Namssadhsae.
I like to share a story, which I read in a different group, about one ashtapthy (authored by Jayadevar), which clearly explains the relationship between Radha & Krishna. Since this is a thread on Radha Kalyanam, this story suits here best, I think.
Jayadeva’s ‘Ashtapathi’ occupies a prominent place in any Radha Kalyanam to this day. Ashtapathi is part of the ‘Gita Govindam’ ranked as the foremost of the devotional literature and Jayadeva, the holy saint-poet, drips of love, passion, compassion and devotion in his matchless versification of the poetry on Krishna. Ashtapathi is an eight-liner of 24 verses depicting the various phases of love between Radha and Krishna. Initially it is love at first sight; then indifference peeps in; again there is passion; then jealousy creeps; again there is parting between the lovers; unable bear the pain of parting Radha sends word to Krishna but Krishna teases; then Radha recoils; finally Krishna rushes to surrender unto Radha’s love and there is holy union. The 21st Ashtapathi is called ‘Madhava Sameepam’ meaning the proximity of Krishna to Radha, wherein their differences vanish and the 22nd, ‘Kalyana Ashtapathi’ or in other words the holy union of Radha and Krishna thus becoming Radhe-Krishna as one.
Two Bhagavathars, one dressed as Krishna and the other as Radha, draped in a sari dance to the mellow verses of Jayadeva. On the one side, the bold passion of Krishna and a shy Radha retreating. The scene changes in a flash. A teasing Krishna to the passionate advances of Radha; again a change of scene in a spark! The disappointed love lorn Radha weeping that melts everyone's heart; again a Krishna in the height of passion uttering the poem,
‘Smara garala khandanam, mama sirasi mandanam, dehi pada pallava mudharam’
(Oh Radha! Place your tender leaf-like soft feet upon my head to cool down my hot scorching passion)
There is an interesting story behind this verse. Jayadeva in a state of ecstasy and frenzy composed the holy Ashtapathi and this particular verse scarcely cognizant of his physical consciousness. After writing he used to review the verses and while thus going through it, was shocked to find that he had put an irreverent and ‘atrocious’ statement of Radha ‘placing her feet upon the head of Krishna, the supreme God’. Vexed, he struck out the lines and put the palm leaves aside and proceeded to the river to take oil bath. After a lapse of some time, his wife Padmavathi was surprised to find her husband return from the river with oil dripping from his hair and face and ask for the palm leaves. To her query, her husband answered that he had had a sudden inspiration to pen a new song and might forget if he did not jot it down immediately and hence returned. Padmavathi struck by this unusual behaviour of her husband, nevertheless brought out the palm leaves and writing material whereupon, Jayadeva scribbled something and went back to the bath. After the daily poojas and meals, a stunned Jayadeva commanded his wife as to who had come in the middle and written down once again what he had already deleted. Again an amazed Padmavathi reiterated that he only returned in the middle of the oil bath and scribbled something on the palm leaves and went back. Stupefied, Jayadeva found the very exact words that he had previously written reinstated back in place and realized that Sri Krishna Himself had come in his form and written the verse again. He hugged the palm leaves and beat on his chest and lamented that he, the devotee could not have a glimpse of the Almighty, but his wife without any devotional effort had seen Him. But again a thought took hold of him – wasn’t this uncomplaining, toiling Padmavathi, ever serving him putting up with his most unruly habits, a Karma Yogi, a real devotee of Him and hadn’t he neglected her as an ignorant and crude woman? When reality thus dawned upon him, he saluted his wife and penned an instant poem extolling her virtues and feeling pride in being her husband:
‘Padmavathi Ramanam – Jayadeva Kavirayam’
(I, the poet Jayadeva is in sooth the husband of Padmavathi)
Incidentally, it is only too true that God Almighty reveals His presence first to the consort of the devotee and next only to the devotee. Saint Thyagaraja, beheld the holy vision of Sri Rama, his deity, only after his wife perceived Him.
