radha and chandi --- same ?

[sambya]

the foklore of the beautiful gopi radha continued in ancient india among general masses but was given a final shastric touch about a thousand years ago . studying history one can easily see the way radha evolved from a cowherd girl to the main gopi and ultimately supreme shakti itself.

 

the major credit perhaps goes to the bengali sadhaks ( although nibarka sampradya also glorified radha around the same time) . bengal has always been the land of mother cults. personifying god as benevolent mother has aqquired the most important shape in this region of earth. perhaps this instinct of bengalis triggered them to elevate radha to the highest platform of divinity. so much so that in gaudiya sampradays she even excels krishna in some respects. thus the first concrete identity of radha was codified in gaudiya vaishnavism.

 

gradually the sites of vraja and mathura were revived by the gaudiya saints. naturally the dominence of gaudiya cults and bengali style of worship is still easily noticable here. in this way it took no time for radha to become established alll over the north india.

 

the first direct refence to radha as krishna's shakti is in the famous geet govinda of jayadeva of bengal . even in this text we can easily understand that the bengali mother goddess cults helped jayadev to elevate radha to this level.

 

another thing to be noted is in its initial stages of evolution radha was nondifferent from durga. durga is the primary vishnu shakti . krishnna being the avatar of vishnu it was but obvious for radha to be incarnation of durga.

 

thats why we find in two places krishna reffering to radha as chandi --- a name typical to the ugra aspect of devi cults.................

 

"mugdhe videhi mayi nirddaya dantadamsha dorbballivandha nivida stanapidnani .

chandi twameva mudamancha na panchavana chandalakanda dalnadasavaah prayantu ."

 

[ o mesmeriser !!! you are torturing me with your lilas. but o chandi take care so that i dont die from cupid's arrows. ] ***

 

 

 

"vandhukadyuti vandhavohayam adharah snighdho madhukachhabir gande chandi chakasti neelnalina srimochanam lochanam .

nasavyeti tila prasunapadavim kundabhadanti priye prayas tanmukha sevayaa vijayate vishwam sa pushpayudhah."

 

[ he chandi !!! your lips are as red as vandhuka flowers,cheeks are as soft as madhuka flowers , eyes put blue lotuses to shame,nose as beautiful as til flowers and teeths as glowing as kunda flowers. your face is like the arrow holder of panchavan . i think madana deva has conquered the world by grace of your face. ]

 

dasham swarga , sloka 12 and 15 , mughdha madhava , geeta govinda .

 

 

 

*** i didnt transalate the lilas as they are unnecessary in this context and too erotic.

 

 

 

this verse clearly depicts the evolutionary proces of srimati radharani. perhaps in later ages as gaudiya vaishnavism matured under sri sri chaitanya and his followers , did radha get seperated from durga or chandi. however the shakta traditions still see no difference between the two.

 

slowly over a long time span these two dominant faiths -- shaktism and vaishnavism interchanged each other's ideas without ever realising the fact.

 

 

raseshwari radha--------the beloved of krishna.

[trivedijv]

Dear Sambya,

 

Your connotation or rather a "food for thought" regarding radha = chandi, is not doubt a very very interesting and mind boggling subject.

 

I am personally in no condition to either support or to counter argue the connotation of radha = chandi ? Just like you I adore, cherish and worship the form of radha and its resemblance to characteristics of supreme mother Shakti.

 

I just wonder regarding the लीला and ललिता संयोग, and once again take the opportunity to bow to the Maata on her devine manifestation to us lesser mortals.

 

Jitu/जीतु

[Deathless]

A very interesting treatise.