Krishna ExperienceWho was Radha?
In Braj tradition, Radha was the daughter of Vrishabhanu and Kirtida, born in Barsana (or nearby Rawal), and the most beloved of all the gopis. Her birthday, Radhashtami, falls fifteen days after Janmashtami.
Radha is, surprisingly, never named in the Bhagavata Purana. Devotees find her in the Raas leela, in the one gopi Krishna took with him when he vanished; the text says that gopi had "worshipped" him (anayaradhito) more than all the others, a word whose root they hear as her name. She is celebrated by name in the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva, a 12th-century Sanskrit poem, in the Brahma Vaivarta and Padma Puranas, and in centuries of Braj poetry.
Their story
The songs of Braj tell how they met as children; how Krishna wore a peacock feather because Radha loved peacocks; how he stole her heart with his flute, and she stole his flute in return; how they quarrelled and made up in the groves of Vrindavan, and how the gopis Lalita and Vishakha carried messages between them. When Krishna left for Mathura, he never came back to Braj, and the poets have Radha remembering him for the rest of her life.
The Raas leelaThe night the gopis left everything for the flute.What Radha means to devotees
For many Vaishnava traditions, Radha is not only Krishna's beloved but his own inner power of delight, hladini shakti: the joy of God given a form. The Gaudiya tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu sees Radha and Krishna as one being in two bodies. The Radha Vallabh tradition goes further and holds Radha supreme; in its temple she is represented only by a crown. In Banke Bihari, Radha and Krishna are worshipped as one form.
That is why the town greets you with Radhe Radhe: to say Radha's name is to call Krishna, too.
Did Radha and Krishna marry?
Traditions differ. Many hold that their love is above marriage. Others tell of a secret wedding at Bhandirvan, across the Yamuna, performed by Brahma himself; a temple there marks the spot.
Questions people ask
Is Radha mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana?
Not by name. Devotees see her in the gopi Krishna favours during the Raas. She is named in the Gita Govinda, the Brahma Vaivarta and Padma Puranas and in later Braj literature.
Where was Radha born?
Braj tradition says Barsana, where the Radha Rani temple stands on Bhanugarh hill; some traditions say Rawal, near Gokul.
Why do people say Radhe Radhe in Vrindavan?
It is the local greeting. Saying Radha’s name is understood to please Krishna and to be a prayer in itself.
Sources
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto 10, chapter 30
- Jayadeva, Gita Govinda (12th century)