I am confused about Goddess Radha's existence in the Hindu Puranas. A few books that I read mention her as Lord Krishna's lover and that she is an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi while some others offer contradictory information. I hope not to offend anyone, but I am genuinely intrigued by this.
Could any one offer me an explanation?
Yes most definitely she is a Hindu Goddess. She is mentioned in PurAnas as well as in the Tantras i.e Agamas.
In Brahma Vaivarta PurAna's Prakriti Khanda, it is mentioned that a beautiful and resplendent Devi appeared from Lord Krishna's left shoulder into the RAsamandala:
Devi vAmAmsha sambhutA vabhuva rAsamandale
This Devi or Goddess later got divided into two Goddesses as per Krishna's wish.
SA devi dvivida bhutA sahasaivesvarecchaya || TadvAmAmsAn mahAlakshmir dakshinAmsAccha rAdhikA.
.........
That Devi suddenly got divided into two according to the wish of Iswara (here Krishna). The left half is Lakshmi and the right is RAdhikA.
Bramha Vaivarta PurAna, Prakriti Khanda 35-7
In Agamas too she is mentioned. In the NArada PancharAtra too we find the RAdhA Stotram comprised of her 37 names.
Few names are like give below:
Rasodbhva krishnakAnta krishnavaksha sthala stithA.... VrindAvaneshA vijayA yamunAtata-vAsini
Which mentions her as the one situated within the heart of Krishna, as the one who presides over VrindAvana and one who lives on the banks of Yamuna river etc.
Her parents' names are also mentioned in that Stotram as follows:
VrishabhAnusutA shAntA purnatamasya cha kAmyA kalAvati kanyA ....
VrishabhAnu and KalAvati are the father and mother to whom RAdhA was born.
EDIT:
From NArada PurAna we also get the RAdhA-Krishna Yugala Sahasranamas. Of which 500 names are of RAdhA and 500 of Krishna. Few of her names from that list are:
618) Govadhanakritalaya (Resident of Govardhana Mountain); 619) Yamuna teera nilaya ( stays on at the banks of River Yamuna ); 620) Shashvat Govinda japshini (Endlessly chanting the name of Govida); 621) Shaswata -maanavati (Eternally respectful); 622) Snigdha (Snehamayi); 623) Shri Krishna parivandita (esteemed by Shri Krishna); 624) Krishna stuta (As eulogised by Krishna); 625) Krishna vrataa (Krishna-centric); 626 ) Shri Krishna hridayalaya ( Resident of Krishna’s heart); 627) Devadruma phala (Fulfiller of all desires like Kalpa Vriksha); 628) Sevya (worthy of worship) 629) Vrindavana Rasaalaya (Immersed in the juice of Vrindavana)
Aapart from that there is one whole Agama dedicated to her name. It's called the RAdhA Tantram. In that text she is described as Supreme Goddess Tripura's Duti (emissary).
Sri rAdhA tripura duti (RAdhA Tantram Patala 7 verse)
Goddess says that RAdhA is her own amsa and will be born in VrindAvana.
KAtyAnyani Uvacha:
Gacchagaccha mahAvAho padmini samgamAcharo |
Padmini mama devesha vraje rAdhA bhavishyati ||........
[Goddess said to VAsudeva] Go soon to mathura and meet Padmini. My own amsa Padmini will be born in Vraja as RAdhA.
RAdhA Tantram, 6th Patala verse.
This Text talks about the greatness of Vrajamandala and Mathruamandala in some details.
The 39th Chapter of the 9th Book of Devi Bhagavatam also mentions the following about the origin of both Radha and Lakshmi from Krishna:
4-33. Nârâyana said :-- Of old, in the beginning of the Prâkritik Creation, from the left side of Krisna, the Supreme Spirit, appeared in the Râsamandalam (the Figure Dance) a Devî. She looked exceedingly handsome, of a dark blue colour, of spacious hips, of thin waist, and with high breast, looking twelve years old, of steady youth, of a colour of white Champaka flower and very lovely. The beauty of Her face throws under shade millions and millions of autumnal full moons. Before Her wide expanded eyes, the midday lotus of the autumnal season becomes highly ashamed.
