The gopīs are the cowherd women of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa who leave everything to dance with Kṛṣṇa in the moonlight and grieve when he leaves for Mathurā. Their selfless love, untroubled by convention or reward, is held up as the purest form of devotion.
Gopī
One of the cowherd women of Vraja whose love for Kṛṣṇa is the model of devotion.
Also: Gopi, gopis