One day emperor Akbar, the Mohammedan king, was coming with his armies of lākhas and lākhas of horses and soldiers. His horses and elephants were so thirsty. The emperor himself was also thirsty. As he was passing that way, he asked someone, “Is there any big pond where we can take water?” The villagers said, “No. there isn’t any big pond, but you can take water from this Kālī-kheta and Gaurī-kheta.” The emperor objected, “There is not enough water for even one horse or any elephant. They will finish all the water!” The villagers said, “Do not worry. You should bring them all here.” So the emperor came with all his soldiers, elephants and horses. There were lākhas and lākhas of horses and elephants. They began to drink, but the water was never finished. All were satisfied, and still there was more water. The emperor was very impressed and he wanted to enlarge the pond, but he could not do so at that time. After this, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī came to Rādhā-kuṇḍa and wanted to restore the ponds, but he was very worried because the kuṇḍas are cintāmaṇi. The water is svayaṁ amṛtam, nectar. So he was repenting, “Why do I wish to improve the kuṇḍas?” At that time a very big businessman, a paisa-wālā, came there and said, “Badarī-nārāyaṇa has sent me and told me in a dream that ‘You should go to Rādhā-kuṇḍa and tell Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī that I have ordered you to give money to restore the kuṇḍas and make them very nice.’” The businessman went directly to Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī and told him, “I want to help you in this work.” Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī refused, “I don’t want to do this sort of thing.” Then Badarī-nārāyaṇa came in Raghunātha’s dream and told him, “You must do this.”
So Raghunātha accepted some money and managed the work. First he dug Rādhā-kuṇḍa in four corners, making it very square, because Śrīmatī Rādhikā is so sarala, simple. When he began to excavate Śyāma-kuṇḍa, he wanted to make it square also, but there were so many trees here and there that needed to be cut down. That night the trees wept and prayed, “O Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, don’t cut us down. We are here doing ārādhanā of Kṛṣṇa on the bank of Śyāma-kuṇḍa, so don’t disturb us.” Therefore, Raghunātha concluded, “Oh, Kṛṣṇa wants his kuṇḍa to be crooked like himself.” Kṛṣṇa is always crooked, everything about him is crooked. Thus Raghunātha gave Śyāma-kuṇḍa its irregular form which is the very shape that we see today.
One time Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa were playing here. At once a demon in the shape of a bull came and wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa and all the others. Kṛṣṇa very suddenly took the two hind legs of the bull, whirled him around in the sky and threw him. Immediately he died. The gopīs were there and told Kṛṣṇa, “You cannot touch us because you have done go-hatya. you have killed a cow.”
“I have not killed a cow. He was a demon in the shape of a bull.”
“But you have killed it, so you cannot touch us.”
“Then what will I do? Without touching you I cannot live.”
“You should become purified.”
“How?”
“Go to the sāgara (ocean) and all the tīrthas of the world. Take bath and then come.”
Kṛṣṇa smiled and called all the tīrthas there. They came in their personified forms and were praying, “What service may we do for You?”
“You should become the water in this place.” And with his heel Kṛṣṇa made an impression, and that became a very big pond. Then at once, pārṣni prakhātam, all the tīrthas became water and the pond was filled. Kṛṣṇa took bath and said, “Now I am pure. Can I touch you?”
“Never, never. We will make our own pond without your help. You should take bath there and then you will be pure.” Śrīmatī Rādhikā easily dug the hole for Rādhā-kuṇḍa with her toes, and all her sakhīs were engaged in helping. Rādhikā was dancing and sweating, but yet it was so sweet. It became a very big pond, but there was no water. Where should the water come from? Kṛṣṇa offered, “Take it from My pond.” And he told all the tīrthas that in a hidden way they should go in this new kuṇḍa.
The gopīs refused, “We don’t want to touch any of the water from your kuṇḍa. We will go to Mānasī Gaṅgā in Govardhana, bring water from there, and we will fill up our kuṇḍa ourselves.” They took lākhas and lākhas of pots and began to go, but all the tīrthas lay down on the path, weeping, “Śrīmatī Rādhike, we want to serve you. Why are you going there?” Their humble prayer touched Śrīmatī Rādhikā’s heart. She was so pleased that She allowed them to fill her kuṇḍa. At once they made a channel between the two ponds and the waters of Śyāma-kuṇḍa entered Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Kṛṣṇa took his bath, and then he touched all the gopīs. This is Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Here, Śrīmatī Rādhikā herself is Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa-kuṇḍa, but the supremacy of Rādhā-kuṇḍa prevails.
Rūpa Gosvāmī has glorified Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Everywhere there is glorification of Rādhā-kuṇḍa. Svāmījī is also telling that if anyone goes and touches the water and takes ācamana, or if anyone goes and takes bath, he will have the mercy of Śrīmatī Rādhikā to serve her there. We cannot tell any greater glory of Rādhā-kuṇḍa than this. So we should try to know what is Rādhā-kuṇḍa. It is superior to any other place in Vraja.

―Śrīla Bhaktivedanta Nārāyaṇa Mahārāja