Radha Ashtami Beyond Romance: What Radha's Story Really Represents About Devotion

What if loving someone deeply did not mean having to have them? That question sits quietly at the heart of Radha’s story. Every year, Radha Ashtami brings back the familiar imagery of Radha and Krishna, flowers, temple celebrations, bhajans and stories of Vrindavan. But behind the romantic picture is a much more interesting idea. Radha’s devotion is not traditionally celebrated because she “got” Krishna. In fact, much of the emotional power of her story comes from longing and separation. Radha Ashtami, observed on the eighth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada, celebrates the appearance of Radha and falls fifteen days after Krishna Janmashtami. In several Vaishnava traditions, Radha is regarded as the embodiment of the highest form of devotional love, or bhakti. And that makes her story much bigger than romance.