The Vraja Gopikās as Masters of Yoga

Abstract

The article "The Vraja Gopikās as Masters of Yoga" by Graham M. Schweig reinterprets the classical concept of yoga through the lives and devotional practices of the cowherd maidens (gopikās) of Vraja. Schweig challenges the assumption that yoga must be defined by the austerities and disciplines of Aṣṭāṅga-yoga, arguing instead that the gopikās exemplify the highest form of yoga—prema-yoga, or divine love—through their complete absorption in Kṛṣṇa. Drawing on Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sources and Sanskrit devotional literature, the article portrays the gopikās’ spontaneous and selfless devotion as a deeply yogic state of union marked by surrender, longing, and divine intimacy. Schweig contends that their ecstatic love transcends mechanical techniques, establishing an alternative paradigm in which the emotional and relational dimensions of samādhi are foregrounded. The essay thus reframes yoga not simply as control or isolation, but as complete loving union with the divine.