Radha | |
---|---|
Goddess of Love, Compassion and Devotion | |
Devanagari | राधा |
Sanskrit transliteration | Rādhā |
Affiliation | Radha Krishna, Devi |
Abode | Goloka, Vrindavan |
Symbol | Golden Lotus |
Texts | Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Devi-Bhagavata Purana, Padma Purana, Gita Govinda[1] |
Festivals | Radhastami, Holi, Gopashtami |
Personal information | |
Born | |
Parents |
|
Consort | Krishna |
Radha (Sanskrit: राधा, IAST: Rādhā), also called Radharani and Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and a consort of the god Krishna. She is worshipped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion and devotion. She is described as the chief of gopis (milkmaids) and appears in Krishna's love in his youth, though he is not married to her. She is sometimes considered an emanation of the goddess Lakshmi.
Radha is venerated particularly by Gaudiya Vaishnavas in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Manipur, and Odisha. Elsewhere, she is revered in the Nimbarka Sampradaya and movements linked to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[3][4]
Radha is considered as a metaphor for the human spirit (atma), her love and longing for Krishna is theologically viewed as symbolic of the human quest for spiritual growth and union with the divine (brahman). She has inspired numerous literary works,[3] and her Rasa lila dance with Krishna has inspired many types of performance arts.[5]
Etymology
The Sanskrit term Rādhā (Sanskrit: राधा) means "prosperity, success".[6][7] It is a common word and name found in various contexts in the ancient and medieval texts of India.
Radha is the name of the gopi who is the beloved of Krishna. Both Radha and Krishna are the main characters of the Gita Govinda by Jayadeva Gosvami.[6]
The term is related to Rādha (Sanskrit: राध), which means "kindness, any gift but particularly the gift of affection, success, wealth".[6] The word appears in the Vedic literature as well as the Epics, but is elusive.[8]
Rādhikā refers to an endearing form of gopi Radha.[6]
Description
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Radha_and_Krishna_by_DHURANDHAR_MV.jpg/200px-Radha_and_Krishna_by_DHURANDHAR_MV.jpg)
Radha is an important goddess in the Vaishnavism traditions of Hinduism. Her traits, manifestations, descriptions, and roles vary by region. Since the earliest times, she has been associated with the cowherd Krishna, who is the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita.[9] In the early Indian literature, mentions of her are elusive. The traditions that venerate her explain this is because she is the secret treasure hidden within the sacred scriptures. During the Bhakti movement era, she became more well known as her extraordinary love for Krishna was highlighted.[10]
According to Jaya Chemburkar, there are at least two significant and different aspects of Radha in the literature associated with her, such as Sriradhika namasahasram. One aspect is she is a milkmaid (gopi), another as a female deity similar to those found in the Hindu goddess traditions.[11] She also appears in Hindu arts as ardhanari with Krishna, that is an iconography where half of the image is Radha and the other half is Krishna. This is found in sculpture such as those discovered in Maharashtra, and in texts such as Shiva Purana and Brahmavaivarta Purana.[12] In these texts, this ardhanari is sometimes referred to as Ardharadhavenudhara murti, and it symbolizes the complete union and inseparability of Radha and Krishna.[12]
Birthplace of Radha is actually Raval which is near Gokul but is often said to be Barsana where she lived after her marriage. It is in Barsana that the Lathmar Holi is practised depicting the episode of Krishna going to Barsana and then running away escaping the beating from the womenfolk of Barsana. Radha asked Krishna why he can't marry her, the reply came “Marriage is a union of two souls. You and I are one soul, how can I marry myself?”[13] Several Hindu texts allude to these circumstances.[14]
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Raja_Ravi_Varma%2C_Radha_Waiting_for_Krishna.jpg/200px-Raja_Ravi_Varma%2C_Radha_Waiting_for_Krishna.jpg)
According to David Kinsley, a professor of Religious Studies known for his studies on Hindu goddesses, the Radha-Krishna love story is a metaphor for divine-human relationship, where Radha is the human devotee or soul who is frustrated with the past, obligations to social expectations and the ideas she inherited, who then longs for real meaning, the true love, the divine (Krishna). This metaphoric Radha (soul) finds new liberation in learning more about Krishna, bonding in devotion and with passion.[15][16]
