Radha and Krishna – What do they represent?

Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, the Divine Couple has captured the imagination of Bhāratīya culture like no other. Despite the popularity and the abundance of literature centered around the couple, notions of depravity yet plague popular understanding. The notions arise from a misplaced sense of puritanism that stems from a mistaken identity with the physical frame. What does this couple denote and what do they stand for as individual entities? Actions of Kṛṣṇa or any other avatāra for that matter, are best understood in the light of the avatāra’s own teachings. Referring to his role as the seeming doer of deeds, Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavadgītā that deeds do not bind him for he is not attached to the fruits of these deeds. He states that he indulges in them looking upon himself merely as a witness, and is hence unsullied by them. His līlās with Rādhā and the gopīs too must be seen in this light. These śṛṅgāra-līlās or amorous sports spring from the pinnacle of perfect identification with the inner-self and are thus a reflection of innate bliss. They are not acts driven by the insurmountable needs of the lower-self for self-gratification. Incredulity over the sanctity of these acts are not a new trend and can be found in the tradition itself. Parīkṣit who was listening to sage Śuka describe these līlās to him was assailed by the same questions of impropriety that plague us today. He asked sage Śuka, “the avatāras of the Supreme are said to descend in order to reestablish declining dharma. What is dharmic about these deeds?” Śukabrahma responded that just as a raging fire consumes everything in its wake and yet remains unaffected by the ills of that which it consumes, so too is the Supreme. Although he engages in deeds, he remains unattached to them and is hence untouched by any ills of the acts he indulges in. He attests to the redeeming nature of these deeds and states, विक्रीडितं व्रजवधूभिरिदं च विष्णोः श्रद्धान्वितोऽनुशृणुयादथ वर्णयेद्यः। भक्तिं परां भगवति प्रतिलभ्य कामं हृद्रोगमाश्वपहिनोत्यचिरेण धीरः॥ vikrīḍitaṁ vrajavadhūbhiridaṁ ca viṣṇoḥ śraddhānvito'nuśṛṇuyādatha varṇayedyaḥ| bhaktiṁ parāṁ bhagavati pratilabhya kāmaṁ hṛdrogamāśvapahinotyacireṇa dhīraḥ|| He who relates with dedication or even hears of these amorous sports of Viṣṇu and the damsels of Vraja, attains to bhakti of the highest order and rids himself of the lust that sullies his heart. - Śrīmadbhāgavata Moreover, the bhāratīya tradition does not look upon kāma or desire as condemnable. Kāma on the other hand, is accepted as one of the four primary goals of human life (puruṣārthas) as it reflects the icchāśakti1 of the Supreme being. In other words, icchāśakti that engenders creation in the macrocosm presents itself as the seedling kāma in the microcosmic reality of the human being. Consequently, when this seedling of kāma is uprooted from human consciousness, the macrocosmic parallel of kāma which is creation, ceases to exist for that particular soul, and he or she is liberated. 1 Icchāśakti may be defined as the will or the desire of the Supreme Being to create. Two modes of battling kāma are accepted in the Bhāratīya tradition. The tradition accepts abstinence as a viable means to transcend kāma, while it also acknowledges the sublimation of kāma through surrender. The tradition holds that the surrender of any emotion unto the Supreme leads to liberation, including the surrender of kāma. It is stated, Kaṃsa attained liberation through fear and Śisupāla through animosity. The concept of liberation through the surrender of one’s desires unto the lord is embodied in Rādhā and the gopīs. In essence, the lower-self represented here as kāma is sublimated by being surrendered or focused on the Absolute. The relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā thus, is presented as a parallel to the relationship shared by the mendicant and his chosen form of the Supreme, where the subjugation of the lesser-self is effected through surrender instead of abstinence. Curiously enough, Rādha is not mentioned by name in the Śrīmadbhāgavata, considered a central text in the Śrīvaiṣṇava tradition. Various explanations are extended for Rādhā’s apparent absence in the text, and some go to the extent of stating no such character probably existed. Considering several traditional sources like the Padma-purāṇa, Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa, Brahmavaivarta-purāṇa, Nārada-pāñcarātra, Devī-bhāgavata and Garga-saṃhitā speak of Rādhā, it must be conceded that her apparent absence from the Bhāgavata must have other significances. It is stated that three attributes are ascribed to the Supreme being, namely sat (existence,) cit (consciousness,) and ānanda (bliss.) These three attributes are prompted to action by three aspects of Supreme potency referred to as Icchāśakti, Jñāna-śakti and Kriyā-śakti. The Śrīmadbhāgavata refers to these potencies as Hlādinī, Sandhinī and Samvit, and Rādhā is said to be the embodiment of Hlādinī-śakti or the Śakti that engenders bliss. However, Śrīśuka refers to her simply as ‘kācit gopī’ a certain cowherd damsel in the Bhāgavata. This reference is not to be mistaken for a diminution but rather reflective of a certain practice wide spread in Saṃskṛta literature, where a phenomenon that defies characterization is referred to merely as ‘a certain.2’ Yet another reason is offered for the eschewal of the obvious mentioning of Rādhā’s name. It is believed that a single utterance of the word ‘Rādhā’ could leave Śukabrahma entranced, thereby rendering him incapable of relating the Bhāgavata further to Parīkṣit. 