Gopi, Gopī: 20 definitions
Introduction:
Gopi means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Buddhism, Pali, the history of ancient India, Hindi, biology. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
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In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Gopi (गोपि).—(girls) see Kātyāyani vrata. The gopi women were enchanted by the music of Kṛṣṇa, took to Brindāvana, and worshipped him. By singing his glories and through kāma they became one with Him.1 On another occasion they were so much moved by his music that they left their household work, children and male members and came to Brindāvan. Though they were asked to go back they refused, and desired to attain His feet. While they were enjoying his presence, Kṛṣṇa suddenly disappeared. They wandered all the forest in search of Him, addressing all trees and plants as to his whereabouts. During all this time each thought that every one of them was Kṛṣṇa and imitated his boyish exploits. After vain search they came to the very place wherefrom they started and meditated on his greatness. They praised him in the form of gīta looking forward to his arrival. Soon he was in their midst and consoled them. They took part in the rāsa krīḍa where was seen a Kṛṣṇa between every two women. They sang and danced unconscious of the loosening of their jewels, braid or clothes. When they sweated in fatigue, Kṛṣṇa wiped off their sweat. They then enjoyed water-sports, and sports on the river-banks in the upavana. By dawn they repaired to their homes.2 When some gopis were forcibly taken by Śankha Cūda, Kṛṣṇa released them and killed him.3 When Kṛṣṇa was away in the woods, the gopis who were at homes sang in praise of his veṇu gītā.4 Gopis heard of Kṛṣṇa going to Mathrā with Akrūra and characterised Akrūra to be only a Krūra as he brought about Kṛṣṇa's separation from them. They turned their minds on the past deeds of Kṛṣṇa, and stood motionless as pictures at his leaving them. Kṛṣṇa assured them of his return soon.5 Uddhava was sent by Kṛṣṇa with a message to gopis and gopas. The gopis mistook his chariot for that of Akrūra. They all surrounded him and enquired of Kṛṣṇa and his attitude towards them. Uddhava brought relief to them by delivering Kṛṣṇa's message while they recounted to him his deeds at Brindāvan. Pleased at their attachment to the Lord, Uddhava took leave of them after spending some time there.6 They went to Syamantapañcaka and met Kṛṣṇa who took them aside and consoled them so much so that they were all in contemplation of Him. Left for Mathurā.7 and attained salvation by satsaṅga.8
- 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa X. 21. 7-20.
- 2) Ib. chaps. 29-33.
- 3) Ib. 34. 24-32.
- 4) Ib. 35 (whole).
- 5) Ib. 39. 13-32.
- 6) Ib. 46. 48, and ch. 47 whole.
- 7) Ib. 82. 40-49; 84. 69.
- 8) Ib. XI. 12. 6; VII. 1. 30.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)
Gopī (गोपी, “damsel”).—According to Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta, Madya-lila 9.135, “Lord Kṛṣṇa belongs to the cowherd community, and the gopīs are the dearmost lovers of Kṛṣṇa. Although the wives of the denizens of the heavenly planets are most opulent within the material world, neither they nor any other women in the material universe can acquire Kṛṣṇa’s association”.
Gopī (गोपी) refers to “a transcendental cowherd maiden of Vraja”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).
Gopī (गोपी) or Gopikā refers to:—A cowherd girl or woman of Vraja. (cf. Glossary page from Bhajana-Rahasya).
Gopī (गोपी) refers to:—A young cowherd maiden of Vraja. The gopis, headed by Śrī Rādhā, who serve Kṛṣṇa in the mood of amorous love and represent the epitome of unalloyed devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Gopi may also refer to the senior gopis headed by Mother Yaśodā, who serve Kṛṣṇa in the mood of parental affection. (cf. Glossary page from Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta).
Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).
Vedanta (school of philosophy)
Gopī (गोपी) or Gopīgītā refers to one of the sixty-four Gītās commonly referred to in Hindu scriptures.—Gītā is the name given to certain sacred writings in verse (often in the form of a dialogue) which are devoted to the exposition of particular religious and theosophical doctrines. Most of these Gītās [i.e., Gopī-gītā] originate from the Mahābhārata or the various Purāṇas.
Vedanta (वेदान्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).
