Lalita (Sanskrit:ललिता,IAST:Lalitā), also commonly calledLalita Sakhi, is aHindu goddess and one of the most prominent associates of the divine coupleRadha Krishna.[1] In manyVaishnaite traditions and literatures, she is revered as thegopi (milkmaid) of theBraj region and is mentioned as the chief ofAshtasakhi, the eight closest eternal companions ofRadha andKrishna.[2]
| Lalita | |
|---|---|
| Member ofAshtasakhi | |
 Idol of Lalita Sakhi, one of the close associates ofRadha Krishna at Shri Govardhan Parvat Temple,Anjar, Gujarat | |
| Other names | Lalita Gopi, Lalita Sakhi |
| Devanagari | ललिता |
| Sanskrit transliteration | Lālitā |
| Venerated in | Radha Vallabh Sampradaya,Nimbarka Sampradaya,Gaudiya Vaishnavism,Pushtimarg, Haridasi Sampradaya |
| Affiliation | |
| Abode | Goloka, Unchagaon,Vrindavan |
| Gender | Female |
| Region | Braj region |
| Temple | Shri Lalita Sakhi Temple, Unchagaon |
| Festivals | Lalita Saptami,Lathmar Holi,Sharad Purnima,Kartik Purnima |
| Genealogy | |
| Consort | Krishna |
| Dynasty | Yaduvamsha-Chandravamsha |
| Translations of Lalitā | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit | ललिता |
| Bengali | ললিতা |
| Hindi | ललिता |
| Kannada | ಲಲಿತಾ |
| Malayalam | ലളിത |
| Marathi | ललिता |
| Odia | ଲଲିତା |
| Punjabi | ਲਲਿਤਾ |
| Telugu | లలితా |
| Urdu | للِتا |
| Gujarati | લલિતા |
| Glossary of Hinduism terms | |
Lalita is considered as the expansion of Radha and the consort of Krishna.[3][4]Unchagaon, nearBarsana, is considered as the birthplace of Lalita inDvapara Yuga whileGoloka is mentioned as her spiritual abode.[5] Her birth anniversary is celebrated annually on the occasion ofLalita Saptami in Braj, which falls one day before the festival ofRadhashtami.[6]
Lalita is revered as the eldestgopi amongAshtasakhi and is described as 27 days older than goddessRadha. Lalita was born to her parents, Visoka (father) and Saradi (mother) in Unchagaon, nearBarsana.[7][8]
According to the scriptures, it is the duty of Lalita to arrange the meetings and different pastimes ofRadha andKrishna smoothly inDvapara Yuga.She is the integral part of many pastimes of the divine couple includingRaslila,Radha Krishna Vivah lila andLathmar Holi.[9]
According toBrahma Vaivarta Purana andGarga Samhita, when Krishna leftVrindavan, all theAshtasakhi, headed by Lalita left their villages and accompanied Radha to Kadli forest.[10][11]
Once the 100 years of separation was over forRadha Krishna, Krishna came back toBraj and met all the Ashtasakhi and Radha in the Kadli forest. There Krishna summoned a huge divine chariot and took Radha, all the gopis including Lalita and residents of Braj, back to their celestial abodeGoloka.[12][13]
Lalita gopi was mentioned within multipleVaishnavism scriptures. In some scriptures, she was mentioned as thegopi or chief ofAshtasakhi while in others, she is described as the closest associate ofRadha Krishna. Some of the common scriptures with her mention are -Garga Samhita,[14]Padma Purana,[15]Narad Purana[16] andBrahma Vaivarta Purana.[17]
InShaktism, Lalita gopi and other Ashtasakhi are considered as the embodiment of the Ashta Siddhis which are – Aṇimā, Mahima, Garima, Laghima, Prāpti, Prākāmya, Iṣiṭva, and Vaśitva.[18]
Lalita gopi is worshiped in many traditions including –Radha Vallabh Sampradaya,Gaudiya Vaishnavism,Nimbarka Sampradaya,Pushtimarga Sampradaya,Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Haridasi Sampradaya.[19][20][21]
The main temple of Lalita is situated in her birth place, where she is worshiped with Krishna as his consort. The temple is called Shri Lalita Sakhi temple, Unchagaon.[5] She is also venerated in other temples includingShri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, Vrindavan,Shri Radha Rasbihari Ashtasakhi TempleArchived 18 November 2018 at theWayback Machine in Vrindavan andShri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, Karauli, Shri Ashtasakhi temple, Barsana.[22]
InKaliyuga,Swami Haridas, the popular saint and musician of Vrindavan is said to be the incarnation of Lalita. He manifested the idol ofBanke Bihari inNidhivan, Vrindavan.[23][24][25]
In popular culture, Lalita Sakhi is portrayed by artists in TV series.
Radha expresses herself in the multiple forms of gopis
