In the Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna stands out as a beacon of divine powers and spirituality. The 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Sri Krishan is celebrated for his boundless charm and definition of eternal love. From playful antics in Vrindavan to showing the path of Moksha through Bhagavad Gita, his teachings and life stories, makes people explore the depth of Bhakti. Among his many intriguing life stories, is a story of Krishna’s 16108 wives.
Many of us have a misconception about Krishna’s number of wives, and many also crack joke on this. But do you know the real truth behind this? This article will take you back to archives of history, which will clear the myth of Krishna’s 16108 wives.
How Many Wives Krishna Had?
There are varying interpretations regarding how many wives Krishna had, with figures ranging from 8 to 16000 to 16108. In actual, Krishna had 8 principal wives and 16,100 junior wives. Popular tales state that Queen Rukmini was his favorite among all.
The eight principal wives are, Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra, Lakshmana. There is a theory that all these wives were the incarnations of Goddess Lakshmi, the wife of Lord Vishnu. The eight wives are also referred as “Ashtabharya”, the Sanskrit terms ‘Ashta’ (eight) and ‘Bharya’ (wife).
Each of these Ashtabharya has a unique tale about her marriage to Krishna. Marriage to Princess Rukmini is particularly celebrated an epic event in Krishna’s life.
The Truth of 16,100 Wives
The tale of Lord Krishna’s 16108 wives is deeply rooted in historical narratives. A demon named Narakasura abducted 16,100 unmarried beautiful princesses and treated them like slaves. When Krishna defeated and killed Narakasure, these princesses were set free.
However, the princesses faced rejection from society and were left in a terrible situation, since no one was willing to take them in. The helpless princesses turned to Krishna, pleading with him to accept them. They even said that if he did not accept them, they will commit suicide.
In order to redeem their honor and provide them a respectable position, Krishna married all 16,100 of them.
Krishna’s deed of justice and kindness, led to him having a total of 161,08 wives, including his principal queens and rescued princesses.
Who was Radha Rani?
Krishna’s love story is not complete without the mention of Radha Rani. Despite the fact that everyone features them together, the truth is Radha-Krishna were not married like Rama-Sita. It is said that because of the curse from his devotee Sridhama, Krishna could not marry Radha. However, in another story, Radha and Krishna secretly married to each other, in the presence of Lord Brahma in the Bhandervan jungle. It was Chhaya Radha (a Krishna-partial avatar) who wed Ayan.
Some also says that Radha-Krishna are one single being and one cannot marry himself/herself. They both are inseparable, and marriage is unnecessary.
It is also very fascinating that we always pronounce “Radha-Krishna”, instead of Krishna alone. This shows the unbreakable bond of Radha-Krishna.
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