The eighth avatar of Vishnu, who is Lord Krishna, is praised as a divine statesman, philosopher, protector, and, most importantly, a figure of unconditional love. Poots and followers have, through the centuries and millennia, retold thousands of tales of his love affairs, but there have been three women who contributed so much to his journey through life: Radha, Rukmini, and Draupadi. Both are expressions of a separate world of love, devotion, and dharma in the story of Krishna.
Yashoda: The Mother Who Loves
Yashoda symbolizes maternal love, which is selfless; should Radha be the symbol of God’s love, and Rukmini be the personification of marital devotion?
Yashoda was not the mother of Krishna, but she brought him up as her son in Gokul and gave him all the love without any conditions. The image of Yashoda, with the mischievous Krishna bound to a mortar as in movies, is not lost in innumerable paintings, and it is about the human struggle of the bodily mother to control the God. She loved his smile, put up with his jokes, and was fiercely loyal. Yashoda to Krishna was not merely a foster mother but his earliest home of love, warmth, and belonging.
Radha: The Eternal Lover
The early texts do not refer to Radha, but her element is overwhelming in the later devotional texts, particularly in the Bhagavata Purana and Vaishnava poetry. She represents untainted, selfless love senseless love, which is stronger than the body itself and turns into the fusion of spirits.
The relationship between Radha and Krishna has been understood as the search of the soul after God. Their affair went against social norms of Vrindavan, but it remained the immortal image of spiritual devotion (bhakti). To so many devotees, Radha is no part of Krishna’s youthful story- she is his shakti, and this shakti cannot be parted.
Rukmini: Queen and Consort
Rukmini was a princess of Vidarbha who was considered the chief wife and Krishna, the queen of Dwarka. She is portrayed in the Bhagavata Purana, wherein she is said to be an avatar of Goddess Lakshmi. She loved Krishna even more resolutely, so much so that she was willing to go to the extent of going against her own family to marry Krishna.
Rukmini wrote a secret message to Krishna when her brother Rukmi attempted to marry her off to Shishupala, because of which Krishna rescued her. Krishna came, carried her off in a chariot, and the couple were married. As the queen, Rukmini stood at the centre of the life of Krishna as his partner in governance, his confidante, and as the mother of his progeny.
