Radharani devi biography definition

Hindu goddess of love and chief consort of the god Krishna

For other uses, see Radha (disambiguation).

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 and also as the Mūlaprakriti, the Supreme goddess, who is the feminine counterpart and internal potency (hladini shakti) of Krishna. Radha accompanies Krishna in all his incarnations. Radha's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Radhashtami.

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. In contrast, traditions like Gaudiya Vaishnavism rever

Term for goddess in Hinduism

For other uses, see Devi (disambiguation).

Devī (;Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.

The concept and reverence for goddesses appears in the Vedas, which were composed around the 2nd millennium BCE. However, they did not play a vital role in that era. Goddesses such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Parvati, Radha, Saraswati and Sita have continued to be revered in the modern era. The medieval era Puranas witness a major expansion in mythology and literature associated with Devi, with texts such as the Devi Mahatmya, wherein she manifests as the ultimate truth and supreme power. She has inspired the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Further, Devi is viewed as central in the Hindu traditions of Shaktism and Shaivism.

Etymology

Devi and deva are Sanskrit terms found in Vedic literature around the 3rd millennium BCE. Deva is masculine, and the related feminine equivalent is devi.Monier-Williams translates it as 'heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones'. Etymologically, a cognate of devi is Latin dea. When capitalised, Devi maata refers to the mother goddess in Hinduism.Deva is short for devatā and devi for devika.

According to Douglas Harper, the etymological root dev- means "a shining one", from *div-, "to shine", it is an Indo-European cognate of the Greekdios, Gothicdivine and Latindeus (Old Latin deivos); see also *Dyēus.

A synonym for the word Devi in the Vedas is Bhagavati. Bhagavatī (Devanagari: भगवती, IAST: Bhagavatī), is an Indian epithet of Sanskrit origin, used as an honorific title for goddesses in Hinduism and Buddhism. In Hinduism, it is primarily use

Some may have a little trouble with the idea of worshiping Tulasi. Why are we worshiping a plant? It goes much deeper than that.

Tulasi Devi is the incarnation of Vrinda Devi, who is in turn the personification of the pastime potency of Krsna. She is the organizer of the pastimes between Radha and Krsna and it is after her that Vrindavana is named. "Vrindavana" means the forest of Vrinda. Radharani is called Vrindavanesvari (the queen of Vrindavana), and Krsna is considered the king, but without the mercy of Vrinda Devi is not possible to enter their pastimes. Therefore, we worship her every day in the morning, chanting “ye tomara sarana loy tara vancha purna hoy krpa kori koro tare vrndavana-vasi“ (Whoever takes shelter of you, all his desires are fulfilled and by your mercy, he becomes a resident of Vrndavana.) She is actually a partial expansion of Srimati Radharani and one of her intimate associates. As a gopi, she has a molten golden complexion and uses blue garments, decorated with many ornaments, pearls, and flowers. At the same time, she appears as the plant Tulasi, who is very dear to Krsna.

Vrinda Devi also appears as Tulasi in the material world in order to facilitate the service of devotees to Krsna and help us attain His service. There is a whole pastime explaining her advent, which is narrated in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana. As in other pastimes narrated in the same book, this pastime is hard to understand, because it is narrated in a way that appeals to people influenced by the mode of passion. It is, therefore, full of curses and apparent conflict. These descriptions are of course not false, but to properly understand them one has to study them under the light of Vaishnava philosophy.

The story is that, by the will of the Lord, once Sudama desired to have an amorous relationship with Vrinda Devi, and thus they appeared in this world as Tulasi and Sankhacuda. This story appears to be similar to the story of Jaya and Vijaya, as bo

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

1) Rādhā (राधा).—Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dearest consort. Rādhā is considered to be one of the two forms of Lakṣmīdevī. When Kṛṣṇa lived in Gokula as a man with two hands Rādhā was his dearest consort. But when he lives in Vaikuṇṭha as four-handed Viṣṇu, Lakṣmī is his dearest consort. (Devī Bhāgavata 9, 1; Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, 2, 49 and 56-57 and Ādi Parva Chapter 11).

Different versions about the birth of Rādhā are given in the Purāṇas, as follows:—

(i) She was born in Gokula as daughter of Vṛṣabhānu and Kalāvatī. (Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, 2, 49; 35-42; Nārada Purāṇa, 2. 81).

(ii) She was got as Bhūmi-kanyā (earth-girl) when King Vṛṣabhānu was preparing the ground to conduct a Yajña. (Padma Purāṇa; Brahma Purāṇa 7).

(iii) She was born from the left side of Kṛṣṇa. (Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa).

(iv) At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth Viṣṇu asked his attendants to be born on earth. Accordingly Rādhā, dear consort of Kṛṣṇa, took her birth in Gokula under the star Jyeṣṭhā in the morning of Śuklāṣṭamī day in Bhādrapada month. (Ādi Parva 11),

(v) Kṛṣṇa once went with Virajā, the Gopī woman, to the hall of enjoyment (rāsamaṇḍalam). Knowing about it Rādhā followed them to the hall, but both of them were not to be seen. On another occasion when Rādhā found Virajā in the company of Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā she, in great anger, insulted Kṛṣṇa whereupon Sudāmā cursed her to be born in human womb and experience the pangs of separation from Kṛṣṇa. (Nārada Purāṇa 2. 8; Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa. 2. 49) and Rādhā cursed him in turn to be born in the dānava dynast