20080816 Balarāma Pūrṇimā Lecture

The following is a class given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja on August 17th, 2008 in Bangalore, India. The class begins with the reading from Kṛṣṇa Book, Chapter Two entitled, Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Womb.

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

Jayapatākā Swami: Thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yogamāyā circumambulated the Lord and then appeared within this material world according to His order. When Yogamāyā, the supreme power of the supremely powerful Personality of Godhead, transferred Lord Śeṣa from the womb of Devakī to the womb of Rohiṇī, both Devakī and Rohiṇī were under Yogamāyā’s spell, which is called yoga-nidrā. When this was done, people thought that Devakī’s seventh pregnancy had been a miscarriage. Thus although Balarāma appeared as the son of Devakī, He was transferred to the womb of Rohiṇī to appear as her son. After this arrangement, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is always ready to protect His unalloyed devotees, entered within the mind of Vasudeva as the Lord of the whole creation, with full inconceivable potencies. It is understood in this connection that Lord Kṛṣṇa first of all situated Himself in the unalloyed heart of Vasudeva and was then transferred to the heart of Devakī.

So, like this Kṛṣṇa… Balarāma appeared before Kṛṣṇa. He was one year older. He is actually the son of Devakī, but he was transferred to Rohiṇī. Therefore, he is known as the elder brother of Kṛṣṇa. He is also known as Rohiṇī-nandana. Jaya Rohiṇī-nandana! Jaya Rohiṇī-nandana! He is also... both are the sons of Vasudeva, so both are known as Vāsudeva,

Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya

So, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are always together, having their pastimes in Vṛndāvana and there are some specific pastimes where Balarāma personally killed the demon, the cowherd boys wanted to play in Tālavana, which was a beautiful forest. The smell of the tāla fruit was coming over to the boys. Tāla fruit you can eat when it is green, by eating that what they call tāla sauce, the jello-like fruit, unripe fruit. And when the tāla fruit is ripe, then you can take out that pulp and make it into pakorās and things, cakes. Tāla-boḍis, in South India, they take tāla. No, that is what they are making toddy from, this palm tree. Yes, it has a leaf. They make the fence. They use it for covering houses, some cheap houses. You do not take that ripened fruit. Nuṅgu (in Tamil tāla is called nuṅgu) that is the green one. It is whitish inside. When you peel it, it will be white inside. Yes, that is unripe. When it is ripe, then you rub it against a basket or something, and this yellow pulp comes out, and that you can make into some cakes and things, vaḍās. Special sweet vaḍās made from tāla fruit.

And there is a saying in Bengal. “Let us have a tāla-bodhi feast. I will give the tāla, you give everything else.” The tāla is the cheapest thing. But everything else means you have to put milk, sugar, ghee, grain. You do not have here? Do you have it? Why are you saying you do not have it? What do you call it here? So tāla is tāṭi-nuṅgu. In which language? Both Tamil. Whether you call it also tāṭi-nuṅgu. Only nuṅgu. In Kannada, tāṭi-nuṅgu. What does it mean, tāṭi? We do not take the tāṭi, only the nuṅgu.

Then Kṛṣṇa spoke to His elder brother Balarāma as follows. “My dear brother, You are superior to all of us, and Your lotus feet are worshiped by the devas. Just see how these trees full with fruits and flowers have bent down to worship Your lotus feet. It appears that they are trying to get out of the darkness that has obliged them to accept the form of trees. Actually, the trees born in the land of Vṛndāvana are not ordinary living entities. Having held the impersonal point of view in their past lives, they have been put into this stationary condition of life. But now they have the opportunity of seeing You in Vṛndāvana, and they are praying for further advancement in spiritual life through Your personal association. Balarāmajī kī jaya! Balarāma kī jaya! My dear brother, You are the Supreme Worshipable Godhead. Just see how the peacocks are dancing before You in great ecstasy. The deer, whose behavior is just like that of the gopīs, are welcoming You with the same affection. And the cuckoos residing in this forest are welcoming You with their joyful sweet cries, because they consider that Your appearance in their home is so auspicious. Even though they are trees and animals, these residents of Vṛndāvana are glorifying You. They are prepared to welcome you to the best of their ability, as is the practice of great souls in receiving another great soul at home. As for the land, that is so pious and fortunate because the footprints of Your lotus feet are marking it’s body.”

