The mysterious Radha and her last meeting with Krishna !!!

This question has seeked me ever since I can remember ...from my childhood..in my dreams...in my realisation and my internal assimilation of Lord Krishna as my god. However ,I am not fascinated by Krishna as much I have been by Radha . veryone ! follower or non follower ! knows Krishna and all the famous tales about him ..However very very few know about tales of Radha . "ust Radha .Her #ers#ective. Her view#oint . $et we call %Radha Krishna% as our Lord and not Krishna alone . &e have their idols showing them as two ...yet when you study and research dee# the mythological meaning or im#lied meaning's( is.. that they are )* +++ "ust one soul ....one world..one life...one meaning...one ,*I)* . However for now I dont want to dwelve dee# into #hiloso#hy or #yschology or mythological reasoning or s#irituality or anything.. I -ust want to en-oy the beauty of this story...#lain sim#le ++ Treat it as .I/TI)* . The lesser known story of my lord and your lord.. 0ia Harsh *evatia1s articles ' the bits I loved the best and below ( Introduction Radha has been perceived differently by different people down the ages. She is sometimes the adulterous and amorous lover of Krishna and at others his divine consort. This perhaps makes her the most confusing character in Indian mythology. In the eastern religious tradition, she is however accepted as a beloved of Lord Krishna but the wife of another, sometimes mentioned by name as iyyan. nyway, Krishna without Radha is unthinkable, and I consider the view accepted by general tradition as appropriate .......... Part 1 Krishna went to his mother, !ashoda, and turned on the full force of his charm. "#other," he said, "I want you to send a message to Radha$s family, asking for her hand in marriage." !ashoda thought this was another of Krishna$s pranks. %ut when Krishna persisted she replied firmly and clearly. She said, " !ou cannot marry Radha for several reasons. She is engaged to iyyan. !ou are the son of a chief and her family is much lower in status. She is older than you. nd she is a bra&en girl, totally unfit to be a wife." Krishna then used his final weapon. 'e threatened that his mother would not only lose a lovely daughter(in(law if she refused, but also her son. !ashoda then asked him to settle the matter with his father. So Krishna went to )and and repeated his re*uest. 'is father said with a wink, "I have noticed that you are spending more and more time with the girls lately.

)o wonder you want one for yourself. There are many chieftains who would willingly wed their daughters to you." Krishna interrupted and said that he wanted to marry Radha and not a chieftain$s daughter. The arguments were repeated. +inally )and said he was no match for Krishna in a debate. Their family priest, Sage ,arg, was arriving the ne-t day and )and would refer the matter to him. Krishna told Sage ,arg that since he and Radha desired each other, they should get married. ,arg replied that desire as a reason for mating is the way of animals. The matching of temperaments, family backgrounds and future plans should be considered while selecting a spouse. Krishna stated that even as per these considerations he could not find any fault with his choice. Radha$s temperament was perfectly matched to his, their family backgrounds were similar and both of them would be spending the rest of their lives in .rindavan doing what the men and women of .rindavan had always been doing. Sage ,arg then said, "I think it is time to tell you the truth about your birth. !ou are the eighth son of /rince .asudev and 0evaki. It was prophesied that you would kill your maternal uncle Kansa and deliver the !adava race from his tyranny. 'ence you were secretly brought to ,okul and were brought up as the son of )and and !ashoda. The great sage .yasa has foretold that you will be the leader of the !adava race and the saviour of all humanity. 'ence I have brought Sage Sandipani with me, who is to begin your education in the scriptures, procedures of governance and the art of warfare. 1e all have great e-pectations of you. Radha is a village girl. She will not be a suitable companion in this endeavour. That is why we are against this marriage." Krishna *uietly digested what had been said and then replied softly but firmly. "+irst of all I would like to aver that )and and !ashoda are my parents and I will always look upon them as such. Then I would re*uest you to keep the story of my birth a secret from the people of .rindavan till it is time for me to leave. If they learn the truth then their attitude towards me will change and this I will not be able to bear. !ou say that I am to deliver all humanity from suffering. I cannot begin this formidable task by thrusting the person who loves me the most into unbearable suffering. +rom the moment Radha saw me tied to the mortar eight years ago, there has not been a single day that she has not waited for me. 1ith every breath that she has drawn she has taken my name. +or her spring comes when I come to meet her and winter begins when I leave her. If I had died fighting Kaliya, the poisonous snake, many in .rindavan would have been heart broken. #other would have never stopped crying and father would have lost his smile forever. %ut Radha would have given up her life there and then. Radha lives for me and in me and I live for her and in her. If you prevent this marriage, you will be depriving me of the right and power to carry out the great tasks you want me to. I beseech you with folded hands to grant your consent." Sage ,arg was overcome by the rationality and intensity of this speech. 'e gave his consent. Radha$s 2oy knew no bound. nd in the celebrations that followed iyyan was forgotten. !!!!!!!!! Part 2 The news that Krishna was leaving spread like wildfire throughout .rindavan. The youth sensed that they were losing a staunch friend3 the maidens sensed that they were losing a man of their dreams and Radha.... %efore Radha could even begin to ponder upon the conse*uences, the melodious sound of a flute wafted throughout the village. The women left what they were doing and ran to the #adhuban. There was no time to wear their ornaments or comb their hair. 1hile running they tried to arrange their clothes to give an appearance of modesty but soon gave up. Radha picked up her anklets and raced ahead of everyone else, her bosom heaving with e-citement.

