as the '''''[[Ashtasakhi|Ashtasakhis]]''''' (eight friends) of Radha and Krishna.

==Unconditional love==
[[File:Unknown (Indian) - Krishna, Radha and Gopis - 71.333 - Detroit Institute of Arts.jpg|thumb|[[Radha Krishna]] with gopis]]
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 [[Bhagavata Purana]], within Krishna's Vrindavan pastimes and also in the stories of the sage [[Uddhava]].<ref name=":0" /> 

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 Mahaprabhu|Chaitanya]] 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<ref name=":1" />:<blockquote>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)</blockquote>

== Gallery ==
<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]]
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 [[Radha]] with Gopal [[Krishna]], a 1915 painting
File:Krishna dances in the Raslila with the Gopis.jpg|[[Raslila]] of Krishna with [[Radha]] and gopis
File:Gopi Talab Dwarka during Dwaraka DWARASPDB 2015 (19).jpg|Gopi Talab dedicated to gopis in [[Dwarka]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
*[[Ashtasakhi]]
*[[Raslila]]
*[[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]]
*[[Gita Govinda]]
*[[Lalita Sakhi]]

==References==
<references/>

== External links ==
{{commons category|Gopis}}
*[http://www.vrindavan.de/vrindavana.htm The Residents of Eternal Vrindavana]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040906103532/http://naturalnirvana.com/Braja-Mandala/Braja-Spiritual/Gopis.htm The Eight Main Gopis (Ashtasakhi)]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060524113034/http://www.mayapur.info/main/deity_pictures.html Deity Gallery: Radha-Madhava and the Eight Gopis]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050922091541/http://www.yogapitha.org/BrajYogaPitha.htm Diagram of the Yoga Pitha in Vrindavana]
*[https://iskcondwarka.org/blogs/untold-facts-of-lord-krishna-and-radha/ Srimati Radharani and other Personalities]
* [http://www.ashtasakhimandir.org/ Shree Radha Raasbihiari Ashtasakhi Temple, Vrindavan]

{{HinduMythology}}

[[Category:People related to Krishna]]
[[Category:Culture of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Consorts of Krishna]]
[[Category:Regional Hindu goddesses]]
[[Category:Hindu given names]]