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Loving Devotion: Visions of Vishnu

Radha Figure from Venugopala Pair

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Radha Figure from Venugopala Pair
Bengal, India, 19th century
Bronze
Collection of the Newark Museum. Gift of Richard J. Nalin, 1988, 2.186

As the alluring Venugopala, Krishna often dallied with the young cowherdesses of Vrindavan, the gopis. His favorite of the gopis was Radha, whose ardent and selfless love for Krishna was transcendent. Here, the young Radha is a model of bhakti as she offers Krishna a lotus bud, an emblem of her love. While all women desired the handsome Krishna, his childhood love, Radha, retained a special status. Radha emerged as a powerful figure of bhakti worship in the twelfth-century poem Gita Govinda, which established her identity and status as the exemplary symbol of the soul’s longing for the divine. The love between them grew as they matured, although both were instructed to marry others. Radha’s unceasing devotion and willingness to sacrifice her worldly status in pursuit of Krishna’s love sets her as a hallmark of bhakti and an exemplar of the rasa (relationship of real emotion) that all devotees should attain towards God.

Krishna and Radha's Relationship—BYU Museum of Art "Loving Devotion"

All photographs and videos have been provided by Entrepid Productions with support from Andrew Hair, Daniel King, and Garth Pratt.