2 Commentators would usually explain the usage to mean ‘a certain phenomenon that defies explication’. For instance, Ādi Śaṅkara refers to the lovely form of Gaṇeśa as ‘kāpi kalyāṇamūrtiḥ, (an inexplicably auspicious form,) in the Subrahmaṇya-bhujaṅgam. Swami Deśikan refers to the exquisiteness of Kṛṣṇa’s budding youth as ‘kimapi brahmakiśorabhāvadṛśyam’ (an inexplicable budding youth of the Supreme, a vision that renders the eyes fruitful in their creation,) in the Gopālaviṃśati. The most compelling explanation however would rest in the concept referred to in Indian aesthetics as sādhāraṇīkaraṇa. This is the technique of depersonalization employed by poets, where certain key characters are not ascribed a name. This technique is followed so that characters may be identified with more easily, and their experiences may be relived by the readers as their own. By maintaining her anonymity Śukabrahma essentially transformed Rādhā from a character into an experience. Thereby, he affords any reader the opportunity to live Rādhā’s experiences as his or her own. In essence, he suggests that any soul that rises to such perfection of identification with the higher-self would represent Rādhā. In other words, Rādhā is an experience or journey awaiting anyone who wishes to sublimate the lower-self through surrender of desires unto the Absolute. Now, who was this Kṛṣṇa chosen by Rādhā as the object of her adulation? The Garga-saṃhitā refers to Śrīkṛṣṇa as the paripūrṇāvatāra, and this encapsulates the flavor exuded by that particular avatāra. Kṛṣṇāvatāra and Rāmāvatāra were both incarnations of the very same Potency. However, the flavors are starkly different. Rāma referred to himself as the mortal son of Daśaratha and rarely resorted to his divine potency. Kṛṣṇa on the other hand, never shied away from displaying superhuman prowess. Even before he could assume form as Kṛṣṇa he assailed the heart of Kaṃsa as fear3, drew the devas to the prison cell where he presented the façade of a pregnancy in Devakī’s womb! When He did assume birth, he appeared as an incredible baby with four handsome hands wielding weapons, leaving his parents mute witnesses to the astonishing feat. He then opened his tender lips to command Vasudeva, “reach me to Gokula.” Astonishingly, Kaṃsa’s guards were felled by a veil of inexplicable slumber, the iron chains that bound Vasudeva gave away, the prison gates flew open of their own accord, an enormous serpent shielded the newborn babe from the unrelenting downpour, and a tempestuous Yamunā parted to afford Vasudeva passage – every līlā more astonishing than the one that preceded it! Kṛṣṇa’s entire earthly sojourn was marked by such fantastical events, and his sojourn at Gokula more so than the rest. 3 கஞ்சன் வயிற்றில் நெருப்பென்ன நின்ற நெடுமாலே (Intoxicating one who stood, torrid as fire, in Kaṃsa’s gut!) - Tiruppāvai, pāsuram 25 Kṛṣṇa of Gokula was also characteristically distinct from the one who sat upon the throne of Mathurā. He spent his time at Gokula concentrating on nurturing love in the hearts of devotees, while he concentrated on establishing order and clean polity as the lord of Mathurā. In Vraja-bhūmi where hearts of pining devotees served as tilled soil, Kṛṣṇa personally sowed seeds of sublime love. He watered the seedlings with the sweet waters of his watchful eyes (kaṭākṣa,) supported the tender plants with the stake of his endearing līlās, and watched the plant blossom into a bloom-laden tree that wafted the fragrance of love. He then allowed the tree to mature in the sunlight of estrangement from him, to bear the fruits of divine wisdom. In essence, Kṛṣṇa spent his time at Gokula perfecting souls, souls he would later in the Bhagavadgītā hold up as jñānis and exemplars for the world to emulate. In a nutshell, Rādhā represents the quest of a soul upon a path to perfection, Kṛṣṇa the guiding light as well as the goal, and the endearing relationship between them the inexplicable and irreversible attraction of a thirsty seeker and its destined goal infused with the fragrance of sublime love. निखिलभुवनलक्ष्मीनित्यलीलास्पदाभ्याम् कमलविपिनवीथीगर्वसर्वङ्कषाभ्याम्। प्रणमदभयदानप्रौढिगाढोद्धताभ्यां किमपि वहतु चेतः कृष्णपादाम्बुजाभ्याम्॥ nikhilabhuvanalakṣmīnityalīlāspadābhyām kamalavipinavīthīgarvasarvaṅkaṣābhyām| praṇamadabhayadānaprauḍhigāḍhoddhatābhyāṁ kimapi vahatu cetaḥ kṛṣṇapādāmbujābhyām|| May the mind draw inexplicable (bliss) from the lotus-feet of Kṛṣṇa that are the eternal reveling field of all the wealth of the universe, the feet that put to shame rows of lotus trees (if they existed), and the feet that stand tall with the valorous defense of those who surrender. - Kṛṣṇakarṇāmṛta वृन्दावनेश्वरि तवैव पदारवैन्दं प्रेमामृतैकमकरन्दरसौघपूर्णाम्। हृद्यर्पितं मधुपतेः स्मरतापमुग्रं निर्वापयत्परमशीतमलाश्रयामि॥ vṛdāvaneśvari tavaiva padāravindaṁ premāmṛtaikamakarandarasaughapūrṇam| hṛdyarpitaṁ madhupateḥ smaratāpamugraṁ nirvāpayatparamaśītalamāśrayāmi|| O’ queen of Vṛndāvana, I seek refuge in your lotus-feet that burst with the elixir of nectarine love, (feet) that were placed upon the bosom of Kṛṣṇa (and consequently) doused the raging fire (of his) longing, (feet) that are (thus proven to be) supremely pleasant. - Śrīrādhārasasudhānidhi

Radha and Krishna – What do they represent?

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