Jayadeva’s ‘Ashtapathi’ occupies a prominent place in any Radha Kalyanam to this day. Ashtapathi is part of the ‘Gita Govindam’ ranked as the foremost of the devotional literature and Jayadeva, the holy saint-poet, drips of love, passion, compassion and devotion in his matchless versification of the poetry on Krishna. Ashtapathi is an eight-liner of 24 verses depicting the various phases of love between Radha and Krishna. Initially it is love at first sight; then indifference peeps in; again there is passion; then jealousy creeps; again there is parting between the lovers; unable bear the pain of parting Radha sends word to Krishna but Krishna teases; then Radha recoils; finally Krishna rushes to surrender unto Radha’s love and there is holy union. The 21st Ashtapathi is called ‘Madhava Sameepam’ meaning the proximity of Krishna to Radha, wherein their differences vanish and the 22nd, ‘Kalyana Ashtapathi’ or in other words the holy union of Radha and Krishna thus becoming Radhe-Krishna as one.
Two Bhagavathars, one dressed as Krishna and the other as Radha, draped in a sari dance to the mellow verses of Jayadeva. On the one side, the bold passion of Krishna and a shy Radha retreating. The scene changes in a flash. A teasing Krishna to the passionate advances of Radha; again a change of scene in a spark! The disappointed love lorn Radha weeping that melts everyone's heart; again a Krishna in the height of passion uttering the poem,
‘Smara garala khandanam, mama sirasi mandanam, dehi pada pallava mudharam’
(Oh Radha! Place your tender leaf-like soft feet upon my head to cool down my hot scorching passion)
There is an interesting story behind this verse. Jayadeva in a state of ecstasy and frenzy composed the holy Ashtapathi and this particular verse scarcely cognizant of his physical consciousness. After writing he used to review the verses and while thus going through it, was shocked to find that he had put an irreverent and ‘atrocious’ statement of Radha ‘placing her feet upon the head of Krishna, the supreme God’. Vexed, he struck out the lines and put the palm leaves aside and proceeded to the river to take oil bath. After a lapse of some time, his wife Padmavathi was surprised to find her husband return from the river with oil dripping from his hair and face and ask for the palm leaves. To her query, her husband answered that he had had a sudden inspiration to pen a new song and might forget if he did not jot it down immediately and hence returned. Padmavathi struck by this unusual behaviour of her husband, nevertheless brought out the palm leaves and writing material whereupon, Jayadeva scribbled something and went back to the bath. After the daily poojas and meals, a stunned Jayadeva commanded his wife as to who had come in the middle and written down once again what he had already deleted. Again an amazed Padmavathi reiterated that he only returned in the middle of the oil bath and scribbled something on the palm leaves and went back. Stupefied, Jayadeva found the very exact words that he had previously written reinstated back in place and realized that Sri Krishna Himself had come in his form and written the verse again. He hugged the palm leaves and beat on his chest and lamented that he, the devotee could not have a glimpse of the Almighty, but his wife without any devotional effort had seen Him. But again a thought took hold of him – wasn’t this uncomplaining, toiling Padmavathi, ever serving him putting up with his most unruly habits, a Karma Yogi, a real devotee of Him and hadn’t he neglected her as an ignorant and crude woman? When reality thus dawned upon him, he saluted his wife and penned an instant poem extolling her virtues and feeling pride in being her husband:
‘Padmavathi Ramanam – Jayadeva Kavirayam’
(I, the poet Jayadeva is in sooth the husband of Padmavathi)
Incidentally, it is only too true that God Almighty reveals His presence first to the consort of the devotee and next only to the devotee. Saint Thyagaraja, beheld the holy vision of Sri Rama, his deity, only after his wife perceived Him.
