Overview
Gopi (Sanskrit: गोपी, IAST: Gopī), also known as Gopika, refers in Hinduism to the milkmaids of the Braj region in India. They are regarded by Hindus as the consorts and devotees of Krishna, and are venerated for their unconditional love and devotion (bhakti) towards him, as described in the Bhagavata Purana and other Puranic literature.
Within the devotional traditions, the gopis are often considered to be expansions of Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. According to the Indian philosopher Jiva Goswami, the gopis are the eternal beloved and manifestations of the internal spiritual potency of Krishna. Among them, Radha is the foremost, regarded as the personification of the bliss potency (hladini shakti) of Krishna. She alone is said to manifest the stage of mahabhava, or supreme love for Krishna, and holds a position of particularly high reverence in several religious traditions.
The Raslila, the celebrated dance of the gopis with Krishna, has inspired a wide range of traditional performance art forms and literary works across India. Episodes from the lives of the gopis form a central theme in Vaishnava devotional poetry, music and classical dance.
The word Gopi is also used as a male given name of Indian origin, where it functions as a short form of Gopala Krishna, literally meaning "cow-protector Krishna" or "Krishna the cowherd". Although traditionally employed for both genders, it is more commonly used as a male name, particularly within the Indian diaspora and various communities.