Like this, Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma were herding the cows to the banks of the Yamunā. They were enjoying Vṛndāvana and its wonderful spiritual residents. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma would imitate the animals and run away with them. When they felt some fatigue, they would sit down, and Balarāma would put his head on the lap of one of the boys just to take rest. And Kṛṣṇa would immediately come and begin massaging the legs of Balarāma. Sometimes He would take a palm fan and fan the body of Balarāma, causing a pleasing breeze to relieve Him of His fatigue. Other boys would sometimes dance or sing while Balarāma took rest. Sometimes they would wrestle among themselves or jump. When the boys were thus engaged, Kṛṣṇa would immediately join them in catching their hands. He would enjoy their company and laugh and praise some of their activities.

So while they were enjoying these pastimes, then Śrīdāmā, Subala, and Stokakṛṣṇa addressed Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, “Dear Balarāma, You are very powerful. Your arms are very strong. Dear Kṛṣṇa, You are very expert in killing all kinds of disturbing demons. will You kindly note that just near this place is a big forest of the name Tālavana. Tāṭi-nuṅgu, (laughter) this forest is full of palm trees, and all the trees are filled with fruits.”

“Some have fallen down and some of them are very ripe even in the trees. It is a very nice place. But because of a great demon, Dhenukāsura, it is very difficult to go there. No one can reach the trees to collect the fruits. Dear Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, this demon is present here in the form of an ass, and he is surrounded by similar demon friends who have assumed the same shape. All of them are very strong, so it is very difficult to approach this place. Dear brothers, You are the only persons who can kill such demons. Other than You, no one can go there for fear of being killed. Not even animals go there, and no birds are living there. They have all left. One can only appreciate the sweet aroma that is coming from that place.”

“It appears that up until now no one has tasted the sweet fruits there, either on the tree or on the ground. Dear Kṛṣṇa, to tell You frankly, we are very attracted by this sweet aroma. Dear Balarāma, if You like, let us all go there and enjoy these fruits. The aroma of the fruits is now spread everywhere. Do you not smell it from here?” Tāṭi-nuṅgu.

When Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa were thus petitioned by their intimate friends, they were inclined to please them, and with smiling faces they proceeded towards the forest, surrounded by all their friends. Immediately upon entering the Tālavana, Balarāma began to yank the trees with His arms, exhibiting the strength of an elephant. Because of His jerking, all the ripe fruits fell down on the ground. Upon hearing the sound of the falling fruits, the demon Dhenukāsura, who was living there in the form of an ass, approached with great force, shaking the whole field so that all the trees moved as if there were an earthquake. The demon appeared before Balarāma and kicked His chest with his hind legs. At first Balarāma did not say anything. But with great anger the demon kicked Him again, more vehemently this time. Balarāma immediately caught hold of the legs of the ass with one hand and, wheeling him around, threw him into the treetops. While he was being wheeled by Balarāma, the demon lost his life. Balarāma threw the demon into the biggest palm tree, and the demon is body was so heavy that the palm tree fell upon other trees and several fell down. It appeared as if a great hurricane had passed through the forest and all the trees were falling down one after another. This exhibition of extraordinary strength is not astonishing, because Balarāma is the Personality of Godhead known as Anantadeva Śeṣa Nāga, who is holding all the planets on the hoods of His millions of heads. He maintains the whole cosmic manifestation exactly as horizontal and vertical threads hold the weaving of a cloth.

