In the realm of Goloka, Shri Krishna was spending time with a gopi named Viraja. Radha Rani heard about this and became angry. She left her place and walked to where they were to confront them. Viraja saw Radha Rani approaching. She saw the anger on her face and felt fear. To escape, Viraja turned herself into a river and flowed away from the spot. When Radha Rani arrived, she saw that Viraja was gone. She turned her anger on Shri Krishna. She stood before him and spoke harsh words to him.
Shri Krishna had a close friend among the cowherds named Sridama. Sridama was standing nearby and heard the words Radha Rani said to Shri Krishna. He could not bear to stand by while his friend was insulted. Sridama stepped forward and placed himself between them. He raised his voice and scolded Radha Rani. He told her she had no right to speak to Shri Krishna in that manner.
Radha Rani heard Sridama scold her, and her anger grew even greater. She turned from Shri Krishna and cursed Sridama. She said he would fall from their home in Goloka and be born on earth as a demon. Sridama heard this curse and did not step back. He gave a curse in return. He told Radha Rani that she too would fall to earth. He said she would be born as a human and lose all memory of her divine home. He said she would suffer the pain of being apart from Shri Krishna for a hundred years.
Down on earth, in the land of Braj, lived King Vrishabhanu and his wife Kirti. They had wealth and a good home, but they had no children. This empty house brought them great sorrow. They spent their days wishing for a child to raise. They left their home and went out to do severe austerities. They stood in the elements and prayed for a long time, asking only that they might be given a child.
One day, King Vrishabhanu went out to a piece of land. He wanted to hold a yajna there and needed to prepare the ground. He bent down and began to clear the earth to make it ready for the fire. As he worked, he saw a large lotus flower resting on the ground. It had a thousand petals and shone with light. King Vrishabhanu stopped his work. He walked over to the flower and looked inside.
Resting in the centre of the lotus was a baby girl. King Vrishabhanu felt great joy wash over him. He reached down and lifted the child from the flower. He held her close and carried her back to his house. He walked inside and placed the baby in Kirti's arms. Kirti held the child, and all her sorrow left her. They adopted the girl as their own daughter and gave her the name Radha.
The baby was well and grew, but she did not open her eyes. King Vrishabhanu and Kirti watched her face every day. They waited for her to look at them, but her eyes stayed tightly shut. They realized she could not see the room or their faces. Their joy turned back to sorrow. They wept by her side, thinking their daughter had been born blind and would never see the world around her.
Time passed in the house. One day, Nanda Baba and Yashoda traveled from Gokul to visit King Vrishabhanu and Kirti. They brought their own baby, Shri Krishna, with them. The elders sat together in the main room of the house and began to talk. They spoke of their lives, their homes, and the children they were raising.
While the elders talked, baby Shri Krishna crawled across the floor. He made his way to the corner of the room where the jhula stood. Baby Radha was resting inside. Shri Krishna reached up and pulled himself up by the side of the jhula. He looked over the edge and peered inside. He put his face close to hers and looked down at her resting face.
The moment Shri Krishna came near and looked into the jhula, Radha opened her eyes. She looked up at him. She was not blind. She had kept her eyes closed because she had made a silent sankalp to herself. She had promised that the very first thing she would look upon in her life on earth would be the face of Shri Krishna.
In the Odia tradition, the katha tells of a young Radha cooking sweet rice for the sage Durvasa. She served him with pure devotion, and the food pleased him greatly. He gave her a boon that whatever she cooked would be sweeter than nectar and bring long life to the one who ate it, which led Yashoda to ask her to cook for Shri Krishna every day.
Whoever keeps the Radha Ashtami vrat and listens to this katha with pure devotion is freed from all earthly sins. They receive the blessings of Radha Rani and Shri Krishna, and their homes are filled with wealth, prosperity, and peace. Married women who keep the vrat are granted unbroken good fortune. The vrat of Krishna Janmashtami is incomplete without the vrat of Radha Ashtami, and the final reward for the devotee is a place in Goloka.
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