Legends of Radha-Krishna... - Page 3

Originally posted by: desichica

oh i read somewhere same thing....that Radha and Rukhmani are one....representing Laxmi ma!!!! Also i read that Laxmi ma has different forms as well...and that all the ladies that Lord Krishna married were forms of MahaLaxmi!!!!! So, my question is....was Laxmi ma's forms jealous of eachother, except Radha dn Rukhmani....i'm a bit confused

Originally posted by: Khalrika

Though Radha is not mentioned in the Bhagavat puran (Srimad Bhagavatham) by name there is a mention of one Gopi who is special to Krishan.

I read this story in a friend's house. She had bought her daughter a book for children which had stories from the various purans published by Sri Ramakrishna Mission trust. This short story was so nice though I don't remember from which puran they had published the story. Here is a gist of that story:

The 8 wives of Krishna welcome Radha to the palace in Dwaraka. According to this story, the wives are a little envious of the place Radha holds in Krishna's heart. So they invite her to see what is so special about her. Radha accepts the invitation and comes to Dwaraka. The wives take Radha to the guest chamber and feed her as they should feed an athithi. In doing so, they do not check the temperature of the milk offered to Radha in a cup. The milk is very hot but Radha drinks it up without complaining.

After the meal Radha leaves Dwaraka and goes back to her place. The same evening the wives notice something weird. Krishna is sleeping on the bed but his feet are filled with boils. The kind of boils that a person has after they have been burnt by fire. All the wives are amazed but are reluctant to question Krishna.

Finally, Rukmini gets the courage to ask to ask Krishna about it. Krishna smiles and explains that when the wives offered hot milk to Radha the milk burnt Radha's insides when it went to the stomach. Krishna also explains that any offering given to a dear devotee of the Lord is the same as offering it at the Lord's feet. Since Radha's insides got burnt drinking the hot milk and since Radha is a great devotee of Krishna, Krishna's feet also got burnt.

Now the wives understand the greatness of Radha as a devotee of Krishna and they apologize for their mistake.

Originally posted by: set_raj

Sita sometimes Knowledge or too much Gyaan makes person proud, so most of the Rishis, Maharishi used to be egoist, rpoud cos of Gyaan...Gyaan is must, but alongwith one must have Love and Devotion too, Gopis dint had gyaan but they achieved what many sages cannot inspite of hundreds of years of prayers and meditation....it was sheer Love and Bhakti which took gopis ot gokuldham...

Krishna doesnt like a person shud be proud, you know whats the food of God?....Pride and Ego...he breaks the pride and ego of man..look at Hrinyakashyap, Raja Bali, Ravan, Kumbhkaran, Kans, Banasur etc..list is endless...thts the reason Krishna also broke the pride of Durvasa..cos he considered himself to be Mahagyaani..

Originally posted by: sita11

thanks for the story khalrika

yes !!! lalitha,when RADHA &RUKMINIJI were incarnations of Goddess Lakshmai then RUKMINIJI wud hv treated RADHAJI as her sis !!!

i remember a story when RUKMINIJI broke the pride of SATYABHAMA ,RUKMINIJI'S pure & unconditional love for LORD KRISHNA let it happened ,when RUKMINIJI balanced LORD KRISHNA with an ocimum (tulsi ) leaf !!!

SATYABHAMA realised her mistake & fell at the feet of RUKMINIJI !!!!

Candravali admits that Radha loved Krishna more than anyone else (ayanaradhitam) including herself, for it was Radha he left the rasa lila for, to be alone with her. This is the 'tattva', the 'siddhanta' of the Bhagavata. It appears that in his vision of Candravali gopi's glorification of Radha, Bhaktivinoda Thakura has commented from this angle, whereas others have done so in consideration of 'bhava', the feeling of the text.

However, the question remains as to why the Bhagavata has mentioned Radha only once, and in doing so, why has it mentioned her covertly. Gaudiya Vaishnavas reason that indirect is more tasteful than direct, heightening thereby the effect. The Bhagavata covers our direct view of Sri Radha requiring us to look deeply within the text in devotion to see her.

Keeping the highest and most esoteric truth hidden from the unqualified (followers of jnana-marg, karma-marg, and vaidhi-bhakti marg) who were assembled at Sukadeva's speaking of the Bhagavata is offered as another reason for keeping Sri Radha veiled in secrecy. A third reason offered is that Sri Radha, as per the Brahma vaivarta Purana, was the 'ista devata' of Sukadeva Goswami. ...😊😊

If he were to utter her name, he would have lost external consciousness (avista citta) and thus been unable to address the urgent need of Pariksit Maharaja, who had but seven days to live and learn from Sukadeva. 😊😊

Jiva Goswami explains that Sukadeva himself reasoned that if he were to blurt out Radha's name at the climax of the Bhagavata, the full expression of 'rasananda' would not be served. Because the Bhagavata is first and foremost a book of rasa (muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavuka), Sukadeva thus refrained from speaking it directly. However, he also reasoned that if he did not reveal her glory, he would be guilty of not distributing one's acquired knowledge and have to take birth as a 'brahma raksasa'. ...

In order to resolve this dilemma, Sukadeva revealed her name indirectly through Candravali gopi. Other reasons are suggested as well, while at the same time acaryas such as Visvanatha Cakravarti and others are just as prepared to demonstrate how innumerable verses of the Bhagavata are in actuality glorifying Sri Radha.

Sri Jiva Goswami, for example, offers an esoteric understanding of the first verse of the Bhagavata in his 'Krishna-sandarbha' through which he shows that the Bhagavata from the very beginning tells us that its pages are all about the love of Sri Radha for Govinda and its overpowering effect upon him.

