Gopi
Gopi (Sanskrit: गोपी, IAST: Gopī) or Gopika in Hinduism are worshipped as the consorts and devotees of Krishna within the Vaishnavism and Krishnaism traditions for their unconditional love and devotion (Bhakti) to god Krishna as described in the Sanskrit scriptures like Bhagavata Purana and other Puranic literature. Gopis are often considered as the expansion of goddess Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. The Raslila of gopis with Krishna has inspired various traditional performance art forms and literatures.
| Gopis | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Krishnasakhi, Krishnapreyasi |
| Devanagari | गोपी |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Gopi |
| Venerated in | Radha Vallabh Sampradaya, Nimbarka Sampradaya, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Pushtimarg |
| Affiliation | Avatar of Radha, Krishnaism, Vaishnavism |
| Abode | Goloka, Vrindavan, Barsana |
| Texts | Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Garga Samhita, Gita Govinda, Bhagavata Purana, Tiruppavai |
| Gender | Female |
| Region | Braj region |
| Temple | Ashtasakhi Temple in Vrindavan |
| Festivals | Sharad Purnima, Kartik Purnima, Holi, Lathmar Holi |
| Personal information | |
| Born | |
| Consort | Krishna |
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
|---|
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. 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.