By the Will of God, this Devî suddenly divided Herself into two parts. The two looked equal in every respect; whether in beauty, qualities, age, loveliness, colour, body, spirit, dress, ornaments, smile, glance, love, or humanity, they were perfectly equal. Now she who appeared from the right side is named Râdhâ and she who came from the left side is named Mahâ Laksmî. Râdhâ wanted first the two armed S’rî Krisna, Who was Higher than the highest; then Mahâ Laksmî wanted Him. Râdhâ came out of the right side and wanted first Krisna; so Krisna, too, divided himself at once into two parts. From His right side came out the two-armed and from his left side came out the four-armed. The two-armed person first made over to Mahâ Laksmî the four armed One; then the two armed Person Himself took Râdhâ. Laksmî looks on the whole universe with a cooling eye; hence She is named Laksmî and as She is great, She is called Mahâ Laksmî. And for that reason the Lord of Râdhâ is two-armed and the Lord of Laksmî is four-armed. Râdhâ is pure Aprâ kritic S’uddha Sattva (of the nature of pure Sattva Guna, the illuminating attribute) and surrounded by the Gopas and Gopîs. The four-armed Purusa, on the other hand, took Laksmî (Padmâ) to Vaikuntha. The two-armed person is Krisna; and the four-armed is Nârâyana. They are equal in all respects.
This brings Radha to the same level as Mahalakshmi and hence clearly a Hindu goddess.
Radharani is Krishna’s Eternal Consort and Pleasure Potency. Radharani is actually Krishna Himself who have expanded himself. They both live in Supreme Spiritual Abode ‘Goloka Vrindavana’. Besides Protection of dharma,They both appear in this material world to taste different types of rasa.
Quoting from this website:
Radharani, Pleasure Potency of Krishna
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Aacharya of Brahma Sampradaya says —
Festival Lectures, London, 29 August, 1971.
So today, this evening, we are talking about Radhastami. We are trying to understand the chief potency of Krishna. Radharani is the pleasure potency of Krishna. As we understand from Vedic literature, Krishna has many varieties of potencies.
Parasya shaktir vividhaiva shruyate [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya-lila 13.65, purport].
Just like the same example, as a big man has got many assistants and secretaries so that he hasn't got to do anything personally, simply by his will everything is done, similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has got varieties of energies, and everything is being done so nicely. Just like this material energy. This material world, where we are now living… This is called material energy.
Bahir-anga-shakti. The Sanskrit name is bahir-anga, external energy of Krishna. So how nicely it is being done, everything in the material energy. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita, mayadhyakshena prakritih suyate sa-characharam: [Bhagavad-gita 9.10] "Under My superintendence the material energy is working." The material energy is not blind. It is… On the background there is Krishna. Mayadhyakshena prakritih [Bhagavad-gita 9.10]. Prakriti means this material energy.
Similarly… This is external energy. Similarly, there is another energy, which is internal energy. By the internal energy the spiritual world is being manifested. Paras tasmat tu bhavah anyah [Bhagavad-gita 8.20]. Another energy, para, superior, transcendental, the spiritual world. As this material world is being manipulated under the external energy, similarly, the spiritual world is also conducted by the internal potency. That internal potency is Radharani.Radharani…, today is Radharani's appearance day. So we should try to understand Radharani's feature. Radharani is the pleasure potency, hladini-shakti. Anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). In the Vedanta-sutra the Absolute Truth is described as anandamaya, always in pleasure potency. That anandamaya potency… Just like ananda. When you want ananda, pleasure, you cannot have it alone. Alone, you cannot enjoy. When you are in the circles of friend or family or other associates, you feel pleasure. Just like I am speaking. The speaking is very pleasing when there are many persons here. I cannot speak alone here. That is not ananda. I can speak here at night, dead of night, nobody here. That is not ananda. Ananda means there must be others. So because Krishna, the Absolute Truth, is anandamaya, therefore eko bahu syam, He has become many. We are also Krishna's part and parcel, to give pleasure to Krishna. And the chief pleasure potency is Radharani.
