Radha Ashtami

What is Radha Ashtami?

Radha Ashtami Festival is an important Hindu festival which is celebrated as the birth of Goddess Radha who is considered as the incarnation or avatar of Goddess Lakshmi. Goddess Radha is also known as Srimati Radharani and is considered as the chief devotee of Lord Krishna. This festival falls in the month of Bhadrapada, on the 8th day of Shukla paksha, and 15 days after the Janmashtami which is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna.

Radha Ashtami is also known as Radha Jayanti. On this particular day, devotees from all over the country worship Srimati Radharani and seek her blessings. This Hindu festival also symbolizes the eternal bond of love and compassion between Lord Krishna and Radharani. Special Poojas and prayers are held in the temples of Lord Krishna all over the country, especially in North India. The celebrations are even grand in Mathura, Vrindavan, and Barsana (Birthplace of Radharani).

According to our Panchang, the Radha Ashtami Date and time are:

Radha Ashtami 2019 date: 6th September 2019

Tithi begins: 8:49 pm, on 5th September

Tithi ends: 8:43 pm, on 6th September

How Radha Ashtami Festival is celebrated:

• On this occasion, the devotees wake up before the sunrise and spend their day worshipping Srimati Radha. Some devotees also observe a fast on this occasion to show their devotion. Both, Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha are worshipped in different temples.
• Also, a puja is performed in which, the idol of Goddess Radha is cleaned with 'Panchamrit' at noon. Then fresh flowers are offered to the idol and their clothes are changed with the new ones.
• The devotees offer some items of Shringhar, dhoop, and Bhog to Radhaji. After this, an Aarti of Goddess Radha and Lord Krishna is sung and the prasad is distributed among the devotees as the blessing of the Lord and Goddess.
• On the day of Radha Ashtami, devotees chant different names of Srimati Radharani and also recite the ‘Radha Gayatri Mantra’. It is believed that the worship of Lord Krishna is incomplete without Srimati Radharani. Taking a bath in the holy Radha Kund is strictly forbidden in Barsana (Birthplace of Radhaji).
• On any other day, even chanting Radhaji's name is not permitted as it is considered inconsiderate for the Goddess. But on the day of Radha Ashtami, the devotees have to wait till midnight in order to take a dip in the holy Radha Kund to attain the blessings of Radharani.

The story behind Radha Ashtami:

• The appearance of Radharani: One day King Vrishbhanu came at the banks of river Yamuna and was taking a bath. It was during the month of Bhadrapada and on a half-moon night, he found himself being covered by a golden aura that was showing the spirit of true and pure love. It was emitting from a lotus. There was a baby girl on its surface. The King took the baby girl with him to the palace and her wife queen Kirtida was extremely delighted by seeing the baby. They were childless and they thought that God has blessed them with a baby girl and from then they started taking care of her.
• Birth of Radha: The second story related to the birth of Radharani is that one-day Vrishbhanu was cleaning the floor to perform a yajna when he found Radharani. A saint, Narada told Vrishnabhanu and his wife Kirtida that Radharani is the incarnation of Mahalaxmi. From that particular day, they considered her as their daughter and took care of her.

Significance of Radha Ashtami

Radha Ashtami is an extremely joyful occasion that takes place every year and is celebrated with the same level of zeal as the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna. This festival showcase the love between Radha and Krishna and their eternal bond that can only be understood after overcoming all the worldly impurities. Radha implies individual soul and Lord Krishna is the universal soul. It is mentioned in the Hindu scriptures, that the person who will observe a fast on the Radha Ashtami will be blessed by a happy and blissful life.

The person will overcome all his problems, attain all the worldly pleasures, and finally attain salvation. It is believed that after observing the Radha Ashtami fast and worshipping Goddess Radharani, the person will get liberated from all the sins and will seek the blessings of Lord Krishna and goddess Radha. The native will also get a positive mindset and will get rid of all the negativities of life. It also blesses the native and his/her partner with the same kind of love and care by the partner that is shared by Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha.

Mantra:

The following Mantra must be recited on the day of Radha Ashtami to evoke the blessings of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha: ‘ॐ राधायै स्वाहा:’(Om Raadhaye Svaha). This mantra can be chanted while performing the Radha Ashtami puja for getting faster and favorable results.

There’s a great importance of Radha Ashtami in the lives of the true devotees of Lord Krishna and Radharani. Therefore, you can take the Puja of Radha Ashtami from Future Point as it offers you the best pooja performed by Brahmin priests. The Puja should be performed in the accurate Radha Ashtami puja Muhurat to attain the best results. This Puja bestows the devotees with the blessings of Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha.