Radha

Radha
Mūlaprakriti, Primordial Goddess,[1][2]
Mother Goddess,[3]
Hladini shakti ("blissful energy"),[4]
Goddess of Love, Compassion and Devotion[5]
Supreme Goddess in Krishnaism[6][7]
Member of Panch Prakriti[8]
Other namesMadhavi, Keshavi, Shreeji, Shyama, Kishori, Radharani, Rahi
Devanagariराधा
Sanskrit transliterationRādhā
Venerated inRadha Vallabh Sampradaya, Nimbarka Sampradaya, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Pushtimarg, Mahanam Sampradaya, Manipuri Vaishnavism, Swaminarayan Sampradaya, Vaishnava-Sahajiya, Haridasi Sampradaya[9]
Affiliation
Abode
Mantra
  • Om hreem Radhikaye namah
  • Om Radhaye svaha
  • Om hreem shreem Radhikaye svaha
[10]
SymbolGolden Lotus
DayFriday
TextsBrahma Vaivarta Purana, Devi-Bhagavata Purana, Naradiya Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana, Shiva Purana, Gita Govinda, Gopala Tapani Upanishad, Garga Samhita, Brahma Samhita, Chaitanya Charitamrita
GenderFemale
Festivals
Genealogy
Avatar birthRaval, Barsana (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India)
Parents
ConsortKrishna
DynastyYaduvamsha-Chandravamsha

Radha (Sanskrit: राधा, IAST: Rādhā), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi[12][13] and also as the Mūlaprakriti, the Supreme goddess, who is the feminine counterpart and internal potency (hladini shakti) of Krishna.[1][14][15][16][17] Radha accompanies Krishna in all his incarnations.[18][19] Radha's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Radhashtami.[20][21]

In relation with Krishna, Radha has dual representation—the lover consort as well as his married consort. Traditions like Nimbarka Sampradaya worship Radha as the eternal consort and wedded wife of Krishna.[22][23][24][25] In contrast, traditions like Gaudiya Vaishnavism revere her as Krishna's lover and the divine consort.[26][24]

In Radha Vallabh Sampradaya and Haridasi Sampradaya, only Radha is worshipped as the Supreme being.[27] Elsewhere, she is venerated with Krishna as his principal consort in Nimbarka Sampradaya, Pushtimarg, Mahanam Sampradaya, Swaminarayan Sampradaya, Vaishnava-Sahajiya, Manipuri Vaishnavism, and Gaudiya Vaishnavism movements linked to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[28]

Radha is described as the chief of Braj Gopis (milkmaids of Braj) and queen of Goloka and Braj including Vrindavan and Barsana.[24] She has inspired numerous literary works, and her Raslila dance with Krishna has inspired many types of performance arts.[29][30][26][31]

  1. ^ a b Diana Dimitrova (2018). Divinizing in South Asian Traditions. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-8153-5781-0. Radha is mentioned as the personification of the Mūlaprakriti, the 'Root nature, that original seed from which all material forms evolved Cite error: The named reference "Diana Dimitrova 2018" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ Vemsani 2016, p. 222: "The Devibhagvata purana and Padma purana describe Radha's cosmological role as Prakriti and Shakti"
  3. ^ David R. Kinsley (1986). Hindu Goddesses. Motilala Banarsidass. p. 91. ISBN 978-81-208-0394-7. Radha is called mother of the world and Krishna father of the world
  4. ^ Prafulla Kumar Mohanty (2003). "Mask and Creative Symbolisation in Contemporary Oriya Literature: Krishna, Radha and Ahalya". Indian Literature. 2 (214). Sahitya Akademi: 182. JSTOR 23341400. Radha is the power of joy, the Hladini shakti of Krishna
  5. ^ Guy Beck (2005). Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity. SUNY Press. pp. 64–81. ISBN 978-0-7914-6415-1. Radha is goddess of love to Krishna
  6. ^ Edwin Francis Bryant (2007). Krishna: A Sourcebook. SUNY Press. p. 443. ISBN 978-0-19-803400-1. Significant manifestation of feminine in Vaishnavism...the supreme goddess Radha, the favourite Gopi of Krishna
  7. ^ Roy C Amore (1976). "Religion in India". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 14 (2): 366. Radha as Prakriti comes to supreme prominence, assuming epithets of transcendence - Brahmasvarupa, Nirguna...
  8. ^ Ludo Rocher (1988). "The Purāṇas (A History of Indian Literature". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 51 (2): 355.
  9. ^ Vemsani 2016, pp. 222–223.
  10. ^ Ved Vyaas. Brahma Vaivarta Purana. Gita Press, Gorakhpur. p. 297.
  11. ^ Menzies 2006, p. 54.
  12. ^ Jones, Naamleela Free (2015). "From Gods To Gamers: The Manifestation of the Avatar Throughout Religious History and Postmodern Culture". Berkeley Undergraduate Journal. 28 (2): 8. doi:10.5070/B3282028582.
  13. ^ Gokhale, Namita; Lal, Malashri (10 December 2018). Finding Radha: The Quest for Love. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5305-361-1. Like Sita, Radha is also a manifestation of Lakshmi.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Bryant, Edwin Francis (2007). Krishna: A Sourcebook. Oxford University Press. p. 551. ISBN 978-0-19-514892-3.
  16. ^ Kar, Nishamani (2001). "Sriradha: A Study". Indian Literature. 45 (2 (202)): 184–192. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 23344745.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference :5 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Vyasadeva (18 June 2015). Narada Pancaratra Part 2. p. 448. Whenever Sri Hari appears in this world, Sri Radhika appears with him
  19. ^ Farquhar, J. N. (1926). "The Narada Pancharatra". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (3): 492–495. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25221011.
  20. ^ Vemsani 2016, p. 223.
  21. ^ Mohanty, Prafulla Kumar (2003). "Mask and Creative Symbolisation in Contemporary Oriya Literature: Krishna, Radha and Ahalya". Indian Literature. 47 (2 (214)): 181–189. ISSN 0019-5804. JSTOR 23341400.
  22. ^ Farquhar, J. N. (1926). "The Narada Pancharatra". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland (3): 492–495. ISSN 0035-869X. JSTOR 25221011.
  23. ^ Bhattacharya, Sunil Kumar (1996). Krishna-cult in Indian Art. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. p. 13. ISBN 978-81-7533-001-6. Radha is the eternal consort and wedded wife of Krishna, who lives forever with him in Goloka.
  24. ^ a b c Lochtefeld 2002, p. 542.
  25. ^ Jones & Ryan 2007, p. 341, Radha.
  26. ^ a b "Radha". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  27. ^ White 1977; Snell 1991, chapter1; Rosenstein 1998; Beck 2005; Vemsani 2016, p. 222.
  28. ^ Hawley & Wulff 1982, pp. xiii–xviii; Dalal 2010, pp. 321–322; Hayes 2005, pp. 19–32; Vemsani 2016, p. 221.
  29. ^ Archer 2004.
  30. ^ Hawley & Wulff 1982, pp. xiii–xviii.
  31. ^ Pintchman 2005, pp. 46–47.

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