SRIMATI RADHARANI

 

 SRIMATI RADHARANI

Father: Maharaja Vrsabhanu;
Mother: Kirtida devi;
Grandfather (Paternal): Mahibhanu;
Grandmother (Paternal): Sukhada devi;
Grandfather (Maternal): Indu;
Grandmother (Maternal): Mukhara devi who is also young Yasoda and Radha's nursemaid;
Uncles (Paternal): Ratnabhanu, Subhanu, Bhanu;
Uncles (Maternal): Bhadrakirti, Mahakirti, Kirticandra;
Aunts (Maternal): Menaka-devi, Sasthi-devi, Gauri-devi, Dhatri-devi and Dhataki-devi;
Mother's sister is Kirtimati-devi, whose husband is Kasa;
Father's sister is Bhanumudra-devi, whose husband is Kusa;
Brother: (elder) Sridama;
Sister: (younger) Ananga manjari;
Husband (so-called): Abhimanyu;
Father-in-law is Vrkagopa;
Mother-in-law: Jatila;
Sister-in-law: Kutila;
Brother-in-law: Durmada;
Eight dearest friends - Asta-Sakhis:

• Lalita;
• Visakha;
• Sucitra;
• Campakalata;
• Ranga-devi;
• Sudevi;
• Tungavidya;
• Indulekha.

(Rädhä Kåñëa Ganoddeça Dépékä  - Rupa Goswami)

Rädhikä, Rädhä, Rädhäräëé

Srimati Radharani appeared exactly two weeks after the appearance of Sri Krishna on the eighth day of the waxing moon of Hrsikesha (Bhadra) mase, at noon. She was found on a lotus flower by Vrashabhanu and his wife Kirtida near the village of Barsana, a few miles away from Nandagrama. It is said that Srimati Radharani first opened Her eyes only when Sri Krishna appeared before Her. Until that time Her eyes were closed.
"Radhika never was initiated, nor did She study or hear from a siksa guru, but still She became the teacher of the arts to all the Vraja Gopis, who astonish all the ladies of the three worlds with their skills and who give the highest satisfaction to Sauri, the ocean of all the arts!"
(Govinda Lilamrita, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami 11.124)
Her Favorite Pets:

• surabhi cows: Sunada, Yamuna and Bahula;
• calf: Tuëgé
• female monkey: Kakkhati;
• parrots: Sükñmadhé and Subhä;
• swan: Tuëòikeré
• doe: Rangini;
• chakori bird (Himalayan partridge): Carucandrika;
• elephant: Madhuri.

Srimati Radharani,

• wears dress made of Her youthful bluish modesty woven with syama colored threads, and also uttaria, which is red due to extreme attachment for the company of Krsna;
• is outwardly very clever and contradictory while at heart is submissive;
• has a complection like a yellow campaka flower and lightening;
• Her lips are reddish due to Her deep attraction for Krsna.

Her personal beauty is compared to kumkuma and Her friendship with Her associates is compared to sandalwood pulp. The sweetness of Her calm sobriety is compared to camphor. These three ingredients decorate the body of Srimati Radharani - kumkuma, sandalwood pulp, and camphor.
Srimati Radharani is the eternal consort of Lord Sri Krsna and the embodiment of His hlädiné potency. She is known as mahäbhäva-svarüpiné, the personification of the highest ecstacy of divine love. She is the internal pleasure potency of the Lord; the incarnation of love; the queen of Vrindavan; and the crest jewel of the gopis.
The name Radha comes from the word arädhänia: One who can serve, who can worship, who can give respect, who really loves Krsna, who can render loving service.
Like Sri Krsna, Srimati Radha also has innumerable qualities, among which twenty-five are prominent:

1. She is sweet (madhura), that is, She is incomparably beautiful in appearance;
2. She is an ever-fresh youth;
3. Her eyes are restless and inclined to give sidelong glances;
4. She has a radiant, gentle and sweet smile;
5. She has beautiful lines, indicating auspiciousness;
6. She maddens Kåñëa with the fragrance of Her bodily limbs;
7. She is expert in the musical arts;
8. She speaks sweetly;
9. She is expert in making jokes;
10. She is very polite and modest;
11. She is merciful;
12. She is cunning;
13. She is expert in all duties;
14. She is shy;
15. She is always steadfast on the path of righteous conduct;
16. She is patient;
17. She is grave, so that it is very difficult to understand the import of Her mind;
18. She is fond of enjoying pastimes;
19. She is acutely eager to manifest the supermost excellence of mahäbhäva;
20. When the residents of Gokula see Her, their hearts immediately overflow with prema;
21. Her fame pervades the entire universe;
22. She is the object of affection for Her superiors (guru-jana);
23. She is controlled by the intense love (praëaya) of Her sakhis;
24. She is prominent among all Krsna's sakhis;
25. Keçava always remains submissive to Her orders.

No one is more dear to Krsna than Srimati Radharani. Srimati Radharani is not inferior to Sri Krsna in any way. It is Krsna Himself who enjoys Himself in two separate forms, as the enjoyer and the enjoyed. Krsna's beauty is so stunning that He Himself becomes enchanted by His own beauty. But if the beauty of Srimati Radharani were not greater than that of Sri Krsna, She could not enchant He who can enchant the whole universe. That is why She is called Bhüvan-mohän-mohiné. She is the effulgence of Krsna, who is like the full moon (Krsnachandra). Sri Krsna is the sum total of all ecstasy, all beauty. He is the original reservoir of all wealth, prowess, and knowledge. So the greatness of Radharani, is beyond the limit of human knowledge, even beyond the limit of understanding of many liberated souls.

The Thousand Names of Srimati Radharani from the Sri Radha-sahasra-nama-stotra as spoken by Lord Siva to Sri Parvati devi

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108 Names of Sri Radhika
(said to be uttered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu)

Srimati Radharani thought: Why is it that even though My friends, the best and most expert of gopis diligently search the forest and caves of Vrndavana, still they cannot find Sri Krsna? Why is it that this lusty, greedy rake Krsna willfully abandons us? As Srimati Radharani walked in the forest, She noticed on Her left side a black deer playing with many does and a peacock playing with many peahens. Bewildered by feelings of ecstatic love, She thought the deer and peacock were Her lover Krsna, and the many does and peahens were the gopis. Thinking in this way She became extremely agitated. When Srimati Radharani saw a dark tamala tree, it's roots covered by a flowering golden-jasmine creeper, and it's top branch the home of a dancing peacock, She became convinced that She had just seen Her lover Krsna, with His dark complexion, yellow dhoti, and peacock-feather crown.

When Srimati Radharani first saw Krsna, She suddenly became conscious of all transcendental happiness, and the functions of Her different limbs were stunned. When Lalita, Her constant companion, whispered into Her ear the holy name of Krsna, Radharani immediately opened Her eyes wide. This is an instance of alertness caused by hearing the sound of Krsna's name.
One day, in a joking mood, Krsna informed Radharani, "My dear Radharani, I am going to give up Your company." Upon saying this, He immediately disappeared, and because of this Radharani became so afflicted that the hue of Her body changed, and She immediately fell down upon the ground of Vrndavana. She had practically stopped breathing, but when She smelled the flavor of the flowers on the ground, She awoke in ecstasy and got up.
(Nectar of Devotion 30 - Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu)

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Srila Prabhupada's vani about Radharani
More descriptions of Radharani by Stephen Knapp

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