'er Kahn was calling her. Krishna was standing in his usual spot, his right leg crossed over his left, and playing his flute with gay abandon. Radha cuddled up to him and began to sway in the rhythm of his music. The other maidens formed circles around them and began to dance. The men folk, the elders and children too had come there, but were watching from a distance, so as not to embarrass the dancers. 4very maiden wanted Krishna to dance only with her, every maiden imagined that Krishna was dancing only with her and the spectators could see a multitude of Krishnas, each dancing separately with one of the lasses. Such is the power of love3 such is the power of faith. This was the #aharasa or the "great dance". 1hen the dancing stopped Krishna and Radha were missing. Radha and Krishna were heading for their favourite nook in the #adhuban, near the !amuna river. Radha was in Krishna$s arms, her tousled head resting on his shoulder. "1ill you always be like this, Kahn5" asked Radha. " lways," he replied, "Till the sun and the moon endure." %ut Radha was not satisfied by this assurance. "1ill you always remember me5" she asked. "'ow can I forget you," replied Krishna, "!ou are my ,oddess of beauty and 2oy." They reached their destination and huddled close together on the mossy grass. They kissed tentatively at first, but the pent(up passions soon engulfed them and they united in body and soul. fter a while Radha got up and began to tie her disheveled tresses into a knot. "1ill we always be together after we are married," she in*uired uncertainly. Krishna replied that they were inseparable and that they had 2ust got married according to the ,andharva tradition. ccording to the this tradition, se-ual intercourse among consenting couples was tantamount to the marriage rituals provided the male was of royal descent. "!ou will always be my prince," said Radha, "but you are not of royal blood. nd I do not regret our love making so you do not have to 2ustify it." Then Krishna narrated the story of his birth, of his being the redeemer and his leaving for #athura before dawn. Radha let the whole narration sink in and appeared to be forming some decisions of her own. "Is there anything that can make you stay5" she asked. ")othing can hold me from my destiny and my duty." Replied Krishna firmly. "1hy do you worry5 re you afraid that I will die at Kansa$s hands5 It will be over soon and then I will call you to #athura" ")o, I am sure that you will kill Kansa. nd then you will become the king of the !adavas. lot of people will look up to you, will bow down before you, and will depend on you. !ou will become the saviour of humanity," said Radha. " nd you will be my *ueen, by my side always," added Krishna. ")o," replied Radha surely. "I am a poor cowherd girl. I will be lost in the palace intrigues. There will be many princesses wooing you and wanting you at any cost. I will be awkward and gawky compared to them. This village girl will be a handicap to you in your new avatar. +or you will undeniably change. !our life will be filled with politics and manipulations. !ou will fight wars and participate in destruction. That will be a part of your destiny and I don$t pass 2udgment. %ut the Kahn I loved was a cowherd boy, whose calling in life was to gra&e cattle, who played the flute and danced in the woods and whose crown was a peacock feather and weapon was a bamboo staff. I will not be able to see you in any other form." Radha was now sobbing convulsively and Krishna has to take her in his arms to calm her down. fter regaining her composure Radha continued. "/lease listen to me Kahn6 Let me stay here and take care of your parents. 'ere in .rindavan I will see you in the waters of the !amuna, the slopes of ,ovardhan and the trees of #adhuban and hence I will always be with the Kahn I knew." They sat silently for a while reflecting on the past, savouring the last moments of togetherness and coming to terms with the future. Krishna broke the silence. "!ou are right

