Radha the gopi

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Radha refers to right hand figure of the two figures in Hindu religion. By far the most important is Radha, the gopi, who participates in the Rasa Lila with Krishna. Radha (right) with Krishna -Krishna-Balarama Mandir, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh Contents[hide] 1 The Mahabharata 1.1 Radha the gopi 1.2 The foster mother of Karna 2 Radha the Gopi in later Vaishnava traditions 2.1 Festivals 2.2 Radha, the most important Gopi of Krishna 2.3 Radha, the beautiful one 3 Further reading 4 External links [edit] The Mahabharata [edit] Radha the

gopi In the story of Krishna, as told in the Puranas and the Mahabharata, she is one of the gopis (cow-herding women) of the forest of Vrindavan, and was brought up in this community with Krishna. In the original story she is briefly mentioned as one of the gopis who Krishna plays with during his upbringing. [edit] The foster mother of Karna Another person is also called Radha in the Mahabharata. She is the wife of the cart driver Adiratha, who found the abandoned newborn boy Karna. Adiratha and Radha became his foster parents. Hence, and because Karna as an adult expressly stated his loyalty to his lowly foster mother, as opposed to his royal birth mother, he is sometimes called Radheya - Radha's son. [edit] Radha the Gopi in later Vaishnava traditions In the Vaishnava devotional or bhakti traditions of Hinduism that focus on Krishna, Radha the Gopi is his consort. For some of the adherents of these traditions, Her importance approaches or even exceeds that of Krishna. She is considered His adi (original)

shakti, the Supreme Goddess (feminine aspect or power of God). Other gopis are usually considered to be her 'expansions' in a way that She was the one, but had different manifestations. Her connection to Krishna is of two types: svakiya-rasa (married relationship) and parakiya-rasa (a relationship signified with eternal love). But although this shakti of merriage is within Her, She actually never merries Krsna, because the Veda's do not inform us about Krsna merries in Vrndavana, but He Does so in Dwaraka_Dhama with Rukmini. Rukmini is known to be in the svakiya rasa and Radha in vraja-bhava-dasya rasa, which means that Radha's love for Krsna is in seperation. The love the gopis feel for Krsna is in seperation and not within merriage. The love

of the gopi's for Krsna is on the spontane platform and very difficult to understand with a mundane conception of God, His Activities and His devotees. If one studies the Srimad Bhagavatam under the guidance of a bonifide spiritual master he or she will learn the topics of the Bhagavatam in proper propotions and of which nature the revealed stories are. It is actually written in the Bhagavatam itself that if one just read the Bhagavatam with the help of his own mind one cannot understand the Bhagavatam as it is given by the previous acarya's or spiritual masters. One need to approach a spiritual mater in a humble mood and listen submisive to the elloborations which are given by the realized spiritual master. Than, if one becomes situated in a particular service one understands a little more about rasa's a living entity can develope with The Supreme Being.. The second type is considered more exalted as it considered to be along the lines of love of Atman or living being and God. She was born in Rawal, a village about 8 kilometeres from Vrindavan. There are a number of accounts of her parentage. According to one of the common ones, her father is the leader (sometimes regarded as king) of cowherds Vrishabhanu, and her mother Kamalavati, or Kirtida. One of her names, Hara (mentioned in Narada-pancaratra 5.5.59), in vocative Hare, forms a part of the Hare_Krishna_Maha_Mantra, one of the most

popular mantras in India, known around the world mainly through the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). This mantra invokes Radha and Krishna as the Supreme Brahman. Radha's love for Krishna is seen by Vaishnavas as the most perfect because it is endless and without conditions. She is a cowherd-girl (gopi), who has a simple and pure-hearted nature that enchants Krishna greatly. Thus she is the most important consort of Krishna, His heart and soul, and his hladini-shakti (spiritual pleasure potency). In the Brihad-Gautamiya Tantra, Radharani is described as follows: "The

transcendental goddess Srimati Radharani is the direct counterpart of Lord Sri Krishna. She is the central figure for all the goddesses of fortune. She possesses all the attractiveness to attract the all-attractive Personality of Godhead. She is the primeval internal potency of the Lord." In the devotional (bhakti) traditions of Gaudiya (Bengali) Vaishnavas, a part of orthodox Hinduism, her worship has a special emphasis. It is especially prominent in Vrindavan, the place where Krishna is said to have lived over 5000 years ago. Her importance surpasses the importance of Krishna. This mode of worship

is also adopted by the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a Gaudiya Vaishnava branch, as it was instructed by Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, incarnation of Krishna as His devotee in the bhava (mood) of Radharani. For more information, see Vaishnava Theology and Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology. [edit] Festivals Radha's birthday is celebrated as Radhastami. [edit] Radha, the most important Gopi of Krishna The Padma Purana mentions eighteen thousand cowherd-girls among whom 108 are most important. Among those 108, eight are considered more important.

