Why Rukmini Did Pooja of Radha Before Her Own Wedding to Krishna
Riya Kumari | Jul 31, 2025, 13:33 IST
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Highlight of the story: The same Radha who was never married to Krishna. The same Radha whose name still comes before Krishna’s. Why would the queen of Dwaraka, Rukmini, the incarnation of Mahalakshmi herself, bow to another woman in love with the man she was about to marry? The answer isn’t emotional. It is spiritual truth.
In certain ancient traditions of Bhakti yoga, especially among Nimbarka, Gaudiya, and other Vaishnav sampradayas, there is a deeply respected belief: Before her wedding to Krishna, Rukmini performed a pooja for Radha. Not out of ritual obligation. Not because someone told her to. But because she understood who Radha was. This belief may not be found in the literal verses of the Shrimad Bhagavatam, but it lives through oral tradition, temple practices, and the living memory of devotees across regions like Odisha, Gujarat, and Vrindavan. And the meaning behind it holds immense relevance, even today.
Radha Was Not Just a Lover. She Was the Path Itself
In the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Radha is described not as a figure of romance, but as Krishna’s Hladini Shakti, the internal energy of divine bliss and love. She is not separate from Krishna. She is the part of Him that expresses love, receives love, and becomes love. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism and other Bhakti traditions, Radha is the soul’s purest yearning for God.
And Krishna is the divine who responds to that call, not through power, but through presence. Rukmini knew this. She didn’t see Radha as her competition. She saw her as the essence of Krishna’s being. So before taking Krishna’s hand in marriage, she bowed to the one who already held His heart.
It Was Not an Act of Submission. It Was an Act of Spiritual Intelligence
Rukmini, according to the Bhagavatam, was no ordinary woman. She was an avatar of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. She knew dharma. She knew decorum. And she knew Krishna, not just as a man, but as the Supreme Being. She also knew something deeper: You cannot walk beside Krishna in life unless you understand who He is in spirit. And Krishna, in essence, is not complete without Radha.
Not because of emotion. Because of truth. Radha is not a phase of Krishna’s youth, she is His soul-twin, His prema tattva, His mirror in love. Rukmini acknowledged this not out of insecurity, but out of realised humility.
Two Forms of Devotion. One Supreme Goal
People often try to compare Radha and Rukmini, as if Krishna chose one over the other. But that misses the point completely.
Radha represents nirguna bhakti, devotion without form, without desire, without expectation.Rukmini represents saguna bhakti, devotion that lives through responsibility, roles, and dharma.Radha shows the inner path, where the self dissolves.Rukmini shows the outer path, where the self serves. Both are valid. Both are complete. And both lead to Krishna when done without ego. Rukmini’s Radha Pooja was her way of saying: “Before I become your wife, let me honour the one who became your very breath.”
The Deeper Lesson for All of Us
We live in a world that often measures love in terms of possession and victory. But Rukmini’s gesture reminds us: Real love begins where the ego ends. She didn’t need to be the first in Krishna’s life. She only wanted to be true in His presence. By bowing to Radha, she didn’t become small, she became vast enough to hold Krishna with the reverence He deserved. This is not just about Radha and Rukmini.
It’s about how we approach God, relationships, and even success. Are we willing to respect what came before us? Are we ready to let go of the need to “win,” and instead choose to understand? Because that is what makes a devotee, not loud worship, but silent wisdom.
A Belief That Still Breathes
You may not find a specific verse in the Vedas saying “Rukmini did Radha Pooja.” But you will find temples, traditions, and sants who carry this faith with reverence. And in Sanatan Dharma, not all truth is written in ink. Some truths live in action, in intention, and in the shraddha passed from heart to heart. So if you ask, “Did Rukmini really worship Radha?” It is found in a higher understanding of what love means when it is free from pride.
Rukmini didn’t bow to Radha because Radha had Krishna. She bowed because Radha had become Krishna. To walk the path of devotion is not to claim. It is to honour. To love someone means respecting what shaped their soul. Rukmini did exactly that. And in doing so, she showed us what true bhakti looks like.
Radha Was Not Just a Lover. She Was the Path Itself
Radha
( Image credit : Pixabay )
In the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Radha is described not as a figure of romance, but as Krishna’s Hladini Shakti, the internal energy of divine bliss and love. She is not separate from Krishna. She is the part of Him that expresses love, receives love, and becomes love. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism and other Bhakti traditions, Radha is the soul’s purest yearning for God.
And Krishna is the divine who responds to that call, not through power, but through presence. Rukmini knew this. She didn’t see Radha as her competition. She saw her as the essence of Krishna’s being. So before taking Krishna’s hand in marriage, she bowed to the one who already held His heart.
It Was Not an Act of Submission. It Was an Act of Spiritual Intelligence
Radha Krishna
( Image credit : Pixabay )
Rukmini, according to the Bhagavatam, was no ordinary woman. She was an avatar of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune. She knew dharma. She knew decorum. And she knew Krishna, not just as a man, but as the Supreme Being. She also knew something deeper: You cannot walk beside Krishna in life unless you understand who He is in spirit. And Krishna, in essence, is not complete without Radha.
Not because of emotion. Because of truth. Radha is not a phase of Krishna’s youth, she is His soul-twin, His prema tattva, His mirror in love. Rukmini acknowledged this not out of insecurity, but out of realised humility.
Two Forms of Devotion. One Supreme Goal
Radha Krishna Love
( Image credit : Pixabay )
People often try to compare Radha and Rukmini, as if Krishna chose one over the other. But that misses the point completely.
Radha represents nirguna bhakti, devotion without form, without desire, without expectation.Rukmini represents saguna bhakti, devotion that lives through responsibility, roles, and dharma.Radha shows the inner path, where the self dissolves.Rukmini shows the outer path, where the self serves. Both are valid. Both are complete. And both lead to Krishna when done without ego. Rukmini’s Radha Pooja was her way of saying: “Before I become your wife, let me honour the one who became your very breath.”
The Deeper Lesson for All of Us
Krishna
( Image credit : Pixabay )
We live in a world that often measures love in terms of possession and victory. But Rukmini’s gesture reminds us: Real love begins where the ego ends. She didn’t need to be the first in Krishna’s life. She only wanted to be true in His presence. By bowing to Radha, she didn’t become small, she became vast enough to hold Krishna with the reverence He deserved. This is not just about Radha and Rukmini.
It’s about how we approach God, relationships, and even success. Are we willing to respect what came before us? Are we ready to let go of the need to “win,” and instead choose to understand? Because that is what makes a devotee, not loud worship, but silent wisdom.
A Belief That Still Breathes
Rukmini didn’t bow to Radha because Radha had Krishna. She bowed because Radha had become Krishna. To walk the path of devotion is not to claim. It is to honour. To love someone means respecting what shaped their soul. Rukmini did exactly that. And in doing so, she showed us what true bhakti looks like.