Two religious avatar leaders, Jesus of Nazareth, born in the Classic Era (600 BCE- 600 CE), who would become the head of the Christian church, and Vishnu, incarnated as Krishna, born in the 4thCentury, who was an important figure in the further development of the Hindu Bhakti religion movement, both had strong women by their sides. Mary Magdalene played a major role in the life of Jesus, while not being
intimately involved. In fact, some scholars have suggested that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. Mary Magdalene was a human being, born on this earth. Whereas Radha, not only played a major role in the life of Krishna, she was also his intimate sexual partner in heaven and on the earthly plane as well. Radha was a Goddess who was reincarnated on earth. While Jesus with the help of Mary Magdalene gave birth to a new religion, Christianity; Krishna and Radha furthered an existing development of the Hindu section religion known as Bhakti.
Mary Magdalene was the foremost woman to be the primary witness in the life and teachings of Jesus. While a female witness does not seem very startling to people in the 20th century, it was a revolutionary concept at the time. The testimony of women was not given the same weight as men’s, either personally or in a court of law. Conversely, in the 4th century when Krishna and Radha were reincarnated, women and Goddess were both celebrated and played a major role in religion.
Although the two avatars were part of God, Jesus spoke of Light, God. “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall the light of life” (John 8:12). Ironically, the name Krishna translates into the word “black” or “dark.”
While both women played different personal roles in the avatars lives, they both had a significant impact on their respective religions they no doubt helped to foster. While Jesus and Mary Magdalene spent time on earth as humans in a loving platonic love, Krishna and Radha were intimate lovers in heaven and then on earth where both manifested themselves from God and Goddess to a young man and a young woman.
Jesus was the first and only manifestation from God according to the New Testament. Here, Jesus played the role as an avatar as the son of God. However, he is also thought to be God himself because of the teachings of the trinity.
The reason that God in the Classical Era in Jerusalem sent an avatar of himself to earth was because God wanted to create a new covenant with his people. God wanted man to be forgiven for the original sin that man had committed. Jesus’ mother, Mary, was impregnated by a holy spirit. Mary was Jesus’ biological mother however, Joseph, Marys’ husband, is essentially speaking, an adopted father to Jesus. So Jesus was sent to earth as an incarnation of God so that Jesus could relate new teachings to the people in Jerusalem.
Vishnu, God, in the Hindu religion, also incarnated himself as the avatar Krishna (one of eight avatars), RadhaKrishna, in order to bring about change on the earthly plane in the society as well. In India, God was concerned because the royal family was doing harmful things to
themselves. The Kings’ wife, Devki had a brother named Kansa. Kansa had heard a prophecy that one of the King’s children would kill him. So he killed all six of the king and queens’ children after they were born. So, Vishnu did not like what the royal family was doing because whatever they would do, the people would do and they would accept it as something that was OK to participate in. When Krishna was born into the family, the mother gave him to an adopted mother to raise. Her name was Yussdhra.
God is described with different words in the Bible, a few of which translate into English as LORD, Lord, the LORD almighty, God, God Almighty and so forth. When reading these in different places in the Bible, you become aware that although God is “one” He is also “more than one”—God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost). Together, they are referred to as “the Trinity” or “the Godhead.” The trinity is symbolic of God, the son (Jesus the avatar) and the holy spirit, which lives inside each human being. It is said that God is all three combined. God cannot exist with just one of the symbols of the trinity, but rather all three are needed in order for there to be a complete God.
Coincidentally, in the Hindu religion, the Triangle is one of the greatest religious symbols. In Hindu, the Triangle, or trinity, is between three aspects of their religion being combined as one. The idea is to get salvation by using three systems. One is Bhakti (devotion) one is action (Karma), and the third is through knowledge (gyan). While the Bhakti system is just one system. The final point at the top of the triangle becomes one. The ultimate goal of the three systems is that they become one again.
Mary Madeline was healed and cleansed by Jesus of her seven demons. After, she became Jesus’ most celebrated disciple. Mary Madeline was a human being born on earth. She was not a Goddess in heaven. Jesus was a manifestation of God himself on the earthly plane. Radha, on the other hand, was a Goddess herself in heaven known as Lakshmi. When Lakshmi manifested herself on earth, she was known as Radha. In fact, she was a part of Krishna the God in heaven. Radha is a part of Krishna and Krishna is a part of Radha. They are as one, blending together. They cannot be separated. Both manifested themselves on earth, Radha as a girl and Krishna as a boy.
