Why didn't Lord Krishna marry Radha?

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Interesting article :

Radha, who is also known by the name Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani was Lord Krishna's beloved.
She is believed to be an avatar of Goddess Laxmi and many literary works are inspired from her ras-leela dance with Krishna. Radha was Krishna's muse, their love tale symbolises Divine Love.
A love that is unattainable and immortal.


The love of Radha-Krishna is the ultimate example of pure and undying love. When Krishna was a little boy he would play his flute and tease all gopis near the lake. He had many wives but his heart and soul belonged to Shri Radha. It is said that he married many of them in order to protect them.
An affection that knows no bounds.


The entire universe longed for Krishna, but he longed for Radha. However, Radha is believed to have married Vaishya Rayan. She returned to Baikuntha from Rayan's house. Another theory suggests that she married Abhimanyu (not from Mahabharata). Having said that, this was not the only reason the couple did not end up together.
Shri Radha was in fact a reincarnation of Goddess Laxmi.


According to a Quora user, "Krishna had one wife- Rukmini who most probably a reincarnation of Radha( who died after Krishna went to Mathura) like Parvati was a reincarnation of Sati for Lord Shiva. It makes sense to conclude that both Radha and Rukmini were an incarnation of Lakshmi Devi only."
A love story which is beyond the institution of marriage.


According to Speaking Tree, they did not marry each other in order to establish the idea of love which is beyond marriage. They signify that love needs no name, just two individuals who are selfless and beyond materialism.
Till date the temples have idols of Radha-Krishna, we worship them as the supreme God of love.
Love like Sita-Ram.


According to another story, Radha refused Krishna's proposal of marriage since she was a cowgirl and feared to adjust in Krishna's princely world. But the two souls were inseparable like Sita-Ram. They found love beyond barriers of caste and social norms.
The highest form of love we will ever know.


As stated in a folklore, Radha asked Krishna why doesn't he marry her. Krishna firmly replied,"Marriage happens between two people. You and I are one soul. How can we get married?" To which Krishna replied that marriage does not define the love which is unparalleled and unmatched.
Two individuals who are incomplete without each other.


As per some stories, after being so close to Shri Krishna, Radha knew that he was not a normal man. He was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Krishna and Radha were inseparable, they shared the eternal love. It is also believed that Radha loved him like a preacher loves his God and it was confused with physical love.
Their beautiful love story is the ultimate example of the supreme union between humans and almighty God.

Interesting article . Thanks for sharing .😊

Probably, they were content with their Divine bonding, hence didnt need the label of marriage.

^^Some people worship Rukimini with Lord Krishna..
Radha as a name also means devotion.. and is also name of soul as an entity. Soul is a part of creation in human form. Unification is on a spiritual level. Just like Meera Bai had attained him as well.
Edited by Autumn_Rose - 5 years ago

Edited by mnx12 - 5 years ago

I have read a lot into this and my understanding is this:



Edited by -Sanjana- - 5 years ago

Very interesting discussion is going on here , between highly knowledgeable persons. 

Agree with each and every word of the members who expressed their views in a clear and beautiful way. 👏

In those evenings  on that river bank abound with soothing scents and gentle river breezes at that Brindavan, the meetings of Radha and Krishna, their love as  the energizing elixir of the universe, the cause and effect of all harmonies in this universe, many  poets put euphony before mere factuality while describing the unity of the individual soul with the Divine self!

Radha's love for Krishna signifies the eternal bond between the individual soul and God.

The dance of RK signifies the union of the human and Divine, the dance of the souls.This illustrates that when an individual soul responds to the call of the Divine, the soul enjoys union with the Lord and becomes absorbed in the divine ecstasy.Then there is no need of societal acceptance or a permanent bonding like marriage. Their love is above all these earthly norms.

There is no path greater than their love. There is no  moral law higher than their  bonding. Here  God and love are identical.Both  Radha and Krishna are divine, but both are in human form! That is the spiritual angle.

This vast cosmos is a library. From each thought and feeling  from every mind and heart,all are books of His creation!! Its pages are the experiences of every moment linked to this earth's love and longing, whether it is materialistic or Divine , depends on the person and the situation. Therefore, every experience of life is a subject for study. Innumerable scholars, poets, sages, seers, wise men have not been able to unveil the mystery of Radha Krishna love life! What pen or laptop will be able to translate it into language?