Verse in the Bhagavata Purana, which is commonly attributed to Radha:
Certainly this particular gopī has perfectly worshiped the all-powerful Personality of Godhead, Govinda, since He was so pleased with Her that He abandoned the rest of us and brought Her to a secluded place
— Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 10, Chapter 30, Verse 28[17]
The Radha-Krishna and Sita-Rama pairs represent two different personality sets, two perspectives on dharma and lifestyles, both cherished in the way of life called Hinduism.[18] Sita is traditionally wedded: the dedicated and virtuous wife of Rama, an introspective temperate paragon of a serious, virtuous man.[19][20][21] Radha is a power potency of Krishna, who is a playful adventurer.[19][18]
Radha and Sita offer two templates within the Hindu tradition. If "Sita is a queen, aware of her social responsibilities", states Pauwels, then "Radha is exclusively focused on her romantic relationship with her lover", giving two contrasting role models from two ends of the moral universe. Yet they share common elements as well. Both face life challenges and are committed to their true love. They are both influential, adored and beloved goddesses in the Hindu culture.[18]
Influence
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Indian_-_Radha_-_Walters_542962.jpg/200px-Indian_-_Radha_-_Walters_542962.jpg)
In some devotional (bhakti) traditions of Vaishnavism that focus on Krishna, Radha represents "the feeling of love towards Krishna".[3] For some of the adherents of these traditions, her importance approaches or even exceeds that of Krishna. Radha is worshipped along with Krishna in Bengal, Assam and Odisha by Vaishnava Hindus. Elsewhere, such as with Visnusvamins, she is a revered deity.[22] She is considered to be Krishna's original shakti, the supreme goddess in both the Nimbarka Sampradaya and following the advent of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.[3][4] Nimbarka was the first well known Vaishnava scholar whose theology centered on goddess Radha.[23][24]
Radha Chalisa mentions that Krishna accompanies one who chants "Radha" with pure heart. Other gopis are usually considered to be self-willing maidservants (Sevika) of Radha. Radharani's superiority is seen in Krishna's flute, which repeats the name Radha.
Radha's connection to Krishna is of two types: svakiya-rasa (married relationship) and parakiya-rasa (a relationship signified with eternal mental "love"). The Gaudiya tradition focuses upon parakiya-rasa as the highest form of love, wherein Radha and Krishna share thoughts even through separation. The love the gopis feel for Krishna is also described in this esoteric manner as the highest platform of spontaneous love of God, and not of a sexual nature.[citation needed]
Temples
Radha and Krishna are the focus of temples in the Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Vallabhacharya, Chandidas and other traditions of Vaishnavism.[4] She is typically shown standing immediately next to Krishna.[4] Some important Radha temples are:
- Barsana and Vrindavan in Mathura District, Northern India contain many temples dedicated to both Radha and Krishna, including the Radhavallabh Temple.[25] Sri Sri Radha Parthasarathi Mandir in Delhi is also the Radha krishna Temple.[26][27]
- The Shree Raseshwari Radha Rani Temple at Radha Madhav Dham in Austin, Texas, USA, established by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, is one of the largest Hindu Temple complexes in the Western Hemisphere,[28] and the largest in North America.[29][30][31]
See also
- Vrindavan
- Radha
- Krishna Janmashtami
- Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir – the tallest Radha-Krishna temple under construction
References
- ^ Kinsley 1988, p. 82.
- ^ Jackie Menzies (2006). Goddess: divine energy. Art Gallery of New South Wales. p. 54.
- ^ a b c d John Stratton Hawley; Donna Marie Wulff (1982). The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. xiii–xviii. ISBN 978-0-89581-102-8.
- ^ a b c d Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. pp. 321–322. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
- ^ Guy L. Beck (2006). Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity. State University of New York Press. pp. 46–47. ISBN 978-0-7914-6416-8.
- ^ a b c d Monier Monier-Williams, Rādhā, Sanskrit-English Dictionary with Etymology, Oxford University Press, page 876
- ^ Sukumar Sen (1943), "Etymology of the name Radha-Krishana," Indian Linguistics, Vol. 8, pp. 434–435
- ^ Miller, Barbara Stoler (1975). "Rādhā: Consort of Kṛṣṇa's Vernal Passion". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 95 (4). American Oriental Society: 655–671. doi:10.2307/601022. JSTOR 601022.
