Sri Radha Ashtami, or Radhashtami, the birthday of Radha, is a major
festival celebrated by Lord Krishna devotees. It falls on the eighth day
of the Shukla Paksha (Ashtami on waxing phase of moon) in the month of
Bhadrapad (August-September). Radha Ashtami 2015 date is on September
21. The day celebrates the relationship between Radha and Krishna – a unique relationship between god and human (world).
Special prayers and pujas are held in Sri Krishna temples in North India
on the day. Most important celebrations are at Mathura and Vrindavan
and in ISKCON Temples around the world.
To understand the relationship between Radha and Krishna,
first we have to clear the worldly impurities from our mind, which is
clogging our vision. Once these impurities are removed we will
understand the true meaning of Raslila – the individual soul realizing
that it is part of the universal soul, which is a continuity.
It is always Radha and Krishna together or simply Radhakrishna. Radha
exists with Krishna; not without Krishna. Radha represents the
individual soul and Krishna the universal soul. On a lower level, we say
the individual soul merges with the universal soul.
In fact, Radha on seeing Krishna realizes that there is nothing called the individual soul and that she is Krishna.
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MEHUL PATEL - FEB2015 (GujaratiKanudo)