Krishna pervading the whole world!! There emerges  poetry in the heart of every human being whenever they think about this age old, perennial, forever new love of R&K.  Some pour it out in writing, others do not.But it is an enigma to all the thinking minds why they didn't marry? Why Krishna left Radha behind and marched forward? The simple answer to this question is to accomplish his mission on this earth! The paradox here is [ acco to my simple thought] to teach the universal love to the mankind, the divine being left his love[ sacrificed!] behind and put forward  the goodness of humanity on the forefront, diverted his mind from  His individual love for his Radha, relinquished it for a greater purpose.

Acco to many scriptures, Radha was elder than Krishna and she was already married at the time of his arrival to the lap of Yashoda. As we all know , Krishna was a mischievous and rebellious Kid with immense divine powers as long as he was in Brindavan, no one dared to question Him for his Raas Leela and midnight roaming on the river banks with the cowherd women. But Radha was framed herself in the societal norms, though she expressed her love for her Krishna openly, but not in a position to marry him!

Another point here is --- she knows His divine powers and purpose, doesn't want to be a hindrance there. She knows his attraction and  dedication towards her love,and knows very well that he will never be able to move forward as long as she is there with him. She kept a tender lover for herself in the inner layers of her heart and sent him in to the world as a teacher and preacher to this world.   

Thanks for your views guys.

What I feel is, everyone is a part of Almighty, He is in all of us. It's juts that not everyone is awakened.
That's what Lord Krishna tells Arjun as well.

"Ranjha Ranjha kardi Hi Main Aape Ranjha hoye

Beloved Almighty's name is taken so much, it's in everything you do, see. You come in union with Him. I have become Ranjha myself.. don't call me Heer because I'm Him, He is me.



Farsi Couplet by Amir Khusrau
Mun tu shudam tu mun shudi,mun tun shudam tu jaan shudi
Taakas na guyad baad azeen, mun deegaram tu deegari


English Translation:
I have become you, and you me,
I am the body, you soul;
So that no one can say hereafter,
That you are someone, and me someone else.Edited by Autumn_Rose - 5 years ago

Originally posted by: -Sanjana-

I have read a lot into this and my understanding is this:

One cannot look at Radha and Krishna as two different entities. They are one and the same. They are one soul. One of the reasons Krishna never married Radha was because...think about it...how can one marry himself? She is a part of his very being...she is his essence.

A second reason I have read is as follows. During Ram Avtar, he was known as maryada purushotam - he always listened to his parents, was an obedient child, a great leader, loving brother and a perfect husband. He had only one wife - Sita. If you notice, Krishna Avtar is completely the opposite. He was mischevious from birth, and many times used trickery to get Dharma across. He sang and danced with all the women of Vrindavan in the form of "maha raas" and actually married not only Rukmini but also about 16000 other women. He showed us in Krishna Avtar that true, divine love goes beyond simply marriage - it is a connection to the heart and soul. Marriage and love are two different things entirely.

In another sense, one can also look at it that Radha was a great devotee of Krishna. She adored him. This is similar to Yashoda Mayyia who was also, in essence, Krishna's devotee. There are many ways to show your love for god. One is known as vatsalya bhav (which is what Yashoda felt towards Krishna, as she thought of him as her child. Even though he had shown her numerous miracles over the years, she still saw him only as an innocent child that needed to be cared for). Another is known as "sakhya bhav" which is what Krishna's friends (dhansukh, mansukh, sudama, etc) felt for him. They were so in love with him and lost in their friendship for Krishna that they completely disregarded all the miracles that Krishna had shown them time and time again. The third is the "Madhura Bhav" which is what all the gopis (and to a much greater level, Radha) felt for Krishna. This is where one considers god himself to be her sweetheart and lover. It is considered the highest form of devotion. And this is really what Radha is known for - her selfless love and devotion to lord Krishna.

People marry as a sign of love and committment. It is a way of saying that they will be forever true to their partner. In christianity, when two people get married, they take several vows, including that both partners will support each other through good and bad and will be together till death do them part. Think about this now...how can such a deep love that has held Radha and Krishna together for many many yugas be bound by an earthly, man-made ideology such as marriage? Is it even necessary? What would be the purpose of such vows when they have and will be eternally together?

Saints regard Almighty as Husband / lover in their poetry.

Guru Nanak, in many poems regards as Khasm (husband).

Kabir Sahib, piya, pati etc.

Same with Meera Bai, Bulleh Shah , Rumi, Guru Raidas. Union is on a spiritual level & is akin to marriage but just not on the physical plane.