Radha
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.
| Translations of राधा (Rādhā) | |
|---|---|
| Sanskrit | राधा (Rādhā) |
| Bengali | রাধা (Rādhā) |
| Hindi | राधा (Rādhā) |
| Kannada | ರಾಧಾ (Rādhā) |
| Malayalam | രാധ (Rādhā) |
| Marathi | राधा (Rādhā) |
| Odia | ରାଧା (Rādhā) |
| Telugu | రాధ (Rādhā) |
| Gujarati | રાધા (Rādhā) |
| Glossary of Hinduism terms | |
| Part of a series on |
| Vaishnavism |
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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 revere her as Krishna's lover and the divine consort.
In Radha Vallabh Sampradaya and Haridasi Sampradaya, only Radha is worshipped as the Supreme being. Elsewhere, she is venerated with Krishna as his principal consort in Nimbarka Sampradaya, Pushtimarg, Mahanam Sampradaya, Swaminarayan Sampradaya, Vaishnava-Sahajiya, Manipuri Vaishnavism, and Gaudiya Vaishnavism movements linked to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Radha is described as the chief of Braj Gopis (milkmaids of Braj). She has inspired numerous literary works, and her Raslila dance with Krishna has inspired many types of performance arts.