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Supreme Lord Krishna, incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Lord Krishna's Childhood

        The birth of Krishna was an unusual event. His mother, the princess Devaki, had been imprisoned by the demon king Kamsa because a prophecy said that her eighth child would kill the demon. Devaki’s first six children were killed immediately. Her seventh escaped when Devaki pretended to have a miscarriage, and her eighth child, Krishna, was exchanged for a cowherd’s daughter.

Maa Yashoda and Child Krishna

         Krishna loved his foster parents, especially his foster mother Yashoda: their relationship is seen as the perfect relationship between mother and son. As a child, he frequently played a flute and caused much mischief for the milkmaids. He played many pranks because he wanted people to forget their earthly concerns and pay attention to him instead. Because of this, he is also a god of humor. Though he loved all the milkmaids and is sometimes said to have many wives, his most favorite of women was Radha.

Radha Krishna (God & Goddess)

       Radha is the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi, who is the wife of Vishnu. She is sometimes called “Radharani.” From childhood, she was very devoted to Krishna, who was also her foster brother. Though Radha and Krishna never married, her intense love for Krishna represents both the love a wife has for her husband and the love a devotee has for the divine. Since Radha and Krishna were children when they fell in love, their love for each other was very pure and spiritual, the ideal love. When Krishna left his childhood home behind in order to fulfill his destiny of killing Kamsa as well as having many other adventures, it is said that the continued affection Radha held for him helped give him strength.

         Together, Radha and Krishna form a divine coupling to which married couples should aspire. Husbands should see their wives as Radha, the beloved, while women should look upon their husbands as Krishna. By pursuing the love of the divine, married couples can look beyond each other’s imperfections and find happiness serving each other, which prepares them in turn for serving the divine.
         
        Though Krishna is the ultimate divine being, Radha is the Supreme Goddess. This is because while Krishna has power over all things, Radha, through his love for her, has control over him. This gives Radha a position of immense power. Without each other, however, they are meaningless: Krishna would not be Krishna without his beloved Radha, and Radha would be empty and lost without Krishna.