After the demon had been thrown into the trees, all the friends and associates of Dhenukāsura immediately assembled and attacked Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa with great force. They were determined to retaliate and avenge the death of their friend. But Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma caught each of the asses by the hind legs and, exactly in the same way, wheeled them about. Thus they killed all of them and threw them into the palm trees because of the dead bodies of the asses, there was a panoramic scene. It appeared as if clouds of various colors were assembled in the trees. Hearing of this great incident, the demigods from the higher planets showered flowers on Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and beat their drums and offered devotional prayers.

A few days after the killing of Dhenukāsura, people began to come into the Tālavana forest to collect the fruits, and animals began to return without fear to feed on the nice grasses growing there. Just by chanting and hearing these transcendental activities and pastimes of the brothers Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, one can amass pious activities. (Jaya Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma chants begins)

The summer season in India is not very much welcome because of the excessive heat. But in Vṛndāvana everyone was pleased, because summer there appeared just like spring. This was possible only because Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were the controllers, even of Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva were residing there. In Vṛndāvana there are many falls which are always pouring water, and the sound is so sweet that it covers the sound of the crickets. And because water flows all over, the forest always looks very green and beautiful. The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana were never disturbed by the scorching heat of the sun or the high summer temperatures. The lakes of Vṛndāvana are surrounded by green grasses, and various kinds of lotus flowers bloom there, such as the kalhāra, kamala, and utpala. And the air blowing in Vṛndāvana carries the aromatic pollen of those lotus flowers. When the particles of water from the waves of the Yamunā, the lakes, and the waterfalls touched the bodies of the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they automatically felt a cooling effect. Therefore, they were practically undisturbed by the summer season.

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma hadn’t undergone the hair-cutting ceremony. The hair was clustered like crow’s feathers. They were always playing hide and seek with their boy-friends, or jumping, or fighting with them. Sometimes, while His friends were chanting and dancing, Kṛṣṇa would praise them, “My dear friends, you are dancing and singing very nicely.” The boys played at catching ball with fruits such as bel and āmalakī. They played blind man is bluff, challenging and touching one another. Sometimes they imitated the forest deer and various kinds of birds. Sometimes they would play like a king and his subjects among themselves. In this way, Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, along with their friends, played all kinds of sports and enjoyed the soothing atmosphere of Vṛndāvana, full of rivers, lakes, rivulets, fine trees and excellent gardens filled with fruits and flowers.

Once, while the boys were engaged in their transcendental pastimes, a great demon of the name Pralambhāsura entered their company, desiring to kidnap both Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa was playing the part of a cowherd boy, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He could understand everything—past, present and future. So, when Pralambhāsura entered their company, Kṛṣṇa began to think how to kill the demon. But externally He received him as a friend. “Oh, my dear friend,” He said, “It is very good that you have come to take part in our pastimes.” Kṛṣṇa then called all His friends and ordered them, “Now we shall play in pairs. We shall challenge one another in pairs.” With this proposal, all the boys assembled together. Some of them took the side of Kṛṣṇa and some of them took the side of Balarāma, and they arranged to play in duel.

The defeated members in dual fighting had to carry the victorious member on their backs, as the horse carries its master. They began playing, and at the same time tended the cows as they proceeded to the Bhāṇḍīravana forest. The party of Balarāma, accompanied by Śrīdāmā and Ṛṣabha, came out victorious, and Kṛṣṇa’s party had to carry them on their backs to the Bhāṇḍīravana forest. The Supreme Personality Kṛṣṇa, being defeated, had to carry Śrīdāmā on His back, and Bhadrasena carried Vṛṣabha, imitating their play. Pralambhāsura, who appeared there as a cowherd boy, carried Balarāma on his back. Pralambhāsura was the greatest of the demons, and he had calculated that Kṛṣṇa was the most powerful of the cowherd boys. In order to avoid the company of Kṛṣṇa, Pralambhāsura carried Balarāma far away.

