What happened to Radha after Krishna left Vrindavan

The story of Radha and Krishna is a story of eternal love, devotion, and sacrifice. While their heavenly union in Vrindavan has been the theme of poets and saints through the ages, what happened to Radha after Krishna left Vrindavan, is one of the most poignant and least discussed parts of the story. The early texts such as the Bhagavata Purana are not particularly specific about her life thereafter, and so later tradition and devotional works speak of her tale of passionate separation and ultimate reunion with Krishna. While there are numerous interpretation of this story, few stick around and can give us an idea of what might have happened. Scroll down to read more.

When Krishna left Vrindavan to Mathura to accomplish his divine task of ending Kansa's regime of fear, Radha was left behind, along with the Gopis and the villagers who were extremely attached to him. The departure was so big that life in Vrindavan was never the same after that. Radha is believed to have withdrawn into silence following Krishna's departure. She passed her days beside the Yamuna River, her thoughts lost in recollections of him, her soul filled with love and yearning.
Radha's love did not wane in his absence. Instead, it deepened into the spiritual condition of viraha, the pain of separation. Her longing became her worship and her tears her offering. To the people of Vrindavan, she was no longer Krishna's lover but a metaphor of unshakeable devotion.

According to texts like the Garga Samhita and Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Puranic accounts relate that Radha herself departed from her family house in Barsana and took up residence in the Kadli forest with her closest friends, the Ashtasakhis. While she was about to leave, she had created an illusory duplicate of herself, known as Chhaya Radha, to remain back in Barsana so that no one would ever notice she was not there.
Radha lived in the forest, meditating and recollecting upon Krishna each day, and never once forgetting him. Krishna's envoy, Uddhava, it is said, once appeared before her and the Gopis to deliver Krishna's message of gratitude and love. But Radha, in divine attachment, explained to Uddhava that she did not require any physical message from Krishna, his presence was already with her in her heart. This encounter represented the ultimate state of devotion, in which separation becomes spiritual union.

Another tale informs that Radha's extended absence from Krishna was the result of a divine curse that lasted for a hundred years. After he was done with his duties in Mathura and Dwaraka, Krishna returned to Braj and was once again reunited with Radha in the Kadli forest. The reunion was not of this world but was an event where the two souls came together in harmonious blend.
Some traditions believe that Radha's mortal body could not withstand the radiance of that divine union. When it was her time, Krishna played his flute one last time for her. Surrounded by the sweetness of the melody, Radha's soul dissolved into the beauty of his music. In another version, heartbroken Krishna broke his flute and vowed never to play it again, putting an end to their earthly love story.

Radha's life after Krishna's departure is not a tale of human bereavement but a symbolism of love divine. Her longing is the symbolism of immemorial love of soul and God, a love that lives on even in separation. For those who follow, Radha being abandoned by Krishna is the highest form of devotion, where the pain of longing for God is the gateway to tasting Him.
Her story reminds us to our homes that love, being pure and unselfish, overcomes distance, shape, and time. Eventually, Radha and Krishna are never really parted. Their coming together is not limited by physical presence but by eternal consciousness, a space where love turns into devotion and devotion freedom.