Shaivism (Shaiva philosophy)
Gopī (गोपी) or Gopītantra refers to one of the Tantras mentioned in the Mahāmokṣa-Tantra, a Sanskrit manuscript collected in volume 12 of the catalogue “Notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts (second series)” by Mahamahopadhyaya Haraprasad Shastri.—The Mahāmokṣatantra manuscript, consisting of 3,024 ślokas (metrical verses), is deposit: Dhaka, Vikramapura Majhapada, Babu Rasavihari Raya. It deals with the salvation, cosmogony (i.e., the order of cosmic regions) and contains a bibliography of Tantric literature.—The catalogue includes the term—Gopī in its ‘subject-matter list’ or Viṣaya (which lists topics, chapters and technical terms).
Shaiva (शैव, śaiva) or Shaivism (śaivism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshiping Shiva as the supreme being. Closely related to Shaktism, Shaiva literature includes a range of scriptures, including Tantras, while the root of this tradition may be traced back to the ancient Vedas.
India history and geography
Gopi or Gopinatha refers to one of the “nine saints” (Navnath), according to Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya in his Hindu Castes and Sects and G. W. Briggs in his Gorakhnath and the Kanphata Yogis.—These nine teachers form the basis of the Navnath Sampradaya (the lineage of the nine Gurus). They are worshipped collectively as well as individually. [...] The nine teachers [e.g., Gopi-natha] are considered representative of great teachers in this tradition or Parampara tradition—a succession of Teachers (Gurus) and Disciples (Shishyasa) in Indian-origin religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and Buddhism.
Gopi (गोपि) or Gopitantra is the name of a Tantra categorized as “Aśvakrānta”, and is mentioned in a (further unknown) book in the possession of Kamlesh Punyark [=Śrī Kamaleśa Puṇyārka or श्री कमलेश पुण्यार्क].—This book contains a detailed discussion of the basics of Tantra and opens with a list of three times sixty-four Tantras. One such text is the गोपि-तन्त्रम् [gopi-tantram] or गोपि [gopi].
The history of India traces the identification of countries, villages, towns and other regions of India, as well as mythology, zoology, royal dynasties, rulers, tribes, local festivities and traditions and regional languages. Ancient India enjoyed religious freedom and encourages the path of Dharma, a concept common to Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
Biology (plants and animals)
Gopi in India is the name of a plant defined with Ichnocarpus frutescens in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Echites affinis Roem. & Schult. (among others).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Prodr. (DC.) (1844)
· Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie (1927)
· Obs. Pl. Nov. (1871)
· Journal of Botany (1923)
· The Flora of Tripura State. (1981)
· Fl. Indo-Chine
If you are looking for specific details regarding Gopi, for example diet and recipes, side effects, pregnancy safety, chemical composition, health benefits, extract dosage, have a look at these references.
This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Pali-English dictionary
gopī : (f.) a woman herding the cows or the wife of a cowherd.
gopī (ဂေါပီ) [(thī) (ထီ)]—
[gopa+ī]
[ဂေါပ+ဤ]
[Pali to Burmese]
gopī—
(Burmese text): နွားကျောင်းသူမ၊ ဂေါပီမည်သောသူမ။
(Auto-Translation): A girl who is a cowherd, known as Gopi.
Pali is the language of the Tipiṭaka, which is the sacred canon of Theravāda Buddhism and contains much of the Buddha’s speech. Closeley related to Sanskrit, both languages are used interchangeably between religions.
Sanskrit dictionary
Gopī (गोपी) or Gopā.—q.v.: Mahāvyutpatti 1071 v.l. for Gopā (but Mironov only Gopā, no v.l.); as the Bodhisattva's wife, Gopi (voc.) Lalitavistara 235.22; 237.11 (both verses).
1) Gopī (गोपी):—[=go-pī] [from go-pa] a f. idem, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
2) [v.s. ...] ([Vopadeva iv, 22]; cf. [Pāṇini 4-1, 48]) a cowherd’s wife, [Hitopadeśa ii, 7, 0/1]
3) [v.s. ...] a cow-herdess, milkmaid ([especially] the cowherdesses of Vṛndāvana, companions of Kṛṣṇa’s juvenile sports, considered sometimes as holy or celestial personages; cf. [Religious Thought and Life in India] pp. 113 and 136), [Mahābhārata ii, 2291; Harivaṃśa 4098; Bhāgavata-purāṇa; Gīta-govinda]
4) [v.s. ...] a protectress, female guardian, [Raghuvaṃśa iv, 20] (ifc.)
5) [v.s. ...] = prakṛti, nature, [Kramadīpikā]
6) [v.s. ...] Abrus precatorius, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.] (cf. ahi-, indra-, kula-, tridaśa-, vāta-, surendra-.)
