The age of Srimati Radharani - In relation to Krishna-lila

Dear devotees,

can anyone tell me (with sastric quotes of course) the age of Srimati Radharani in relation to Krishna's pastimes?

I have heard conflicting stories that she was older than Krishna by several years, younger by several years, 26 months older, and so on.

So can anyone please reveal the siddhanta on this subject that has been on my mind for some time?

The paddhati of Dhyanacandra Gosvami (text 156) mentions Her age as 14 years and 2 months, Krishna (text 123) being 15 years and 9 months old. That'd make Krishna one year and 7 months older than Radha. I don't have the Sanskrit text of Radha Krishna Ganoddesa Dipika of Rupa Gosvamin, so I can't check the ages given against it. The translation I have is the same one which claims Lalita's being 27 years older than Radha, so I'd rather not cite a word from it.

If you wish to dig deep into this, be prepared that there are many different tantras which very likely have contradictory information in them. Even the account of Brahma Vaivarta Purana is very odd, awkward in terms of rasa from our perspective.

And since Krishna-lila is nitya-lila (eternal), I would be correct in assuming that Krishna is eternally 15 and Radha is eternally 14?


OK that's fine, then we simply have to wait for a proper translation to be made. Of course I'm assuming that Lalita is supposed to be equal to or younger than Radha in age? And the same goes for the other sakhis? Radha is the oldest?

What does that Purana say, out of interest?

And in your considered opinion, is there any scriptural backup for the idea that Radha is 26 months older than Krishna?

And what about nara-lila, when Radha and Krishna were here in Vraja on this earth about 5000 years ago?

Were They 14 and 15 then respectively?

Of course I am assuming that since They had come in nara-lila, They manifested the pastime of getting "older."

But I am right in assuming that Krishna was older than Radha, right?

And in the Sri Krishna Jayanti posting of the 'Sweet Pastimes' section of this forum, the impression that Sri Siddha Krishnadas Babaji gives is that Radha is certainly older than Krishna since her "house" were given the invitation to attend Krishna's birth-ceremony in two day's time. She then witnesses the abhishek and other pujas. How do we reconcile that with the information given by Sri Dhyanacandra Goswami above?

Or is this a case of nitya-lila conflicting with nara-lila?

Or is this a case of the different tantras you mentioned?

"I don't have the Sanskrit text of Radha Krishna Ganoddesa Dipika of Rupa Gosvamin, so I can't check the ages given against it. The translation I have is the same one which claims Lalita's being 27 years older than Radha, so I'd rather not cite a word from it."

Is just a typo, 27 days older than Radha.

Yes, correct.



No, Lalita is a bit older than Radha. Among the asta-sakhis, Lalita, Citra and Tungavidya are older than Radha. She's not the best because she's oldest!


I can send you the text if you wish. The passages describing Radha are almost certainly post-Mahaprabhu additions, and not the work of any Gaudiya. As far as "scriptural backup", I think we need to recognize that not all one'd call "scripture" is "authoritative". So yes, I'm certain one can find "scriptural" backup for just about anything.



Wow wow, now, read that again! They are both grown up and celebrate the annual birthday of Krishna!

priya-sakhyA bhavej jyeSThA sapta-viMzati-vAsaraiH

The translator must have confused vAsara (day) with vatsara or varSA (year).

OK, lol. So in your considered opinion, is there any "authoritative" backup for the idea that Radha is 26 months older than Krishna? Obviously not, I guess, for you've just said that They are 14 and 15 respectively, so I guess it ends there.
Yes please send the BVp section if you want. Just click on my email link below this posting as my email address has changed. Or here you go: killuminati108@yahoo.com



Lol, ok. Well what I understood from reading Siddha Krishnadas Babaji's account is that the event being described is in nara-lila. (?) Radha certainly seems older than Krishna, as Her house is getting the invitation to the abishek and so on. So if that is nara-lila as is being described by Siddha Krishnadas Babaji, then that is obviously differs from the nitya-lila idea that They are 14 and 15, so in nitya-lila Krishna is definitely older.

What I want to know is if there is any chance of Radha's being older than Krishna either in nitya or nara lila. As stated above, we've already established that nitya-lila activities entail Krishna's being older.

So if I am right and Siddha Krishnadas Babaji is describing nara-lila in which Radha appears to be older than Krishna, then how much older is she?

Let me know if I'm going wrong. And for goodness sakes, just answer the question and let me know if there is any chance of Radha being older!

Then in that case, how do people live in Vraja? Don't the inhabitants of Vraja ever wonder why They are not growing old, etc.? How does "time" take place there when time doesn't factually exist in the spiritual world?

Or is it because they are too absorbed in lila to notice?

BG says that the sun and the moon are not present in Vraja, so is the Vraja-sun and Vraja-moon emanations of the Yogamaya potency?

Is it true that Radha was a cousin-sister of Nanda Maharaja?

In first sloka of Geet-Govinda,

meghair meduraà ambaraà vana-bhuvaù çyämäs tamäla-drumair
naktaà bhérur ayaà tvam eva tad imaà rädhe gåhaà präpaya |
itthaà nanda-nideçataç calitayoù praty-adhva-kuïja-drumaà
rädhä-mädhavayor jayanti yamunä-küle rahaù-kelayaù ||1||


Nanda Maharaj is asking Sri Radha to take Krishna home in a storm, as if she is a responsible elder and Krishna is a young boy, but old enough for romance which blossoms as they make their way through the forest at night.

I have seem other suggestions of a tradition that holds that Sri Radha is older, for example in traditional Manipuri dance, Muralidhar 'Krishna' is danced by the youngest smallest girl, while the other Gopis are grown women.

I'd rather rephrase it, is there any authoritative evidence *for the Gaudiyas*. Different traditions have different books they consider authoritative, and I wouldn't go smashing them into pulp over having different conceptions about Radha. After all, is it not that there are varying conceptions of Krishna and varying moods of worship out there, too?



Now, you're mixing up terms. Nara-lila means human pastimes, and it is equally applicable to prakata and aprakata-lila (manifest and unmanifest pastimes).

The narration of Siddha Baba describes aprakata-lila. If Radha is 14 and Krishna is 15, and Krishna's family invites Radha's family to participate in Krishna's birthday festivities, how would that make Radha older than Krishna? Suppose I was 65 years old and you were 32, and I invited you over to celebrate my birthday, would that make you older than me?



Yes, there is some chance. ye yathA mAM prapadyante taMs tathaiva bhajAmy ahaM ... There is some chance that both are possible.

I suppose they are too absorbed in lila to notice. The concept of ever-present time is a bit hard to grasp from our present perspective. nimeSArdhAkhyo vA vrajati na hi yatrApi samayaH |

As for the na tad bhAsayate sUryaH verse, I wouldn't take it as a literal description of the spiritual world. Look at the context and think of the idea it's meant to convey. In aprakata-Vraja, there is sun and moon, the demigods and everything -- all manifestations of Yogamaya.

Now, I'd be curious to see the tika of Prabodhananda on this verse. Jagat, any chance?

This thread should also be of interest in this regard.

Oh right, now I get it! Siddha Baba was simply describing a Janmastami celebration, not the Janmastami when Krishna was actually "born."

Silly me.