RĀDHĀṢṬAMĪ राधाष्टमी
Artwork: “Krishna Adoring Radha’s Hair”, ca. 1815-20. VMFA. Kangra
Today (August 30/31st) marks the auspicious occasion of Rādhāṣṭamī (Rādhā’s appearance day), observed on the eighth day (āṣṭamī) of the bright fortnight (śukla pakṣa) in the sacred month of Bhādrapada (Aug–Sept).
Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the eternal consort and beloved of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is the embodiment of unwavering devotion and selfless love. She personifies patience, humility, and pure devotion, offering a divine example of love in its highest form. Though she endured suffering in the fires of separation from her beloved, Rādhā expected nothing in return, never once allowing complaint to cloud her radiant heart.
To contemplate Rādhā is to unveil the profound mystery of unconditional, transcendental love—where the offering itself becomes devotion, and union with Kṛṣṇa is the soul’s ultimate fulfillment.
It is said that her birth star was Viśākhā विशाखा (sidereal Scorpio), whose Vyāpana Śakti is ‘the energy to achieve many goals,’ awakening ambition, devotion, and courageous pursuit—a constellation often connected to Devī and reflective of Rādhā’s own spiritual leadership.
The trials Rādhā endured through separation from Kṛṣṇa resonate with Śani Dev—the graha of restraint, patience, and longevity (Āyuḥ-kāraka). Saturn, who became the foundation for the churning of the cosmic ocean (Samudra Manthana), teaches endurance through hardship and the purification of desire, where love is tested and refined.
Rādhā, the hightest expression of Śani, reveals how devotion endures even under these conditions, ultimately leading to the transcendence of worldly attachments.
The rituals of Rādhāṣṭamī begin with the ceremonial bathing of Śrī Rādhā’s mūrti in pañcāmṛta—a sacred blend of milk, ghee, honey, sugar, and yogurt. She is then adorned in new attire and honored in procession alongside Lord Kṛṣṇa.
In Braj, her birthplace, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are dressed in garments of flowers, and in a rare and auspicious darśana, Śrī Rādhā’s feet are unveiled for devotees to behold.
Many fast on this day, immersing themselves in Harikathā—recounting the holy names, divine qualities, and pastimes of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The festival concludes with prasādam, celebrating her transcendental love and presence.
जय जय श्री राधे
Ground yourself, strip yourself down, To blind loving silence. Stay there, until you see You are gazing at the Light with its own ageless eyes”
~ Jalaluddin Rumi