radha-krishna-pranaya-vikritir hladini-shaktir asmad
ekatmanav api bhuvo (pura) deha-bhedo-gatau tau
chaitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam chaikybram aptam
radha-bhava-(dyuti)-suvalitam naumi krishna-svarupam [Chaitanya-charitamrita Adi-lila 1.5]So Krishna is Param Brahman, as you know from the Bhagavad-gita. When Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, he affirmed Krishna, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bhagavad-gita 10.12]. So Krishna is Param Brahman. So in this material world we see that a great, saintly person, simply to enjoy brahmananda, he gives up everything of material enjoyment. He becomes sannyasi. Aham brahmasmi. Just to understand that he is in Brahman realization. So if one has to give up everything material for Brahman realization, do you think that Param Brahman, the Supreme Brahman, can enjoy anything material? No. Krishna's enjoyment is nothing material. This point should be understood. For Brahman realization we are giving up everything material. And how Param Brahman can enjoy anything material? This question has been very much nicely discussed by Jiva Gosvami.
So when the Param Brahman… First of all, the Param Brahman information is not there in this material world. Little Brahman information is there. Or little Paramatma information is there. But not Param Brahman, or Bhagavan, information. Therefore it is said, manushyanam sahasreshu kashchid yatati siddhaye [Bhagavad-gita 7.3]. Siddhaye means to understand Brahman or Paramatma. But out of many such persons who have realized Brahman and Paramatma, hardly a person can know Krishna. And that… First of all…what we can understand about Krishna's pleasure potency? If I want to know some big man. That is one process. And without knowing that big man, how I can understand about his internal affairs? Similarly, if we do not understand Krishna, how we can understand how Krishna is enjoying? That is not possible. But the Gosvamis, they're giving us information what is the pleasure potency of Krishna. That is Srimati Radharani.
This answer by Be happy explains why Radha didn't marry Krishna. Quoting from that answer:
So as per BrahmaVaivarta Purana, in Goloka, before the manifestation of their pastime on earth, on one occasion Radharani had a heated argument with Shridama, the personal attendant of Krishna.
In course of their conversation Radharani got angry and cursed Shridama to take birth as a demon. So Shridama also in return cursed Radharani to be born as a human, and after spending pastime with Krishna in Gokula She will get separated for 100 years from Her beloved lover Krishna:
manuṣyā iva kopaste tasmātvaṃ mānuṣī bhubi
bhaviṣyāsi na saṃdeho mayā śaptā tvamambike [BVP - 4.3.103]Meaning
You are getting angry like a human, hence you'll become a human. Mother! you'll become a human without any doubt due to my curse.gokule prapya taṃ kruṣṇaṃ vihariṣyasi kānane
bhavitā te varṣaśataṃ vicchedo hariṇā saha
punaḥ prapya tamīśaṃ ca golokamājamiṣyasi [BVP - 4.3.105,106]Meaning
In Gokula getting the company of Krishna you will enjoy pastimes in the forest. Then you'll experience a separation of hundred years from Hari. After that you'll again get His company and return to Go-loka.Hence, even though Krishna's love for Radha was eternal, due to the effect of the curse He couldn't marry Radha socially or openly. Instead, as per the curse, on Earth Radha had to marry Rayana of Vrindavan who was also Kirshna's partial incarnation:
mūḍhā rāyaṇapatnīṃ tvāṃ vakṣanti jagatitale
rāyaṇaḥ śrīhareraṃśo vaiśyo vrundāvane vane [BVP - 4.3.104,105]Meaning
On Earth fools will say you to be the wife of Rayana. Rayana will be the partial incarnation of Hari in Vrindavan.
For more details, see the below posts.
How was Radhaji born? What are the names of her father and mother?
What happened to Radha when she grew up?
In the Nimbarka Sampradaya, Radha's relationship with Krishna is characterised by the svakiya-rasa, based on texts in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana and the Garga Samhita describing the wedding of Radha and Krishna. The Gaudiya tradition focuses upon parakiya-rasa as the highest form of love, wherein Radha and Krishna share thoughts even through separation. The love the gopis feel for Krishna is also described in this esoteric manner as the highest platform of spontaneous love of God, and not of a sexual nature.
