The unspoken character of Radharani
Radha!! One of the most celebrated characters of Hindu Mythology when it comes to relation between the lord and devotees. Radha is always been portrayed as Shrikrishna’s beloved friend but her original character and message is often ignored. With all due respect, yes, Radha was Shrikrishna’s “bestie” as it has always been shown. But Radharani is basically the female counterpart of Shrikrishna. We all know Radha as a Gopika, one of the worshippers of lord Krishna. But there’s something extraordinary and divine about Radha. One shouldn’t restrict the character of Radha just as Krishna’s lover. The relation and bond between Radha and Krishna cannot be labelled through common scales of human emotions. The depth of their relation begins where our imagination reach its boundaries. Biologically, Radha and Krishna are depicted as two different bodies according to Hindu mythology but the fact is they share the same energy. In other words, Radha and Krishna are connected through souls. We need to understand that Radha is a ‘Tattwa’ or a principle that governs bonding and relations. Being the female counterpart, she is the reservoir of love, kindness, devotional aspect and responsive nature. Radha’s devotion, love and the way she had surrendered herself to lord Krishna gives an elegant message of attaining the transcendental stage. Apart from the love stories of Radha and Krishna, there are a lot more qualities to learn from Radharani herself.
Osho beautifully explains the meaning of the word ‘Radha’ in just a sentence, “the one which goes with the flow is ‘Dhaara’ but the one which flows against the flow and tries to attain the original self is “Radha!” It is just the literal opposite of ‘Dhaara’ yet making a significant difference. It means the devotees who look for the lord outside their own ‘self’ have always been disappointed in some way or the other. Peeking inside ourselves is the true form of devotion which certainly does not include any holy rites. Radha is completely immersed within Krishna in such a way that she herself has become a part of him. Devotion is something that every human practices with an intention in mind. The kind of devotion we all are engaged in today is like some exchange offer with the lord. Radharani shows the real and truthful adherence to lord which is the pure expression of inner self without any expectations. Radharani leaves a mark of spirituality and shows us a simple way to achieve it. The Bhagwad-gita that Shrikrishna explained to Arjuna, also defines that the first stage of spirituality is introspection. Introspection means looking inside and understanding oneself. Radha was one such devotee who tried to search Krishna within herself and the rest is history. But, as we will see it is the characteristic of love that makes the personality of Radha more special. What’s so exceptional about her love that even got Shrikrishna attracted to?
We all know about ‘love’ but when asked to define it, most of us would go speechless. The quest for love has led us to the formation of an endless race of earning material things. All we are trying to seek is love. It is therefore that we can easily connect with the fantasies of Radha-Krishna. Love is the central characteristic of Radharani. If we try to acknowledge love through Radha’s perspective, we will understand, love is a pure emotion of belongingness and acceptance. The idea about love among couples today is becoming materialistic and it is looked at as a mathematical equation i.e. putting certain input would definitely give an instant output. But what Radha says is that acceptance is the crux of love because unless we learn to accept the good as well as bad in a person, we cannot experience love. Radha’s act of love is similar to that of a mother who loves her child even before the birth. A story from Krishna-gaatha tells, when Radha meets Krishna after the Mahabharata war, Krishna feels very embarrassed looking at Radha because since he leaves Gokul, his childhood place where he met Radha, he never revisits Radha. It makes him feel bashful. But then Radha forgives him with great love and without any hesitation. Again, the philosophy of acceptance can be seen. Love is what makes us complete.
The most fundamental aspect that Radha’s character depicts is that of surrendering. It means surrendering our ego, our unnecessary material needs, our narcissism and devoting ourselves to the lord. We cannot understand how it feels to be in a transcendental stage until we experience it on our own. The only way to attain it is by becoming a part of it. Take an example, if we tried to merge two flames of light, they do not burn separately but get submerged within each other and emit more light. Similarly until we surrender and try to become a part of the divine we cannot enlighten ourselves. Radha surrendered herself to Krishna completely. It tells the significance of merging and not considering self and lord as two different things. It is the philosophy that tells, everything is connected with everything else. We need to understand these qualities of Radharani to attain the fullest meaning of life. It is often quoted that the meaning of life is to give meaning to life. If we attempt to understand Radharani from that angle, we might be able to touch the ocean of spirituality and transcendence. Human race is terribly drowning in competition, achievements, profits and unending quest of life. Radharani is telling something through her devotion. All we need to do is to pay attention and understand it.
We celebrated Radha Ashtami on 14 th September. From now onwards, let us remember the unspoken character of Radha and go beyond the minuscule views of Radha-Krishna shringar-katha. That would be the real tribute to Radharani and Shrikrishna! Radhe-Radhe!
— Aditya Anand Jawalkar
Symbiosis School of Economics
