AnnettLevi9 at 06:34, 11 October 2025

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{{short description|Tantric text based on Hindu goddess Radha}}
{{Infobox religious text
|image = Krishna humbly standing before an enthroned Radha. Chromolit Wellcome V0045022.jpg
|caption = Chromolithograph depicting an enthroned Radha as the supreme goddess and Krishna standing as her subordinate
|religion = [[Hinduism]]
|language = [[Sanskrit]]
|verses = 1,745
|chapters = 37
|name=Radha Tantra
|period=Satyuga (Conversation between Bhagwan Shiva and Mata Parvati}}
{{Hindu scriptures}}
The '''''Radha Tantra''''' ({{Langx|sa|राधा तंत्र|translit=Rādhātantram}}), also known as '''''Vāsudevarahasya''''' ([[Vāsudeva]]'s secret) is a [[Tantras (Hinduism)|Tantric scripture]] from [[Bengal]] that deals with the story of [[Radha-Krishna]] in the backdrop of [[Vrindavan]]. The scripture is written in the [[Sanskrit]] language and is dedicated to the goddess [[Radha]]. The Radha Tantra is a [[Shaktism|Shakta]] text, despite its direct association with the [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnavite]] deities Radha and [[Krishna]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Broo |first=Mans |url=http://archive.org/details/the-radha-tantra-a-critical-edition-and-annotated-translation-9781138892361-113889236x |title=Rādhā Tantra - A critical edition and annotated translation |publisher=[[Routledge]] |year=2017 |pages=1–2 |language=en}}</ref>

In the text, Radha is the ''[[Prakṛti|Prakriti]]-Padmini,'' who is another form or expansion of [[Mahavidya]] [[Tripura Sundari]], while Krishna is identified as a masculine form of [[Kali]].<ref name=":2">{{Citation |last=Frazier |first=Jessica |title=Becoming the Goddess: Female Subjectivity and the Passion of the Goddess Radha |date=2010 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6833-1_13 |work=New Topics in Feminist Philosophy of Religion: Contestations and Transcendence Incarnate |pages=199–215 |editor-last=Anderson |editor-first=Pamela Sue |access-date=2023-07-01 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |language=en |doi=10.1007/978-1-4020-6833-1_13 |isbn=978-1-4020-6833-1|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Contrary to the theology of Vaishnavism, this text elevates the goddess as the Supreme Being. Besides being mentioned as the independent goddess, a mentor, and spiritual guru of Krishna, Radha in this text is also portrayed as the partner of Krishna who always has the upper hand in their relationship, giving her the new identity of ''Shakta Radha'' (Radha as a goddess of the Shaktism sect).<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Manring |first=Rebecca J. |title=Rādhātantram: Rādhā as Guru in the Service of the Great Goddess |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11407-019-09264-1 |journal=[[International Journal of Hindu Studies]] |year=2019 |language=en |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=259–282 |doi=10.1007/s11407-019-09264-1 |s2cid=213054011 |issn=1022-4556|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Beck |first=Guy L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K0XqbG0LKBUC&dq=radha+tantra&pg=PA19 |title=Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity |date=2012-02-01 |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-0-7914-8341-1 |pages=19–25 |language=en}}</ref>

== Date ==
The exact date of composition of the Radha tantra is uncertain, but its estimated time of composition lies somewhere in between 17th century to 18th century. The oldest extant manuscript (No. 13894, held at Sanskrit College, [[Kolkata]]) is dated 1778 CE. It appears to be a copy of an earlier manuscript. Most of the other manuscripts date from the early eighteenth century.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Manring |first=Rebecca J. |title=Rādhātantram: Rādhā as Guru in the Service of the Great Goddess |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11407-019-09264-1 |journal= International Journal of Hindu Studies|year=2019 |language=en |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=259–282 |doi=10.1007/s11407-019-09264-1 |s2cid=213054011 |issn=|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Origin ==
Radha tantra is an anonymous Tantric text from Bengal region. While most manuscripts of the scripture are found in Bengal region, some manuscripts are also found in [[Odisha|Orissa]], North India, [[Bangladesh]] and [[Nepal]] and their number is fairly large.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/the-radha-tantra-a-critical-edition-and-annotated-translation-9781138892361-113889236x |title=the-radha-tantra-a-critical-edition-and-annotated-translation-9781138892361-113889236x}}</ref>

== Structure ==
Rādhātantram is a fairly extensive Tantric work in Sanskrit. It has thirty-seven chapters or Patalas (“coverings”) with 1,745 verses.<ref name=":0" />

== Description ==
Radha Tantra is [[Shaktism|Shakta]] text giving a Shakta reinterpretation of a [[Vaishnavism|Vaisnavite]] story of [[Radha Krishna]]. The Rādhātantram text bears formal resemblance to the [[Mahavidya]] genre and contextual resemblance to the [[Vaishnava Sahajiya]] genre.<ref name=":1" /> The frame of the Rādhātantram is a dialogue between [[Shiva]] and [[Parvati]] where Shiva narrates her the love story and divine pastimes of Radha Krishna and their real spiritual forms. In Radha tantra, Radha becomes the independent goddess and elevates to the stature of Supreme goddess and Krishna's ultimate [[guru]]. Krishna here becomes her disciple.The Rādhātantram can serve as a tool to examine textual and doctrinal appropriations that took place between Vaishavism and Shaktism in precolonial Bengal.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/the-radha-tantra-a-critical-edition-and-annotated-translation-9781138892361-113889236x |title=Radha Tantra |pages=13–18}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Hindu tantric texts]]
[[Category:Shaktism]]

Radha Tantra - Revision history

AnnettLevi9 at 06:34, 11 October 2025