Gopi is a word of
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
(गोपी) origin meaning 'cow-herd girl'. In
HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
specifically the name gopi (sometimes
gopika) is used more commonly to refer to the group of cow
herdingHerding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those...
girlA girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s famous within Vaishnava Theology for their unconditional devotion (
BhaktiBhakti in practice signifies an active involvement by the devotee in divine worship. The term is often translated as "devotion", though increasingly "participation" is being used as a more accurate rendering, since it conveys a fully engaged relationship with God...
) to
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
as described in the stories of
Bhagavata PuranaThe Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna. The Sanskrit text comprises twelve skandas and 13,216 verses by one count...
and other
PuranicThe Puranas are a group of important Hindu religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography...
literatures. Of this group, one gopi known as Srimati Radharani (
RadhaRadha is the principal devotee of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Hindu religion. Radha is almost always depicted alongside Krishna and features prominently within the theology of today's Gaudiya Vaishnava religion, which regards Radha as the original Goddess or Shakti...
or Radhika) holds a place of particularly high reverence and importance in a number of religious traditions, especially within
Gaudiya VaishnavismGaudiya Vaishnavism is a Vaishnava religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in India in the 16th century. "Gaudiya" refers to with Vaishnavism meaning the worship of Vishnu...
.
The gopis of Vrindavan, who total one hundred and eight in number, are generally divided into three groups: Gopi
friendsFriendship is the cooperative and supportive relationship between two or more people. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis...
of the same age as Krishna; maidservants; and gopi
messengerMessenger is a person or thing that carries a message.Messenger may also refer to:-Biology and chemistry:* Chemical messenger or Hormone, a molecule used for cellular signalling...
s.
Gopi is a word of
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
(गोपी) origin meaning 'cow-herd girl'. In
HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
specifically the name gopi (sometimes
gopika) is used more commonly to refer to the group of cow
herdingHerding is the act of bringing individual animals together into a group , maintaining the group and moving the group from place to place—or any combination of those...
girlA girl is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term may also be used to mean a young woman.-Etymology:...
s famous within Vaishnava Theology for their unconditional devotion (
BhaktiBhakti in practice signifies an active involvement by the devotee in divine worship. The term is often translated as "devotion", though increasingly "participation" is being used as a more accurate rendering, since it conveys a fully engaged relationship with God...
) to
KrishnaKrishna is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives...
as described in the stories of
Bhagavata PuranaThe Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna. The Sanskrit text comprises twelve skandas and 13,216 verses by one count...
and other
PuranicThe Puranas are a group of important Hindu religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the Universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of the kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography...
literatures. Of this group, one gopi known as Srimati Radharani (
RadhaRadha is the principal devotee of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Hindu religion. Radha is almost always depicted alongside Krishna and features prominently within the theology of today's Gaudiya Vaishnava religion, which regards Radha as the original Goddess or Shakti...
or Radhika) holds a place of particularly high reverence and importance in a number of religious traditions, especially within
Gaudiya VaishnavismGaudiya Vaishnavism is a Vaishnava religious movement founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in India in the 16th century. "Gaudiya" refers to with Vaishnavism meaning the worship of Vishnu...
.
Prominent Gopis
The gopis of Vrindavan, who total one hundred and eight in number, are generally divided into three groups: Gopi
friendsFriendship is the cooperative and supportive relationship between two or more people. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis...
of the same age as Krishna; maidservants; and gopi
messengerMessenger is a person or thing that carries a message.Messenger may also refer to:-Biology and chemistry:* Chemical messenger or Hormone, a molecule used for cellular signalling...
s. The first group, Krishna's contemporary gopi friends, are the most exalted, the second group, the maidservants are the next most exalted, and the gopi messengers come after them. The primary eight gopis are considered the foremost of Krishna's devotees after Srimati Radharani. Their names are as follows :
- Lalita (gopi)
Lalita the name of one of the principal gopis within traditional Gaudiya Vaishnava worship of Radha and Krishna.-Among the gopis:Within Vaishnava theology and Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, Lalita is included amongst the eight principle gopis, known as 'sakhis' or friends of Srimati Radharani, Lord...
Sakhi
- Visakha
Viśākhā, also referred to as Migara's mother , was one of the chief female lay disciples of the Buddha. She became a stream-enterer and died at the age of 120....
Sakhi
- Campakalata Sakhi
- Citra Sakhi
- Tungavidya Sakhi
- Indulekha
Indulekha , a novel by O Chandu Menon. This work initiated the novel genre in Malayalam and is therefore considered to be a landmark in the history of Malayalam literature although it is credited as the second malayalam novel . Indulekha, Chandumenon's first novel, was published in 1889...
Sakhi
- Rangadevi Sakhi
- Sudevi Sakhi
Unconditional love
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
VrindavanVrindavan , or Vraj in Mathura district, Uttar Pradesh, India is a town on the site of an ancient forest which is the region where Lord Krishna spent his childhood days. It lies in the Braj region...
pastimes and also in the stories of the sage
UddhavaUddhava is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, wherein his is the friend and counsellor of Krishna the avatar. He plays a significant role in the Bhagavata Purana, being taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna...
.
See also
- Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu , was a monk and social reformer of eastern India in the 16th century...
- Gita Govinda
The Gita Govinda is a work composed by the 12th-century poet, Jayadeva, who was born in Kenduli Sasan near Puri in Orissa. It describes the relationship between Krishna and the gopis of Vrindavana, and in particular one gopi named Radha...
- Gopi Krishna
Gopi Krishna of India was a yogi, mystic, teacher, social reformer, and writer. His autobiography is known under the title Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man....
- Six Goswamis
- Holy Basil
Ocimum tenuiflorum is an aromatic plant in the family Lamiaceae...
(Tulsi)
Other meanings of Gopi
- Gopi is a popular Indian
India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
given nameA given name is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...
.
- Gopi
V. Gopinathan Nair , more popularly known as Bharath Gopi, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and producer. He was one of the first actors to be associated with the New Wave Cinema movement in Kerala....
is a popular MalayaliThe Malayali people are a group of people, who speak Malayalam, originating from the Indian state of Kerala...
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
n actor, director, and producer.
External links