Radha. In #athura I will have to change and if you come with me then you will have to change as well. I will not be the Krishna you knew and you will not be the Radha I knew. 1e will not be able to replicate the magic we weaved here. nd without either of us here, .rindavan too will wither away. %ut if you stay back, then .rindavan will become an enduring shrine to our love and you will be its deity." Krishna then told Radha that preparations had been made for them to get married in the .edic manner and since the auspicious moment was drawing near they should return. Radha re*uested that Krishna leave his flute behind as a gift to her and Krishna readily agreed. It was time for the final parting. The villagers had turned out to personally meet Krishna. Radha stood beside her mother in law, dressed in bridal finery, her face covered modestly by her sari. +rom time to time she looked up at Krishna, each glance a pledge of eternal devotion. Krishna$s eyes met Radha$s each time and he smiled at her reassuringly. ny other communication in front of the elders would be out of place. So no words were said and no hands touched. Krishna touched his mother$s feet and mounted the bullock cart with )and, %alaram and krura. Radha looked without blinking at the cart till it disappeared round the corner and then fainted. Krishna never set foot in .rindavan again. ((((((((((((( Part 3 Krishna never set foot in .rindavan again. %ut legend has it that he did come face to face with Radha once, later 7 much later. fter he had killed Kansa and become the leader of the !adavas. fter he had shifted his capital from #athura to 0warka. fter he had married Rukmini and Satyabhama and the others. It was at the occasion of a total solar eclipse. massive congregation had gathered at the field of Kurukshetra to bathe in the holy tank of Syamantapanchaka after the eclipse. 8It was said that a dip in this tank after eclipses purified the soul. It was here that the great sage /arshurama had come to atone for killing the evil kings and warriors. 'e established that all killing is sinful, even when the persons killed are evil and deserve to die, even killing in war. 'ence all killings have to be atoned for.9 ll the ma2or kingdoms were represented. Krishna was leading the !adavas. 0hritarashtra of 'astinapur was there with his sons the Kauravas and nephews the /andavas. So were many other kings. Little did they know that soon they would be engaged in a do or die battle on this very field some years later. #any common folk had come as well. mong them was the cowherd community of .rindavan. 1hen Krishna$s parents, .asudev and 0evaki learnt of this they wanted to meet )and and !ashoda. They had never met Krishna$s foster parents and wanted to thank them for taking care of their son in his formative years. The meeting was a very emotional one. %alaram met his old cronies and reminisced about old times. %ut when Krishna came face to face with Radha no words were said. )o hands stretched to meet each other, no smile played upon lips and no eyes sparkled with delight. :nly a million thoughts flashed through each mind and a deluge of tears flowed from each pair of eyes. Radha had promised not to get involved with Krishna$s later life and she intended to keep that promise. Krishna did not want to say or do something that would make things difficult for Radha. They stood staring stonily at each other till all the thoughts were e-hausted and the eyes were dry. Though Krishna and Radha had been physically separated, they had been inseparable spiritually and would continue to be so till the end of the world. Radha had seen the splendour in which Krishna$s wives lived and the 2oy he lavished on them. %ut she knew that his tears were for her alone and that each drop was more valuable than all the riches of the world. Krishna knew that .rindavan would be enshrined forever because of Radha$s sacrifice. %oth were assured that they had taken the correct decision many years ago.

1ithout saying anything they said everything and went their separate ways. They never saw each other again.