Mary Madeline was at the side of Jesus during three important periods of Jesus’ life; when Jesus died on the cross, at his burial, and being the first to see Jesus after his resurrection. It is because of her love and devotion to Jesus that she endured these tribulations with him. When Jesus died, Mary longed so much for him that she visited the tomb often. It was a ‘pure’ love type of longing. Today, she is celebrated as a Saint. In fact, the Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Lutheran churches consider her a saint and she has a feast July 22 dedicated to her.
Radha was manifested to earth with Krishna because she is the love and devotion side of Krishna. Krishna and Radha together are a total value system. Radha is the
personification of spiritual love, dedication and devotion. They can’t be separated. If you take away love from the value system, there is no complete God. With Krishna, Radha is acknowledged as the Supreme Goddess, for it is said that she controls Krishna with Her love. It is believed that Krishna enchants the world, but Radha “enchants even Him. Therefore, she is the Supreme Goddess of all. Radha Krishna.” And when Radha was separated from Krishna, she danced because of the lust and anguish of separation from her lover. The relationship of Radha and Krishna is the embodiment of love, passion and devotion. Radha’s passion for Krishna symbolizes the soul’s intense longing and willingness for the ultimate unification with God. Shri Krishna is the soul of Radha and Radha is definitely the soul of Shri Krishna. She is the undivided form of Shri Krishna. She will remain a mystery unless one can know her inexpressible divine elements. She is worshipper as well as his deity to be worshipped.
The whole universe material and spiritual is the creation of Shri Radha – Krishna. Shri Radha is the presiding Goddess of Shri Krishna. The Paramatma – supreme Lord – is subservient to her. In her absence Shri Krishna does not exist.
Both Mary Madeline and Radha symbolize the same aspects of life, love and devotion. Where Radha has a yearning and lust for Krishna, which is celebrated in her songs and in a dance known as the Rasa Dance, Marys’ love for Jesus was strictly platonic. In fact, Jesus was born to a virgin as well. Both women had love for their avatars while one also had a physical love as well.
Both Jesus and Krishna through their teachings changed the course of their countrymen’s current religious views and eventually their doctrines.
Jesus of Nazareth, known now as Jesus Christ, transformed the Jewish teachings from strict laws devotion to God, to where each person’s deeds brought them closer to God. This part of the Bible is called the New Testament which combines 27 books. Jesus teaches us that we must atone for our sins.
Krishna’s’ teachings in Hindu is that there is no atonement for our sins, it is just karma. God never interferes; it is we who create our troubles. This teaching by Krishna is in the book known as Geeta. There are three main pillars of thoughts in this book. First, you are not the body; you are living in the body. Second, you can attain salvation through devotion. You can also get salvation though actions. And finally, we can get salvation through our intellectual level, gyan.(knowledge). Krishna helped to foster a movement known as Bhakti (devotion). It states that a person must possess 39 divine qualities. If a person has one quality the others will follow. The first quality is don’t have ill will towards anybody, just good will to everyone. The 2nd quality is that you should not make a distinction from friend or foe. Every action of these 39 qualities will transfer into Bhakti. The Bhakti movement in this sense it parallels the early 20th century movement of Pentecostalism in Christian history, where direct personal experience of God was also emphasized over liturgy or ritual. Krishna helped to end the period of Darma where moksha was the ultimate goal of the religion.
Both avatars Jesus and Krishna, knew they would die, as it was predestined. Both were killed by sharp instruments. Sharp objects are used to kill people because they have precision qualities to them. Jesus was killed on the cross with a spear. Many refer to this spear as the Spear of Destiny. It is thought
to have mystical powers. Krishna was killed while he was resting in a forest. A tribal person shot an arrow in his right foot. While Mary Madeline was at the side of Jesus when he died, Radha was not present when Krishna was killed.
RadhaKrishna are one entity in heaven. You cannot have one without the other. This God and Goddess came from heaven, spent time on the earthly plane together, and both went back to heaven as one.
Jesus was from heaven and when he died he returned to heaven. Mary Madeline however, was born on earth and it is believed because of her love and devotion to Lord Jesus that she may be in heaven now as well with Jesus.
While both women helped shape the lives of their avatars, Mary Madeline is not celebrated as a Goddess, but rather as a Saint. Radha on the other hand, is one with Krishna; they cannot exist without each other. In fact, when you talk about Radha and Krishna or when you spell their names, you write RadhaKrishna. The woman gets honored first and her name is listed first.