'Janmady asya yatah'. 'Janma' means manifestation, 'adyasya' means 'adi' or original, 'yatah' means from whom. Who has the original rasa (adi rasa/madhurya) manifested from? It indirectly manifests from Radha, who is 'itaratah', distinct from all others in her love for Krishna. It also directly manifests from Krishna (anvayat). Radha is indirectly the Absolute truth, and Krishna is directly so.

'Artesu' means various pastimes and 'abhijnah' means expert. They are expert in the performance of pastimes. Vyasa, the 'adi kavi', says the 'sabda brahma' entered my heart (hrda) and I understood through prema bhakti these pastimes (tene brahma hrda ya adi kavaye).

When Vyasa sat in meditation under the order of Narada, in a trance of prema bhakti (bhakti yogena manasi samyak pranahite 'male) this is what he realized, and it is about this, the pastimes of Radha-Krishna, that he wrote in his book, the Bhagavata.

Vyasa says that these two, Radha-Krishna, and Sri Radha in particular, are so wonderful. Who can understand them? Even Krishna is bewildered by Radharani. What then can Ananta sesa and others know about her (muhyanti yat surayah)?

Land (mrt) turns into water and flows, while water (vari) takes on the character of land and becomes stunned upon hearing the flute of Sri Krishna, which he plays only to attract Sri Radha, whose effulgence (tejah) dims the light of the stars and moon, 'tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo'.

Among the gopis, there are three kinds: those who favor Radha (headed by Lalita), those who serve in the opposition's side (headed by Candravali), and those who sometimes take the side of Radha and sometimes the side of Krishna (headed by Visaka).

They are all wonderful, yet all three groups (yatra tri-sargo) are insignificant (mrsa) in her presence, 'yatra tri-sargo mrsa'. All have their purpose only in relation to her. Radha's presence and influence (dhamna) defeats (nirasta) all interference (kuhakam) created by the opposition party, such as that of Jatila and Kutila, and the leader of the gopi opposition, Sri Candravali, 'dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam'.

Thus their pastimes go on eternally (satyam). Therefore, I meditate in divine service (dhimahi) upon these two, Radha-Krishna (param), who are actually one in 'mahabhava', and one as potent and potency. In this verse Vyasa has described Radha and Krishna in the singular purposefully, and he has used the neuter gender because they are beyond the conceptions of male and female.

Originally posted by: _LalithaJanaki_

Yes, Radha and Rukmini were none other but the same avatars of Lakshmiji. Because Radha could not marry Shri Krishna (due to the promise he made to Abhimanyu), Lakshmiji incarnated herself again as Rukmini so that she could be his wife even in Dwapar Yuga. If Radha had married Krishnaji, there would be no reason for Lakshmiji to incarnate herself as Rukmini, would there?

Sri Krishna Tulabharam is a famous tale told to symbolize the devotion Rukmini had for Krishna, and the patience and grace in which she treated her co-wives. She was more of a mother-like figure to them than a co-wife. In character, she was no less than Sitaji.😊

Here is the story of Shri Krishna Tulabhaaram from wikipedia...

[edit] Tulabharam (weighing by scale)

The Tulabharam is an incident in the life of Rukmini, that reveals the extent to which humble devotion is worth more than material wealth.

Satyabhama, another queen of Krishna, prides herself about the love Krishna has for her and her grasp over his heart. Rukmini, on the other hand is a devoted wife, humble in her service of her Lord. Her devotion is her real inner beauty. On one contrived occasion, the sage Narada arrived in Dwaraka and in the course of conversation hinted to Satyabhama that the love that Krishna exhibits towards her is not all that real and in fact it is Rukmini who has real control over his heart. Unable to bear this, Satyabhama challenges Narada to prove it. Narada, with his way with words, tricked her into accepting a Vrata (ritual) where she has to give Krishna away in charity to Narada and reclaim him by giving the weight of Krishna in wealth. Narada lures her into accepting this vrata by telling her that Krishna's love to her will increase many folds if she succeeds in performing this Tulabharam. He also instigates her ego by hinting that her wealth may not be sufficient to equal the weight of Krishna. With Satyabhama's ego duly raised, she tells Narada that she can mobilize so much wealth that it is a child's play for her to outweigh Krishna. Narada warns her that if she is not able to do this, Krishna will become his slave to be done with as he pleases.

The scene is soon set for the vrata. Satyabhama gives Krishna away in charity in spite of the other wives' pleadings. Krishna, always the mischievous cowherd, meekly submits to this drama. After donating Krishna to Narada, Satyabhama arranges for a big scale to be put up and sends with all assurance for her huge treasure of gold and jewellery. All that she has is soon put on the scale, but it doesn't budge. Narada starts taunting her and threatening her that if she can't put enough gold or diamonds, he will be forced to auction Krishna as a slave to someone else. Satyabhama, in frantic panic, swallows her pride and begs all the other wives to give their jewels. They agree out of love for Krishna but alas, it is of no use.

Krishna remains a mute witness to all this drama and rubs salt into the open wounds of Satyabhama's ego that he has now to become a slave to some cowherd and will have to suffer the separation from his dear wife. Narada suggests to Satyabhama that Rukmini may be able to get her out of the predicament. She finally swallows her pride and appeals to the devoted first wife of Krishna. Rukmini comes and with a prayer to her husband puts a single leaf of the sacred Tulasi on the scale (tula). The scales then become all at once so heavy that even after removing all the jewels, the scales are weighed down on the side of the Tulasi leaf.

While there are different versions in different texts as to why the weighing was arranged, the story of the Tulsi leaf placed by Rukmini being worth more in weight than that of Satyabhama's wealth is a common ending. This story is often repeated to enunciate the significance of Tulsi and how a humble offering to God is greater than any material wealth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rukmini