Gopi

For other uses, see Gopi (disambiguation).
Gopis
Krishna with gopis in the forest of Braj, a Pahari painting by Manaku, c. 1730
Other namesKrishnasakhi, Krishnapreyasi
Devanagariगोपी
Sanskrit transliterationGopi
Venerated inRadha Vallabh Sampradaya, Nimbarka Sampradaya, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Pushtimarg
AffiliationAvatar of Radha,[1] Krishnaism, Vaishnavism
AbodeGoloka, Vrindavan, Barsana
TextsBrahma Vaivarta Purana, Garga Samhita, Gita Govinda, Bhagavata Purana, Tiruppavai
GenderFemale
RegionBraj region
TempleAshtasakhi Temple in Vrindavan
FestivalsSharad Purnima, Kartik Purnima, Holi, Lathmar Holi
Genealogy
Born
Braj
ConsortKrishna
Part of a series on
Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
Supreme deity
Vishnu / Krishna / Rama
Important deities
Dashavatara
Other forms
Consorts
Related
Holy scriptures
Puranas
Sampradayas
Others
Teachers—acharyas
Related traditions

Gopi (Sanskrit: गोपी, IAST: Gopī) or Gopika in Hinduism are commonly referred to the group of milkmaids of Braj. They are regarded 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 Puranic literature.[2] Gopis are often considered as the expansion of Radha, the chief consort of Krishna.[3][4][5] The Raslila of gopis with Krishna has inspired various traditional performance art forms and literatures.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8]

  1. ^ Phyllis G. Jestice (2004). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 316–317. ISBN 1576073556.
  2. ^ Walters, Holly (2016-12-01). "Playing God: Participant Frameworks in the Ras Lilas of Krishna". The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. 28 (2–3): 135–144. doi:10.3138/jrpc.28.2-3.3611. ISSN 1703-289X. S2CID 192161968.
  3. ^ Jestice, Phyllis G. (2004). Holy People of the World: A Cross-cultural Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 316–317. ISBN 978-1-57607-355-1.
  4. ^ Hawley, John Stratton (1992). At Play with Krishna: Pilgrimage Dramas from Brindavan. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. p. 17. ISBN 978-81-208-0945-1. Radha expresses herself in the multiple forms of gopis
  5. ^ ब्रह्मवैवर्त पुराण [Brahma Vaivarta Purana] (in Hindi). Gitapress. p. 35.
  6. ^ Mohapatra, J. (2013). Wellness In Indian Festivals & Rituals. Partridge Publishing. p. 164. ISBN 978-1-4828-1690-7.
  7. ^ Mohanty, Prafulla Kumar (2003). "Mask and Creative Symbolisation in Contemporary Oriya Literature : Krishna, Radha and Ahalya". Indian Literature. 47 (2 (214)): 181–189. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 23341400.
  8. ^ Francis Bryant, Edwin (2007). Krishna: A Sourcebook. United States of America: Oxford University Press. p. 382. ISBN 978-019-514891-6.