Among the eight, two have a special position, Candravali and Radharani. Between the two, Padma Purana tells us Sri Radha is the foremost and without Her presence no one of the gopis can really satisfy Krishna. In the Bhagavatam, Candravali herself admits this truth. Thus the Bhagavatam is dedicated to explaining the importance of Sri Radha as no other Purana has done. Radharani has many names according to Her qualities and characteristics. Some of the names that Radharani is known by include Govinda-anandini--She who gives pleasure to Govinda [Krishna]; Govinda-mohini--She who mystifies Govinda; Govinda-sarvasa--the all-in-all of Lord Govinda; Shiromani Sarva-kanta--the crown jewel of all the Lord's consorts; and Krishnamayi--the one who sees Krishna both within and without. She is also called Radhika in the Puranas because Her worship [aradhana] of the Lord consists of fulfilling His desires. Aradhana is the root of the name Radharani, which indicates one who

excels in worshiping the Lord. She is also called Sarva-lakshmi, the original source of all the goddesses of fortune. This also means that She is the supreme energy of Lord Krishna, and represents His six opulences, which include fame, fortune, strength, wealth, knowledge, and detachment. She is also known as Sarva-kanti, which indicates that all beauty and luster rest in Her body, and all the Lakshmis derive their beauty from Her. It also means that all the desires of Lord Krishna rest in Srimati Radharani. As Lord Krishna enchants the world with His beauty and charm, Sri Radha enchants Him. Therefore She is the Supreme Goddess. Sri Radha is the full power, and Lord Krishna is the possessor of full power. (Cc.Adi-lila, 4.82, 84, 87-96) Thus, the two are non-different, as the sunshine is nondifferent from the sun, or as the energy is non-different from the energetic or source of energy. They were separated from each other at the pinnacle of their love, because

of Krishna's call of duty (to liberate Mathura from his evil uncle, Kamsa). It is said that Krishna had told Radha that she would never ever see him again. Radha was left love lorn, waiting for Krishna, in spite of knowing she would not find him again. After the war of Kurukshetra, when the Pandavas, assisted by Krishna defeated the Kauravas, a stray poisoned arrow of a hunter pierced the feet of Krishna in Dwarka. It is said that after this, when Krishna was preparing to leave for his heavenly abode, Radha along with the Gopis of Braj (Vrindavan and the adjoining areas) joined Krishna in his heavenly abode. [edit] Radha, the beautiful one Among the quotations on this subject, are these; "Although the effulgence of the moon is brilliant initially at night, in the daytime it fades away. Similarly, although the lotus is beautiful during the daytime, at night it closes. But, O My friend, the face of My most dear Srimati Radharani is always bright and beautiful, both day and night. Therefore, to what can Her face be compared?" (Vidagdha-madhava 5.20) "When Srimati Radharani smiles, waves of joy overtake Her cheeks, and Her arched eyebrows dance like

the bow of Cupid. Her glance is so enchanting that it is like a dancing bumblebee, moving unsteadily due to intoxication. That bee has bitten the whorl of My heart." (Vidagdha-madhava 2.51) "She is the worshipped of all the worshipped deities. She is the fosterer and mother of the worlds. She is the presiding deity of the Lakshmis of Vaikuntha or of the six divine attributes of Lord Krishna. She is the chief of Krishna's divine energies. She is the seat of concentrated beauties or the source and centre from which the Lakshmis draw their beauties. Radha is the embodiment of Mahabhava. The word Radha etymologically means a devotee. Radha is the chief of Krishna's sweethearts. All the Lakshmis of Vaikuntha are Her Vilasa-Murtis. The queens of Dwaraka are Her reflections. Lalita and other Gopis of Vrindavan are Her manifold forms. She pervades the Gopis in Her subtle form in order to contribute to Krishna's enjoyment. Radha is Krishna's

delighter, charmer and life's all. She is the queen of all the lovely maidens of Vraja. She is the Crest-Gem of all celestial beauties. Radha and Krishna are inseparable as fire and its heat, ice and its coolness, the flowers and its fragrance. The body of Radha is made up of sweet tenderness and loveliness for Sri Krishna. The substance of her subtle form as Mahabhava is Krishna Prem. Ardent passion for Sri Krishna is her dress. Her sweet radiant smile is the camphor. All good qualities are her garlands. All the Bhavas form the ornaments, her limbs. Lord Krishna's name, qualities form the ornaments of Her ears. Krishna's name and qualities flow out in a stream from Her tongue. She serves Krishna with the drink of Premarasa or Shyama-rasa." (Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati Maharaj, the founder of the Divine Life Society, in his drama Radha's Prem)With Regards, Vinu