Radha: The eternal flame of love, devotion and divine energy

Lalit Garg

(The writer can be reached at lalitgarg11@gmail.com)

The eighth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada in the Hindu calendar brings with it a festival of love, devotion, power, and surrender – Radhastami. This day is celebrated as the divine birth of Goddess Radha. It is not merely the celebration of the birth of a woman who epitomises the summit of devotion, but the adoration of that supreme energy which gave Lord Krishna’s life its unique height and completeness. On this day, devotees worship Radha and Krishna together, observe fasts, and pray for happiness, prosperity, and good fortune. Especially in Braj, and most vibrantly in Barsana, the festival is observed with great fervour. Radha is the symbol of love, devotion, and the inner energy of Krishna. She is worshipped as the pinnacle of divine love, the goddess of devotion, and the soul-force of Krishna Himself. If Krishna is the embodiment of divine play (leela), sweetness, and compassion, then Radha is the very essence of that play, the depth of that sweetness, and the soul of that compassion. Thus, the Bhakti tradition proclaims, “Radhe bina nahin Krishna, Krishna bina nahin Radhe” – without Radha there is no Krishna, and without Krishna there is no Radha.

Radha is not just the name of a woman in Indian culture; she is the supreme manifestation of love and the highest expression of devotion. Her love is not worldly or bodily, but the mystical union of soul and Supreme Soul. It is a love free from selfishness and possession – a love of pure surrender and complete identification. Radha’s life is an extraordinary confluence of sacrifice and deep spiritual attachment. She never desired anything for herself; her every thought, every breath, was absorbed only in Krishna. This is why the great poet-saints have revered her as the very embodiment of devotional rasa and the presiding goddess of divine love. Surdas beautifully wrote: “Prema bhaya manu bhava samana, Radha tana mana Krishna bakhana” – true love is that state where body, mind, and soul are completely identified with Krishna.

Indeed, the relationship between Radha and Krishna is not that of an ordinary lover and beloved. It is far more profound: the eternal dialogue of the soul with the Supreme Soul. This relationship is spiritual, not worldly; it is a timeless communion devoid of attachment, selfishness, or desire. Radha gives completeness to Krishna’s personality. Krishna is the centre of divine play, yet without Radha that play remains incomplete. Hence, in devotional traditions, Krishna’s name is always preceded by Radha’s – “Radhe-Krishna”, “Shyama-Shyam”. This sequence itself conveys a deep philosophical truth – that the path to God always passes through the bridge of love and devotion exemplified by Radha. Radha is not merely Krishna’s consort; she is His strength and His inspiration. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna speaks of two forms of nature – apara (lower) and para (higher). Radha is regarded as the embodiment of para prakriti, the higher nature that leads life towards spirituality. She is the soul of Krishna’s divine play, the foundation of His worship. In Radha’s love there is no demand, only surrender. Her message is that true love lies not in possessing, but in giving. It is this spirit of giving that elevates life to sublime heights.

The Bhakti tradition considers Radha’s devotion supreme. Her love is selfless and entirely Krishna-centred. She merged her very existence into Krishna. Hence, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu immersed himself in the devotion of Radha, declaring, “In Radha’s devotion I see Krishna, and in Krishna’s devotion I see Radha.” Saints like Surdas, Ras Khan, Vidyapati, and Mirabai expressed the deepest forms of love and devotion only through Radha. When Mirabai declared, “Mere to Giridhar Gopal, doosro na koyi” (“My only beloved is Krishna; there is none else”), the echo of Radha’s sentiment reverberated through her words. In today’s age, when relationships are increasingly tainted with selfishness, calculation, and transience, Radha’s life offers a new illumination. True love is that which is marked by surrender, trust, and sacrifice. Where families and societies are disintegrating, Radha’s example becomes ever more relevant. She teaches that as long as relationships are measured only in terms of gain and loss, they cannot endure. Endurance and permanence arise only when there is surrender like Radha’s.

On the level of devotion too, Radha inspires us. Today, religion often appears confined to rituals and external ostentation. Radha shows us that true devotion resides in the depth of the heart – where the difference between devotee and God vanishes. When, like Radha, we surrender selflessly to the Divine, every difficulty appears trivial, and we attain profound peace. Radha’s life reminds us that the ultimate purpose of human existence is not material wealth or achievements, but the union of soul with the Supreme. Devotion is not just prayer and ritual but the deep identification of the heart with God. In times when humanity struggles with conflict, stress, and loneliness, Radha teaches that the true solution lies in love and surrender. If we imbibe her message, our personal relationships, our social fabric, and our spiritual journey can all be infused with new energy and peace.

The scriptures describe Radha as the eternal energy of Krishna, the very soul of His being. Hence, Krishna’s worship is considered incomplete without Radha. The Devi Bhagavatam narrates that Lord Narayana Himself told Narada that without Radha’s worship, one does not even have the right to worship Krishna. Even Lord Shiva confessed to Narada that he was incapable of describing Radha’s beauty and virtues fully – such is her ineffable glory, beyond the comprehension of even the greatest beings. Her beauty enchants even Krishna, the charmer of the three worlds. According to the scriptures, worship of Krishna is incomplete without Radha. Therefore, Radhastami holds profound significance. Observing fasts and worship on this day brings blessings of Goddess Lakshmi in the form of prosperity, fortune, and happiness. Married women observe the fast for the blessings of marital bliss and children. Yet, Radhastami is not merely a birthday celebration – it is a reminder of what true love and devotion mean.

According to legend, Radha was born in Barsana to Vrishabhanu and Kirti Devi. She is revered as the divine energy of Lord Krishna. It is believed that pleasing Radha automatically pleases Krishna Himself. Radha teaches us that love is a realisation of the soul, a bridge to the Divine. She is the eternal flame of love, illuminating not only Krishna but all of humanity. In today’s time, her relevance is even deeper. She shows us a path of love without selfishness, surrender without demand, and union without desire – only the meeting of the soul with the Supreme Soul. This is the true message of Radha, and this is the real significance of Radhastami.