I AM RADHA

I am Radha and this is my story. When I first appeared, it was a half-moon night of Bhadra. My father, King Vrishnabhanu, came to the Yamuna to bathe and found himself engulfed in a golden aura of pure love. It was emanating from a lotus. I was standing on its whorl. When he went to the palace, my mother, Queen Kirtida, was delighted. But my eyes were closed. She did not understand why. Yasoda, Krishna's mother, came to visit along with her husband, Nanda, and Krishna. Krishna crawled up to the cradle and pulled himself up and looked in. My eyes fluttered and opened wide and blossomed like lotuses. My mother jumped for joy!

I got to tell you I could see all along. I was just waiting to see Krishna. With my appearance the incarnation was complete. Now my mother knew I was going to be connected with Krishna in some mysterious way. I was just telling everyone that we all are blind until we can see God. God has masculine and feminine aspects, aspects of all creation, and at the same time is beyond all that. I am Krishna's energy and Shakti. I am a goddess. I am Radha!

I have more stories to tell you about Krishna.I remember how he jumped into the water and defeated the serpent, Kaliya, who had poisoned the Yamuna. Afterwards he restored the river and the people and the animals poisoned by the serpent. He danced on the hood of Kaliya and celestial musicians appeared playing for all of us. As Krishna restored the river, we need to restore all rivers poisoned by industrial pollution.

I remember how he lifted the mountain after Indra sent rain for seven days. Krishna taught us to worship nature over the heavens. He always loved the trees, saying they were great beings. They do so much for Mother Bhumi (Mother Earth).

I remember how one night he had a great dance called the Lila Dance. I got to dance with him first and then he danced with every gopi all at once. Each gopi thought he was only dancing with her. Krishna dances with us all at one time, for God is everywhere.

He played his flute for the cows and all nature would stop to listen to his beautiful melodies, which Saraswati Ma (goddess of music, knowledge & the arts) gave to him. He would play the flute for me, and it was so sweet. One day he told me such sweet words. He said, "Although the effulgence of the moon is brilliant initially at night it fades away. Although the lotus is beautiful during the daytime, at night it closes. But, my dear Srimata Radharani, you're always bright and beautiful, both day and night. Therefore, to what can your face be compared?"

Little did I know at the time in a few days Krishna would have to leave this paradise. Before he left with Balaram, his brother, he gave me his flute. What a beautiful gift, but I cried and cried when he left like the rest of the gopis. We thought he'd come back, but he never returned to my village again.

He returned to Go-Loka when he left the earth. I saw him appear right in front of me. He said to me, "As you are so am I; there is certainly no difference between us. As whiteness inheres in milk, as burning in fire, my fair lady, as smell in earth, do I inhere in you always." Then I said to him, "I have been constructed by someone out of half your body; therefore, there is no difference between us; and my heart is in you. Just as my Atman (soul), heart, and life has been placed in you, so has yourself, heart and life been placed in me."

Now Krishna and I are together forever. That is why people say "Radha-Krishna." We are one and same. There is no difference between us. What a beautiful love story. Make your own great love story! Remember this beautiful love story today on my appearance day, Radhastami.

JAI SHRI RADHA! JAI SHRI KRISHNA!

Radhapriestess