Radha is the lady depicted as the deity Krishna's lover and companion in later devotional (bhakti) literature.
Radha's love for Krishna is a metaphor for the soul's
longing for unification with the divine, portrayed via passionate love's poetic
traditions.
Although there are a few mentions to Radha in poetry dating
back to the seventh century, Jayadeva's lyric poem the Gitagovinda, written in
the eleventh century, is her earliest detailed representation.
The narrative of Radha and Krishna's love, their fight and
separation, and their final reconciliation is told in the Gitagovinda.
Radha is portrayed in a unique way by Jayadeva.
In the poem, Radha expresses her desire to be Krishna's
solitary lover and friend.
She pouts jealously when he flirts with other women, and she
snubs him violently when he returns to her with hints of another tryst.
They reunite in the end, and passionate love becomes a
symbol of their togetherness.
The lyrical text given by Jayadeva's hymn Dashavatara Stotra
brings this image of Radha and Krishna's love, separation, and reunion into
fuller clarity.
After the text's introductory verses, Jayadeva describes the
accomplishments of Krishna's 10 incarnations (avatars).
The hymn's final verses specifically mention Krishna as the
ultimate source of the ten avatars, reminding listeners that the person playing
a role in this drama of jealousy, repentance, and reconciliation is none other
than the Lord of the Universe Himself, who has saved the world from destruction
in the past.
Unlike previous representations of Krishna, which portray
his relationships with his followers (bhakta) as a type of "play"
(lila), the Krishna in the Gitagovinda seems to be less lofty and distant, and
more personally and profoundly concerned with Radha as the object of his
adoration.
Krishna is shown in the poem as someone who is highly
affected by emotions and who reciprocates his devotee's sentiments in a
meaningful way.
The inner interaction between the two lovers is the core of
Jayadeva's literary attention, and he discloses nothing about Radha outside of
this connection.
Radha's character evolved in a variety of ways following the
Gitagovinda.
Radha's trysts with Krishna take on the hue of adulterous,
forbidden love according to certain poets, who represent her as married to
another man.
In Indian poetry, this love is seen as more passionate since
the lovers have nothing to gain from the affair other than the love itself, and
they risk losing everything if they are found.
Radha is a sign of someone who is prepared to risk and lose
all for the sake of love itself.
Radha's character is also explored in a manner that
contradicts this adulterous depiction.
Radha is depicted in various traditions not as a simple
woman devoured by Krishna's love, but as his wife, consort, and divine force
(shakti), through whose agency Krishna may operate in the universe.
For the Nimbarka religious community, who saw Radha and
Krishna as manifestations of Lakshmi and Narayana, this deified figure of Radha
was very important.
The Radhavallabh community was another sect that promoted
equality, with members emphasizing Krishna's devotion for Radha.
See Barbara Stoller Miller (ed. and trans. ), The Love Song
of the Dark Lord, 1977, and David R. Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses, 1986, for
further information about Radha.
