Gopi: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Milkmaids of Braj, Consortsassociated ofwith Hindu god Krishna}}

{{otherOther uses}}

| caption = Painting of [[Krishna]] with Gopisgopis in the forest of [[Braj]], a [[Pahari painting]] by [[Manaku]], c. 1730

| texts = [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]], [[Garga SanhitaSamhita (Vaishnavite text)|Garga Samhita]], [[Gita Govinda]], [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[ThiruppavaiTiruppavai]]

'''Gopi''' ({{lang-langx|sa|गोपी}}, {{IAST3|GopiGopī}}) or '''Gopika''' in [[Hinduism]] are worshippedcommonly asreferred to the consortsgroup andof devoteesmilkmaids of [[KrishnaBraj]]. withinThey are regarded as the [[Vaishnavism]]consorts and devotees of [[KrishnaismKrishna]] traditionsand are venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (''[[Bhakti]]'') to god Krishnahim as described in the [[Sanskrit]] scriptures like ''[[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 goddess [[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 |date=2004 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |year=2004 |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>

According to Indian philosopher, [[Jiva Goswami]], gopis are considered as the eternal beloved and manifestationmanifestations 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 manifestmanifests the stage of "''Mahabhav"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>

'''Gopi''' (गोपी) is a [[Sanskrit]] word originating from the word Gopa. In [[Hinduism]], the name ''Gopika'' (feminine form ofor ''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>

All the eight primary gopis are together called as the '''''[[Ashtasakhi|Ashtasakhis]]''''' (eight friends) of Radha and Krishna.

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" />

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: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]]