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Line 1: {{Short description\|Milkmaids of Braj~~,consorts~~ ofassociated with Hindu god Krishna}} {{~~other~~Other uses}} {{Infobox deity <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Hinduism--> [[File:6 Master of the Isarda Bhagavata Purana. The Gopis Plead with Krishna to Return Their Clothing. Folio from Isarda Bhagavata Purana. 1560-65, Metmuseum.jpg\|thumb\|''The Gopis plead with [[Krishna]] to return their clothing'', Isarda Bhagavata Purana, 1560s]] \| type = Hindu '''Gopi''' (गोपी) is a [[Sanskrit]] word originating from the word Gopa. In [[Hinduism]] especially, the name ''Gopika'' (feminine form of ''Gopi'') is used more commonly to refer to the wives of [[Gopa (caste) \|Gopa]] of [[Braj]]. \| 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 [[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 [[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}}</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> [[File: Radha and Krishna by DHURANDHAR MV.jpg\|left\|thumb\|upright=0.9\|Gopika [[Radha]] with Gopal [[Krishna]], a 1915 painting.]]▼ 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> Gopis are famous within [[Vaishnavism]] for their unconditional devotion (''[[Bhakti]]'') to [[Krishna]] as described in the [[Bhagavata Purana]] and other [[Puranas\|Puranic]] literature. Of this group, one gopika known as [[Radha]] (or [[Radhika]]) holds a place of particularly high reverence and importance in a number of religious traditions, especially within [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism]].<ref name=basics>http://www.himalayanacademy.com/readlearn/basics/four-sects</ref> In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, there are 108 gopikas of [[Vrindavan]]. Although Radha and the other gopis according to the esoteric theology of [[Vaishnavism]] they are the eternal consorts of Krishna, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As such, they are the internal potency, or ''antaranga shakti'', and expansions of the internal potency of the Supreme Godhead. == Etymology == [[File:Bodleian Library Indian paintings MS. Douce Or. a.3 fol31r.jpg\|thumbnail\|right\|Krishna and Gopis.18th century watercolour in the [[Bodleian Library]]]]▼ '''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}}</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. \|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/181731713 \|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 \|year=2016 \|isbn=978-1-61069-211-3 \|location=United States of America \|pages=107–108 \|language=en}}</ref> ~~[[File:Delhi-National Museum-Krishna dallying with cowherd maidens-20131006.jpg\|thumb\|''Krishna dallying with cowherd maidens'', 1730]]~~ * [[Radha]] (Chief gopi, Krishna's favourite) The ''Gopis'' of [[Vrindavan]] are total 108 in numbers. ''Krishna charit'' describes the number as 16,000. They are generally divided into three groups: Gopi [[friendship\|friends]] of the same age as Krishna; [[maidservant]]s; and gopi [[Courier\|messenger]]s. The first group are the most exalted (Varistha), Krishna's contemporary gopi friends, the second group are the maidservants and are the next most exalted (Vara), and the gopi messengers come after them. The ''varistha gopis'' are more famous than all the others. They are eternally the intimate friends of [[Radha Krishna]]. No one can equal or exceed the love they bear for the divine couple.<ref>[http://www.vrindavan.de/gopis.htm]</ref> The primary nine gopis are considered the foremost of Krishna's devotees after Srimati Radharani. Their names are as follows: * [[Lalita (gopi)\|Lalita]] ~~Sakhi~~ * Vishakha ~~Sakhi~~ * Champakalata ~~Sakhi~~ * Chitra ~~Sakhi~~ * Tungavidya ~~Sakhi~~ * Indulekha ~~Sakhi~~ * Rangadevi ~~Sakhi~~ * Sudevi ~~Sakhi~~ All the eight primary gopis are together called as the '''''[[Ashtasakhi\|Ashtasakhis]]''''' (eight friends) of Radha and Krishna. * Anuradha Sakhi * Shwetha Gopi ==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~~\|thumbnail\|right~~\|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~~\|left\|thumb\|upright=0.9~~\|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]] [[~~Maenads~~Raslila]]▼ [[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu]] [[Gita Govinda]] [[~~Six~~Lalita ~~Goswamis~~Sakhi]] [[Tulsi\|Holy Basil]] (Tulsi) ▲[[Maenads]] ==References== Line 39 ⟶ 84: == External links == {{commons category\|Gopis}} [http://www.vrindavan.de/vrindavana.htm The Residents of Eternal Vrindavana] ~~(including Srimati Radharani & the Gopis)~~ [https://web.archive.org/web/20040906103532/http://naturalnirvana.com/Braja-Mandala/Braja-Spiritual/Gopis.htm The Eight Main Gopis] (~~Asta Sakhis~~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}} Line 49 ⟶ 95: [[Category:People related to Krishna]] [[Category:Culture of Uttar Pradesh]] [[Category:Consorts of Krishna]] [[Category:Regional Hindu goddesses]] [[Category:Hindu given names]]