A story in Ashtapathi Jayadeva’s ‘Ashtapathi’ occupies a prominent place in any Radha Kalyanam to this day. Ashtapathi is part of the ‘Gita Govindam’ ranked as the foremost of the devotional literature and Jayadeva, the holy saint-poet, drips of love, passion, compassion and devotion in his matchless versification of the poetry on Krishna. Ashtapathi is an eight-liner of 24 verses depicting the various phases of love between Radha and Krishna. Initially it is love at first sight; then indifference peeps in; again there is passion; then jealousy creeps; again there is parting between the lovers; unable bear the pain of parting Radha sends word to Krishna but Krishna teases; then Radha recoils; finally Krishna rushes to surrender unto Radha’s love and there is holy union. The 21st Ashtapathi is called ‘Madhava Sameepam’ meaning the proximity of Krishna to Radha, wherein their differences vanish and the 22nd, ‘Kalyana Ashtapathi’ or in other words the holy union of Radha and Krishna thus becoming Radhe-Krishna as one.
Two Bhagavathars, one dressed as Krishna and the other as Radha, draped in a sari dance to the mellow verses of Jayadeva. On the one side, the bold passion of Krishna and a shy Radha retreating. The scene changes in a flash. A teasing Krishna to the passionate advances of Radha; again a change of scene in a spark! The disappointed love lorn Radha weeping that melts everyone's heart; again a Krishna in the height of passion uttering the poem,
‘Smara garala khandanam, mama sirasi mandanam, dehi pada pallava mudharam’
(Oh Radha! Place your tender leaf-like soft feet upon my head to cool down my hot scorching passion)
There is an interesting story behind this verse. Jayadeva in a state of ecstasy and frenzy composed the holy Ashtapathi and this particular verse scarcely cognizant of his physical consciousness. After writing he used to review the verses and while thus going through it, was shocked to find that he had put an irreverent and ‘atrocious’ statement of Radha ‘placing her feet upon the head of Krishna, the supreme God’. Vexed, he struck out the lines and put the palm leaves aside and proceeded to the river to take oil bath. After a lapse of some time, his wife Padmavathi was surprised to find her husband return from the river with oil dripping from his hair and face and ask for the palm leaves. To her query, her husband answered that he had had a sudden inspiration to pen a new song and might forget if he did not jot it down immediately and hence returned. Padmavathi struck by this unusual behaviour of her husband, nevertheless brought out the palm leaves and writing material whereupon, Jayadeva scribbled something and went back to the bath. After the daily poojas and meals, a stunned Jayadeva commanded his wife as to who had come in the middle and written down once again what he had already deleted. Again an amazed Padmavathi reiterated that he only returned in the middle of the oil bath and scribbled something on the palm leaves and went back. Stupefied, Jayadeva found the very exact words that he had previously written reinstated back in place and realized that Sri Krishna Himself had come in his form and written the verse again. He hugged the palm leaves and beat on his chest and lamented that he, the devotee could not have a glimpse of the Almighty, but his wife without any devotional effort had seen Him. But again a thought took hold of him – wasn’t this uncomplaining, toiling Padmavathi, ever serving him putting up with his most unruly habits, a Karma Yogi, a real devotee of Him and hadn’t he neglected her as an ignorant and crude woman? When reality thus dawned upon him, he saluted his wife and penned an instant poem extolling her virtues and feeling pride in being her husband:
‘Padmavathi Ramanam – Jayadeva Kavirayam’
(I, the poet Jayadeva is in sooth the husband of Padmavathi)
Incidentally, it is only too true that God Almighty reveals His presence first to the consort of the devotee and next only to the devotee. Saint Thyagaraja, beheld the holy vision of Sri Rama, his deity, only after his wife perceived Him.
It appears that Radha Kalyanam is an imaginery one by the baghavathas with bhakthi and jeevathma/paramAthma concepts ........
"அவரவர் இச்சையில் எவை எவை உற்றவை அவை தருவித்தருள் பெருமாளே!" _ திருவக்கரை திருப்புகழ்