Rädhä, alsoRädhikä

The favourite GOPÏof Kø•æa, wife of

Ayana Gho•a, a cowherd of Vøndävana.

Rädhä is seen as the earthly appearance

of LAKÆMÏ. She is the focus of attention

in GAU¥IYA VAIÆŒAVISM, at one and the

same time mediatrix and role model for

devotees. A large literature has devel-

oped around her and her worship even

outshines that of Kø•æa among the

Rädhä-Vallabhis. She is the epitome of

passionate devotion. (See alsoCAITANYA.)

Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli

(1888–1975)

Born in Tirutani, Tamilnäõü and edu-

cated in Christian schools and colleges,

he rose not only to the highest office in

the Republic of India (vice-president

1952–62; president 1962–67) but also

became the most prominent and best-

known exponent of Hinduism in the

modern world. Beginning with an MA

thesis on ‘The Ethics of Vedänta’, he

systematially explored and explained

Hinduism in a large number of English

publications, such as History of Indian

Philosophy, The Hindu View of Life

and Eastern Religions and Western

Thought. He had a distinguished acade-

mic career in India as professor of phi-

losophy at the universities of Mysore

and Calcutta, as vice-chancellor of

Andhra University and Benares Hindu

University, and was Spalding Professor

of Eastern Religions at Oxford

(1931–36). He also served as India’s

representative at UNESCO (1946–52),

where he took a leading role in organiz-

ing important conferences. He was

among the first to plead for dialogue

among religions.

Radhasoami Satsang

Sect founded by Siv Dayal Singh in the

mid-19th century, who declared Radha-

soami, ‘Lord of the Soul’, to be the only

appropriate name of God. Its teaching

consists in guiding the aspirant through

the lower reaches of the cosmos into

higher realms of reality. Several branch-

es split off from the original foundation,

which adds the name ‘Beas’ to identify

itself.

räga

Musical mode, personified as male,

with rägiæï as consort, often illustrated

in miniatures (Rägamälä).

rägänuga bhakti

(‘passionate devotion’)

A highly emotional form of BHAKTI

developed by the CAITANYAschool of

GAU¥ÏYA VAIÆŒAVISM, in which the

passionate absorption in Kø•æa of the

GOPÏSof Vøndävana provides the model.

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