The legend of the Radha-Krishna love story

As a child, we have heard a lot of stories about Radha and Krishna and their divine love. Both of them are especially, known for the sublime love and imperishable bond they shared with each other. In spite of that, both of them never got married.

We all have seen Radha Krishna paintings, but a very few of us would have seen paintings depicting Krishna and Rukmani together, although Rukmani was his wife while Radha wasn't. What's the mystery behind it? If Radha was Krishna's beloved, then why didn't he marry her? Don't worry. It isn't just you, but there are many, including me, who are curious to know the actual reason behind it.

Well, different sources explain a whole different story, and there's no mention of the same in any of the Hindu's sacred book, be it Puranas, Sacred Gita, Mahabharata, Vishnupuranas, Ramayana or whatever. However, I have gathered some info on the same which I will discuss in this article. Along with this, I have a few more facts about Radha-Krishna that you will definitely find interesting. So, continue reading to find out a love story that goes beyond the physical realm.

Let’s commemorate the beatific love story of Radha-Krishna

It’s a tale of divine love. It’s not an ordinary story but a special love tale. Radha Krishna’s love was platonic, which means a love entirely free from any sexual or physical desire.

It is said that King Vrishabhanu had a blessing that Devi Lakshmi will take birth as his daughter. So when Radha was born, she was considered as the reincarnation of the Goddess Lakshmi. Although Krishna was born to Devki and Vasudev, he was raised by Yashoda and Nanda (the chief of shepherds).

According to sources, Radha was elder to Krishna, some says eleven months elder, other says 4-5 years elder. However, some sources claim that she was 11-15 years elder to Krishna.

Most of the studies reveal that Radha and Krishna were childhood playfellows. When Krishna played his flute while herding cows in the forest of Vrindavan, a lot of Gopis (cow-herding girls) participated in the Raas-Leela and Radha was one of them. The tune of Krishna’s flute was so enticing and soothing that gopis couldn’t resist themselves and were pulled towards him. Radha was one of Krishna’s favourite gopis of all.

While Krishna played the flute, Radha, along with all the gopis, used to dance to the tune of it. Radha was a very good singer and she always partnered Krishna when he played the flute. Most of the Radha Krishna paintings depict them in their dancing form.

The essence of their love story is beyond the physical realm. They were not bound by any kind of marriage, yet they were soul mates. Radha-Krishna love was pure because it was never consummated.

Radha always had an unprecedented devotion towards Krishna. And, that’s why despite having 16008 wives, his favourite consort was always Radha.

At the age of 12, Krishna left Vrindavan and they never met again. Their love story never reached the maturity and that’s why their love was always sacred and is a perfect example of platonic love.

What happened to Radha after Krishna left Vrindavan?

According to researches, after Krishna left Vrindavan, Radha was married to Abhimanyu (not one in the Mahabharata). Abhimanyu, too, was a shepherd but wasn’t in the team of Krishna.

According to the Bhagwat Puran, Abhimanyu or Ayaan was nobody else but Krishna himself. It is said that once Lord Brahma played a prank. In a quest to find out if Krishna was really an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, he wanted to examine him. So Brahma kidnapped all of Krishna’s friend from the forest. Ayaan was also present in the forest and he also got kidnapped. Not only his friends, but Brahma also took all of his cows and calves to the Brahma Lok.

When Krishna didn’t find anybody, he understood the game. He immediately took the forms of all the kidnapped friends and cows and lived and went to their original houses and nobody could ever notice if it wasn’t his/her son. A year passed and Brahma came back to see Krishna. He was surprised to all the kidnapped on the earth and realized the real Krishna’s power. He went back to Brahma Lok and brought back all his friends and cows.

Meanwhile, he took the form of Ayaan and married Radha. However, some sources also say that Brahma presided their marriage as a priest.

Whether or not they were married, one thing is sure that their love wasn’t bound. It was seraphic and non-materialistic. It was more spiritual and angelic. To understand their love, one must have a pure heart.