The demon was undoubtedly very strong and powerful, but he was carrying Balarāma, who is compared to a mountain. Therefore, he began to feel the burden, and thus he assumed his real form. When he appeared in his real feature, he was decorated with a golden helmet and earrings and looked just like a cloud with lightning carrying the moon. Balarāma observed the demon is body expanding up to the limits of the clouds, his eyes dazzling like blazing fire, and his mouth flashing with sharpened teeth. At first Balarāma was surprised by the demon’s appearance, and He began to wonder, “How is it that all of a sudden this carrier has changed in every way?”, but with a clear mind He could quickly understand that He was being carried away from His friends by a demon who intended to kill Him immediately.

He struck the head of the demon with His strong fist, just as the king of the heavenly planet strikes a mountain with his thunderbolt. Stricken by the fist of Balarāma, the demon fell down dead. Balarāma kī jaya! Pralambhāsurāri kī jaya! Pralambhāsurāri! Pralambhaniṣūdana, the killer of Pralambhāsura, Balarāma, smashed him just like a snake with a crushed head, and blood poured from his mouth. When the demon fell, he made a tremendous sound, and it sounded as if a great hill were falling upon being struck by the thunderbolt of King Indra. All the boys then rushed to the spot, astonished by the ghastly scene. They began to praise Balarāma with the words, “Well done! Well done! Well done, Balarāma! Well done, Balarāma!” All of them then embraced Balarāma with great affection, thinking that He had returned from death and they offered their blessings and congratulations.

All the devas in the heavenly planets became very satisfied and showered flowers on the transcendental body of Balarāma, and they also offered their blessings and congratulations for His having killed the great demon Pralambhāsura. So, Balarāma killed the great demon Pralambhāsura. So Balarāma toured all the holy places during the battle of Kurukṣetra. So, He also went to Māyāpur. There was also that time when Balarāma went to negotiate with the Kurus at Hastināpura. Then He said to give back the son of Kṛṣṇa but there was some… they laughed at Him, and while He was speaking very condescendingly to them, they decided, “No, we are not going to give back.”

And Balarāma took His plough and dragged the whole city of Hastināpura towards the Yamunā. When they saw that their city was going to be dumped in the Yamunā, they came out with the son of Kṛṣṇa and said, “Okay, we apologise… please accept our apologies. We forgot who You were.” And like this they appeased Balarāma. Sometimes Balarāma was taking Vāruṇī, a beverage made from honey. Sometimes today they offer one bowl of honey to Balarāma. So, He likes honey, He was taking, and then He told the Yamunā to come, but she thought He was a little bit intoxicated, so she did not take Him seriously. But then He said, “I am going to divide you up into a thousand little pieces.” Then she came forward and paid obeisances, apologizing for her disrespect.

So, like that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma also went to Vṛndāvana, and He had a spring rāsa with His own gopīs. So, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are actually non-different. Kṛṣṇa is mentioned as the Original Personality of Godhead, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam, and Balarāma is the first svayaṁ-prakāśa, His first expansion. Śrīla Prabhupāda once said that there are no differences between Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. Just like Kṛṣṇa is blackish and Balarāma is whitish, both have similar pastimes, both have unlimited power.

But Balarāma is also our first guru, because He teaches us how to serve Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes in rāma-līlā, Balarāma came as Lakṣmaṇa. Then He always had to follow whatever Rāma said. So, next time He came, He said, “I am going to come as the big brother.” So, then He was in the role of protecting Kṛṣṇa. The big brother protects the younger brother. So today is the auspicious appearance day of Balarāma. This is a Pūrṇimā. From now, eight days later, Kṛṣṇa will appear on Janmāṣṭamī, and fifteen days after Kṛṣṇa’s appearance will be Rādhāṣṭamī.

This is a very auspicious day. We can pray to Balarāma. Bala means strength—not just some material strength, but actually spiritual strength. How many of you want to get spiritual strength? If you get the mercy of Balarāma, you can get the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. If you get the mercy of Balarāma, you can become spiritually strong and you can avoid māyā. Have any of you ever been attacked by māyā? A few are admitting it. That is why we take the shelter of Balarāma. You can cross over this māyā. Balarāma kī jaya! Baladeva kī jaya! Balabhadra kī jaya! Hare Kṛṣṇa!