The Blessings of Radha Ashtami

The celebration of the birth anniversary of Goddess Radha, the Goddess of Love, Mercy, Grace, and Compassion

Radha Ashtami is a well-known Hindu festival to commemorate the birth anniversary of Goddess Radha, Shri Radha Rani, the consort of Lord Krishna. It falls on Ashtami Tithi, the eighth day. Of the Waxing Phase of the Moon, during Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapada month.

According to the Hindu beliefs, Goddess Radha is the incarnation or avatar of Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu, the Lord God Protector of the Hindu Trinity.

The occasion of Radha Ashtami falls 15 days after the festival of  Janmashtami, or Krishna Ashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. It usually takes place in the month of August or September according to the Gregorian calendar.

Devotees keep fast on Radha Ashtami day. Goddess Radha is worshipped during Madhyahna Kala which is noon time according to Hindu division of the day.

Radha Ashtami is also known as Radhashtami and Radha Jayanti. In the Indian tradition, the Lord God Creator is the Controller of Power/Force/Energy that operates all interactions of the natural world, and the universe. The Lord God Creator separates Himself from the Power/Force/Energy that He Controls, Regulates, Sustains, and Operates. In the Indian tradition, the Power/Force/Energy or Shakti is personified as the consort of Lord God Creator. As the manifestations of Power/Force/Energy are varied, each attribute acquires a personality of its own and the man easily recognizes the nature of the blessings he receives from his benefactor. In the Indian tradition, Goddess Radha is the personification of Love that symbolizes the Spiritual Unity between the Original Source of Love and the physical manifestation of the Force called Love.

Living the Long Journey of Life with a heavy burden to serve the God of Compassion

So what is the Identity of this Human person or Human subject who experiences his life using the Sensory Experience such as taste? How does the living Human organism maintain its Identity and Individuality? Apart from the Cultural Traditions of India, several Schools of Religious Thought claim that the Human Individuality and true or real Identity is represented by Human Soul. Where does this soul exist in the human body? What is the location if the soul is present in the living person? Does man have a soul? How does the human organism acquires Knowledge about its own structures and the functions they perform? To know the burdens of Life, I ask my readers to know the reality of man and the nature of his existence.

A Force of Compassion to lift the heavy burden of life’s long journey

Alpha Orionis, or Betelgeuse is the largest and brightest Star visible to the naked eye near the Constellation of Orion. This mammoth star is slowly evaporating. This massive star is shedding weight and is near end of its life. This red Supergiant star is about 430 light years distant. If this star is now placed at the center of our Solar system, its plume would extend past the orbit of planet Jupiter. Sun towards the end of its life would also evaporate and its expanding plume would totally wipeout all living entities on planet Earth. When we speak about human existence, we need to understand man as a biological species. Like all other living creatures of this planet Earth, man is a mortal being. Whosoever had arrived on this planet, must also depart. Extinction is not merely a past geological event. The reign of Dinosaurs upon Earth ended 65 million years ago and it is marked as Cretaceous-Tertiary Extinction Event or K-T Event.

The Phenomenon of Extinction:   

Apart from Cosmic Radiation, and Massive Collision events involving asteroids, comets, or other heavenly bodies, there are biological factors involved in the phenomenon of Extinction. Man’s existence depends upon an orderly functioning of the universe. The existence of the Individual (microcosm) is linked to the existence of Cosmos (macrocosm).   

Is Man Born Free?   

In the Sanskrit literature, the word ‘Daivam’ describes ‘Fate’. It conveys the sense of belief in God as the ‘Prime Cause’. If God is in control, man is not free to act as he pleases even in his own defense. We may not be able to conduct experiments and scientifically establish the fact that God is in control. What we clearly understand is that the man cannot govern or rule the cells that constitute his body and define his physical existence.

Man is not an independent living entity. Man’s dependence upon external sources of energy, and the biological phenomenon of ‘cellular autonomy’ would not permit man to act as he pleases. Man is not in control of his existence. Man’s capacity to defend his own existence is limited and he continuously faces challenges to his existence from several different directions. If man is truly free, the Universe, the World, and the Society can place no constraints on him. Man is tied down, he is born in shackles without Freedom.   

Yes Indeed, Life is Complicated. The complexity of Life involves the conditioned or the dependent nature of the human existence. The man has no existence if he is not connected to an external source of energy. The external source of energy which supports the existence of Life is often described as the Divine Providence, the original source of Love, Mercy, Grace, and Compassion.