7) [from go-pa] b f. of pa q.v.
Gopī (गोपी) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Govī.
Gopī (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 瞿夷 [qú yí]: “Gautamī”; “Gopī”; “Gopikā”; “Gotamī”; “Mahāprajāpatī” [Sanskrit personal name].
2) 瞿婆 [qú pó]: “Gopī”; “Gopikā” [Sanskrit personal name].
3) 瞿比迦 [qú bǐ jiā]: “Gopī”; “Gopikā” [Sanskrit personal name].
4) 瞿毘耶 [qú pí yé]: “Gopī”; “Gopī”; “Gopikā”; “Gopiyā” [Sanskrit personal name].
5) 瞿波 [qú bō]: “Gopā”; “Gopī”; “Gopikā” [Sanskrit personal name].
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Hindi dictionary
Gopī (गोपी):—(nf) a cowherd’s wife.
...
Kannada-English dictionary
Gōpi (ಗೋಪಿ):—
1) [noun] = ಗೋಪಿಚಂದನ [gopicamdana].
2) [noun] a woman belonging to cowherd family or caste.
3) [noun] the creeper Ichnocarpus frutescens of Apocynaceae family; black creeper.
4) [noun] the pale or whitish yellow colour.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
Nepali dictionary
Gopī (गोपी):—n. fem. cowherdess; cowherd's wife;
Nepali is the primary language of the Nepalese people counting almost 20 million native speakers. The country of Nepal is situated in the Himalaya mountain range to the north of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches (+0): The, The, Go, Pi, Bei, I, Gopi, Te, Bi, Gopa.
Starts with (+0): Gopi-baans, Gopi-bamsa, Gopicandana, Gopicandanamahatmya, Gopicandanopanishad, Gopicandra, Gopicandranatha, Gopichand, Gopichandnath, Gopida, Gopigita, Gopijala, Gopijana, Gopijanavallabhacaranaikatana, Gopinatha, Gopipremamrita, Gopiputra, Gopiramana, Gopitantra.
Full-text (+133): Gopicandana, Gopinatha, Gopicandra, Gopiramana, Gopigita, Shaligopi, Gopipremamrita, Kalamagopi, Yashogopi, Nityasiddhagopi, Gopika, Radha, Gopicandanopanishad, Gopis, Mandalanritya, Kelivriksha, Gopa, Rasa, Gopi-bamsa, Gopitantra.
Relevant text
Search found 144 books and stories containing Gopi, Go-pi, Go-pī, Gopa-i, Gopa-ī, Gopī, Gōpi, The gopi; (plurals include: Gopis, pis, pīs, is, īs, Gopīs, Gōpis, The gopis). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 2.23.35 < [Chapter 23 - The Killing of Śaṅkhacūḍa During the Rāsa-dance Pastime]
Verse 2.23.37 < [Chapter 23 - The Killing of Śaṅkhacūḍa During the Rāsa-dance Pastime]
Verse 5.18.26 < [Chapter 18 - Uddhava Hears the Gopīs’ Words and Returns to Mathurā]
Krishna Sandarbha of Jiva Goswami (by Kusakratha Prabhu)
Sahitya-kaumudi by Baladeva Vidyabhushana (by Gaurapada Dāsa)
Text 5.10 < [Chapter 5 - Second-rate Poetry]
Text 4.24 < [Chapter 4 - First-rate Poetry]
Text 10.49 < [Chapter 10 - Ornaments of Meaning]
Devi Tantra, Mantra, Yantra (study) (by Srider Basudevan Iyer)
Description of Goddess Katyayani < [Chapter 3 - Minor Goddesses]
Śrī Kṛṣṇa-vijaya (by Śrī Gunaraja Khan)
Chapter 2 - Description of Lord Kṛṣṇa's Handsome Form (vibhāṣā-rāga)
Chapter 11 - Lord Kṛṣṇa and His Associates in the Spiritual World of Vṛndāvana (Śri-rāga)
Bhakti-rasayana by Madhusudana Sarasvati (by Lance Edward Nelson)
Part 4 - Ecstatic Devotion < [Chapter 3 - Bhakti and Advaita in the Bhagavata Purana]
Part 3.6 - Bhakti Given Ontic Status as Krsna's Highest Power < [Chapter 4 - Bengal Vaishnava concept of Bhakti]
Part 1 - The Flowering of Ecstatic Bhakti in Bengal < [Chapter 4 - Bengal Vaishnava concept of Bhakti]