- ^ John Stratton Hawley; Donna Marie Wulff (1982). The Divine Consort: Rādhā and the Goddesses of India. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 1–12. ISBN 978-0-89581-102-8.
- ^ Heidi R. M. Pauwels (1996), The Great Goddess and Fulfilment in Love: Rādhā Seen Through a Sixteenth-Century Lens, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Cambridge University Press, Vol. 59, No. 1 (1996), pp. 29–43
- ^ Jaya Chemburkar (1976), ŚRĪRĀDHIKĀNĀMASAHASRAM, Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. 57, No. 1/4 (1976), pp. 107–116
- ^ a b Shrikant Pradhan (2008), A UNIQUE IMAGE OF "ARDHARADHAVENUDHARAMURTI: OR "ARDHANARI KRISHNA", Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute, Vol. 68/69 (2008–2009), pp. 207–213
- ^ Heidi R.M. Pauwels (2008). The Goddess as Role Model: Sita and Radha in Scripture and on Screen. Oxford University Press. pp. 13–14. ISBN 978-0-19-970857-4.
- ^ Kinsley 1988, pp. 84–92.
- ^ Kinsley 1988, p. 89.
- ^ Roshen Dalal (2010). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin Books. p. 147. ISBN 978-0-14-341421-6.
- ^ https://vedabase.io/en/ https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/30/28/. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
(help); Missing or empty|website=
|title=
(help) - ^ a b c Heidi R.M. Pauwels (2008). The Goddess as Role Model: Sita and Radha in Scripture and on Screen. Oxford University Press. pp. 12–15, 497–517. ISBN 978-0-19-970857-4.
- ^ a b Vālmīki; Robert P Goldman (Translator) (1990). The Ramayana of Valmiki: Balakanda. Princeton University Press. p. 3. ISBN 9781400884551.
{{cite book}}
:|author2=
has generic name (help) - ^ Dimock Jr, E.C. (1963). "Doctrine and Practice among the Vaisnavas of Bengal". History of Religions. 3 (1): 106–127. doi:10.1086/462474. JSTOR 1062079.
- ^ Marijke J. Klokke (2000). Narrative Sculpture and Literary Traditions in South and Southeast Asia. BRILL. pp. 51–57. ISBN 90-04-11865-9.
- ^ Asoke Kumar Majumdar (1955), A Note on the Development of Radha Cult, Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. 36, No. 3/4 (July – October 1955), pp. 231–257
- ^ Singh, K.B. (2004). "Manipur Vaishnavism: A Sociological Interpretat1on". Sociology of Religion in India. ISBN 978-0-7619-9781-8. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
- ^ Kinsley, D. (2010). "Without Krsna There Is No Song". History of Religions. 12 (2): 149. doi:10.1086/462672. Retrieved 3 May 2008. "Nimbarka seems to have been the first well-known religious leader to regard Radha as central to his worship (thirteenth century)"
- ^ Radhavallabh Temple
- ^ "Asia and India ISKCON temples". Radha.
- ^ "Archived copy". Dandavats. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Vedic Foundation Inaugurated at Barsana Dham, Austin Archived 18 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved Dec 15th, 2011.
- ^ Ciment, J. 2001. Encyclopedia of American Immigration. Michigan: M.E. Sharpe
- ^ Hylton, H. & Rosie, C. 2006. Insiders' Guide to Austin. Globe Pequot Press.
- ^ Mugno, M. & Rafferty, R.R. 1998. Texas Monthly Guidebook to Texas. Gulf Pub. Co.
Further reading
- Krsna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead (ISBN 0-89213-354-6) by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
- Kinsley, David (1988). Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-90883-3.
- Hawley J.S. & D.M. Wulff (ed.) (1986) The Divine Consort: Radha and the Goddesses of India, Beacon Press, Boston, ISBN 0-8070-1303-X.
External links
- Radha at Encyclopedia.com
- Devi in Hinduism (with Radha), Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
- Radha on Krishna.com
- Radha in the Erotic Play of the Universe, David C. Scott, United Theological College, Bangalore