Posted on: 04 Feb 2024
[Ms. Samaikya asked:- Swami, the married Gopikas had more pressure than Radha in reaching God Krishna. You told that Gopikas left their husbands after union with Krishna and became mad roaming on roads. Then, how is Radha praised as the Queen compared to the other Gopikas?]
Swami replied:- As far as the love on God Krishna is concerned, Radha as well as the Gopikas have the same intensity of love towards God Krishna. Radha was the incarnation of God Shiva and the other Gopikas were the incarnations of sages. God Shiva as well as the sages were sitting in perfect penance. In this way, sages are equal to God Shiva. But, as far as divinity is concerned, Radha is the indirect incarnation of God Shiva (Durvaasa is the direct incarnation of God Shiva, whereas Radha is the direct incarnation of Durvaasa and thus, Radha is the indirect incarnation of God Shiva.). The difference between Radha and Gopikas is the difference between God Shiva and other sages doing penance for God Shiva. When the climax state of devotion is reached, Radha and Gopikas were in the same climax level of devotion. The speciality of Radha is that she did not allow her husband to touch her due to her climax level of love to God Krishna. She crossed the fascination for children also and had unidirectional love to God Krishna (Ekabhaktir viśiṣyate…- Gita). If you take the case of the other Gopikas, the state of the life of Radha is not equal to the state of the life of the Gopikas, who were married and got issues leading their household lives. There is no difference between Radha and the Gopikas as far as the final climax love is concerned (like Radha, the other 11 Gopikas also became mad in the final stage). Based on the final stage, Radha and other 11 Gopikas reached Goloka. Even though the other Gopikas also left their families in the madness of God Krishna like Radha, sacrificing the husband just after marriage and sacrificing the desire to get children made Radha as the queen of Goloka.