Expert: Joseph Amormino - 9/28/2008

Question
Dear Joseph,

A Vaishnava friend tells me that when I pray to the Virgin Mary I am actually praying to Radha Rani. How would the Catholic Church explain Radha Rani, and Krishna and the avatars for that matter?

Many thanks.

Answer
In my almost 30 years as a Catholic including four and one half years as a practicing Catholic priest, never did the Church mention anything about Radha Rani.  The Church basically concentrated on their own teachings and not on any other religions. Eastern religions were never brought up nor discussed by the Church.
I am not familiar with Radha Rani. I am familiar with Krishna and other avatars of eastern origin. In my research on early Christianity, I found out that many of the Catholic Church's teachings were not original but came from earlier teachings like Mithraism from Persia, Buddhism and Vedanta.
Look at the word Krishna and Christ.  Are they not similar?  I believe they both refer to the same source- the consciousness of Jesus and that of Krishna.  And what is that consciousness? It is the highest that we can attain- the consciousness of love.
This world we live in is a world of symbols and all symbols represent archytypes.  Archytypes are the source and essence of all symbols here on earth.Krishna, Christ and all the other avatars speak of the jewel within the lotus "Om Mani Padme, Om", translated means "Behold the Flower within the Lotus".  That refers to our true essence.
Jesus said "The Kingdom of God is within".  That kingdom is the Christ or Krishna consciousness.
No one has a corner on God.  God can be found in any religion, but a true religion will ultimately teach that "The Kingdom of God is Within".
Whether you pray to Mary the Mother of Jesus, or Mary Magdalene or Radha Rani- they are all referring to the feminine creative energy. Hope this helps.