Unique Attributes : Beauty, charm,
dedication, loyalty
Other Names : Radhika, Radharani, Aradhana, Govida-Mohini,
Vrndavaneshwari
Love Interest : Lord Krishna
Incarnation of : Goddess Lakshmi
Primary Scriptures : Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Brihad Gautamiya
Tantra, Garga Samhita, Gita Govinda
Radha Gayatri Mantra : Aum Vrashbhanujaye Vidmahe Krishnapriyaye
Dheemahi Tanno Radha Prachodayat
In Hindu belief Radha or Sri Radharani is believed to be an incarnation
of Goddess Lakshmi. The goddess thus is believed to be the love interest
of Lord Sri Krishna as he is the avatar of Sri Hari Vishnu. Radha was
accorded the status of a goddess in northern India though the consort of
Sri Krishna is known to be Rukmini. In many temples of India it is
goddess Radha who is depicted alongside Lord Krishna and not Rukmini.
The immense love and devotion the goddess has for Sri Krishna is the
reason for her being raised to a higher celestial plane. Today Radharani
is worshipped like any other goddess in Indian temples along with Lord
Krishna.
Lord Sri Krishna is seen by Radha as the ultimate divine being while
she sees herself as the devotee of her lord. Her divine love towards the
lord is symbolic with the ultimate union of a devotee with the god.
Goddess Sri Radha is believed to be Lord Sri Krishna's adi (original)
shakti. She is supreme among the Gopis (milkmaids) and sometimes it is
suggested that the gopis were merely the maidservants of Radharani and
she undoubtedly held the supreme position in the heart of Sri Krishna.
The relationship between Radha and Krishna is not bound by marriage but
eternal love and dedication towards each other.
In the Gita Govinda Radha is depicted as a human longing for unison
with the divine. It was only after the sixteenth century that the cult
of Radha-Krishna grew tremendously. Radha-Krishna have today become a
single term, both having no meaning without each other. Both the figures
complement each other and are rarely worshipped separately. She is
particularly revered in Varsana the village where she was born and in
Mathura Vrindavan where Sri Krishna is believed to have taken birth and
spend his childhood years. Though Radharani is worshipped to throughout
the year but it is on the occasion of Radhashtami when she was born that
special celebrations are held. Radha till date is believed to be the
supreme devotee of Sri Krishna whom she loved like no one else ever did.