[On this most auspicious day of Lord Balarama’s Avirbhava tithi, Appearance Day, under the guidance and by the unlimited and causeless mercy of Guru and Gauranga, we are allowed the opportunity to present this nectarean hari-katha spoken by the sweet, lotus lips of our beloved Srila Gurudeva, Srimad Bhaktivedanta Vana Gosvami Maharaja on August of 2018, during his preaching mission in Ukraine.]
Today is the very super excellent auspicious day of Sri Baladeva Prabhu’s Appearance. Baladeva Prabhu is called akhanda-guru-tattva, undivided guru-tattva; without the mercy of Baladeva Prabhu, you cannot enter in your spiritual life by any other method. Our scriptures explain – ‘bala-hīnena labhyo’. ‘Bala-hīnena labhyo’ means that if you have no bala, and bala means power or strength, then you cannot attain your ultimate goal.
For example, without bala in your legs, you cannot walk, or without power, your eyes cannot see. In this material world you cannot attain anything without bala or shakti. Similarly, without chit-bala, transcendental power, you cannot attain the Lord. Only Balarama will give us the necessary transcendental power, known as chit-bala. Krishna is called sat-chit-ananda, eternal and transcendental. Sat refers to existence, chit signifies transcendental knowledge and ananda means bliss. Combined, sat, chit and ananda comprise the body of Sri Krishna.
Essence of the Supreme Lord
Brahma-samhita explains who Krishna is:
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
Brahma-samhita (5.1)
[Krishna who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]
‘Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ’ - He is called the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Svayam Bhagavan and His vigraha, deity, is transcendental, He is one but manifests in many forms.
ekam eva tat parama-tattvam svābhāvikācintya-śaktya sarvadaiva svarupa-tadrupa-vaibhava-jiva-pradhāna-rūpena caturdhāvatiṣṭhate
Bhagavat-sandarbha (16)
[The Absolute Truth is one. His natural characteristic is that He has inconceivable potency. His inconceivable potencies are reposed in four different stages: His personal form (svarupa), the expansions of His divine form (tad-rupa-vaibhava), the jivas, and the material ingredients (pradhana).]
This Sanskrit verse explains that although God is one, through His spontaneous and inconceivable potency, He manifests four forms. And what are these four forms? ‘Ekam eva tat parama-tattvam svābhāvikācintya-śaktya’. His original form is known as His svarupa. What is His svarupa? Vrajendra-nandana, Krishna’s original form in Vraja, He is the son of Nanda Maharaja. This is called His svayam-rupa, original form. ‘Dvibhuja Muralidhara Shyamasundara’. What is His svayam-rupa? Dvibhuja Muralidhara. He has two hands, He plays the flute, and so much effulgence emanates from His body.
To different people, the Lord will appear in three ways; God is one, but He has three aspects.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate
Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11)
[Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.]
Srimad-Bhagavatam gives us evidence that the Lord is one, yet, He has three aspects. According to their knowledge, jnanis’ studies of the Vedas lead them to believe God is Brahma’s effulgence— ‘jatir maya brahma’. What is Brahma? The Lord’s effulgence. According to their conception from the yogic process, yogis think Krishna is the Supersoul, residing in the hearts of all living entities.
However, devotees, according to their devotional service, realise that God is Bhagavan. He is sarva-shaktiman, the possessor of all potencies, innumerable potencies, ananta-shakti— such as chit-shakti, jiva-shakti and maya-shakti. With His chit-shakti, transcendental potency, Krishna creates the transcendental realm. With His maya-shakti, material energy, the Lord creates this material world, and with His jiva-shakti, He manifests all the jivas or living entities.
So, ‘svayam-rupa, tadekatma-rupa’ - He manifests Himself into many forms or incarnations such as Nrisimha, Varaha, Matsya or Kurma, amongst many others. ‘Jiva-pradhāna-rupena’ - Krishna also manifests many different living entities, and with His material energy, maya-shakti, God creates the material world.
Take for example, our sun, the jivas are compared to the rays of the sun. We are part and parcel of Lord Krishna and manifest from His body, just as rays manifest from the sun. In this material world, anything you see is merely a perverted reflection of Goloka Vrindavana. Simply put, everything is inverted completely. For instance, when you stand in front of a mirror and raise your right hand, it appears as if it is your left hand being raised, or if you raise your left hand, it seems as if your right hand went up. In the same way, this material world is a perverted reflection of the perfect and transcendental Goloka Vrindavana.
In his Sandarbha, our Srila Jiva Gosvamipada explains that while God is one, He manifests numerous forms. The Lord does this so different devotees, with distinct rasas or mellows, can each relish these moods. For this reason, Krishna manifests many forms in Vaikuntha, Ayodhya, Mathura, Dvaraka, Goloka and Vrindavana.
The same Krishna manifests in Vaikuntha in the four handed form of Narayana, known as chatur-bhuja; in His hands holding a shankha (conch), chakra (disc), gada (mace) and padma (lotus flower). This same Krishna also manifested in Ayodhya in the form of Lord Ramachandra, and in Dvaraka-puri as Dvarakadhisha-Krishna. Despite His multiple manifestations, Krishna always resides in Goloka Vrindavana in the very nice and beautiful form of Vrajendra-nandana Shyamasundara.
Laghu-bhagavatamrita also explains the Lord’s many qualities, gunas. In Laghu-bhagavatamrita, Srila Rupa Gosvami clarifies this tattva-siddhanta which is important to understand, otherwise you will be unable to fully grasp our philosophies. Krishna, who is Vrajendra-nandana Shyamasundara, has sixty four qualifications. However, He has four extraordinary qualifications. The first one is rupa-madhurya, the sweetness of His beauty. Krishna’s form, vigraha, is so nice and beautiful – ‘govindera mādhurī dekhi’ vāsudevera kṣobha’. Even in Dvaraka, Vasudeva-Krishna is amazed by the beautiful form of Vrajendra-nandana Shyamasundara.
The second is lila-madhurya, the sweetness of the Lord’s beautiful pastimes. Third is Krishna’s prema-madhurya, the sweetness of His divine love. And the fourth is venu-madhurya, the sweet sound of Krishna’s flute.
In order to comprehend Baladeva Prabhu, you must learn about Krishna as He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Svayam Bhagavan. ‘Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam’.
The same Vrajendra-nandana Shyamasundara, when He manifested in Vaikuntha as Lord Narayana, He had only sixty qualifications. In this manner, Laghu-bhagavatamrita explains Krishna’s many incarnations or avataras. Always remember that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Svayam Bhagavan. Srimad-Bhagavatam gives evidence:
ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam
Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.28)
[All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead.]
Thus, Krishna was thinking, “I am Svayam Bhagavan, everybody serves Me, yet, people do not know how to properly serve Me.” In Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says, “Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañ-jaya — O Arjuna, no one is higher than Me, I am the Supreme. There are no absolute truths other than Me, everybody has to worship Me.” But how will jivas worship God?
Considering this, Krishna manifested His second body, Baladeva Prabhu. And who is Baladeva Prabhu? He is none other than Krishna Himself manifested in the form of Baladeva Prabhu. As mentioned earlier, Krishna is sat-chit-ananda, and the possessor of samvit-, sandhini- and hladini-tattvas— samvit refers to jnana, knowledge. Krishna is the presiding deity of samvit, Baladeva Prabhu is the presiding deity of existence, sandhini, and Srimati Radharani is the presiding deity of hladini, bliss. Try to fully comprehend these things.
So, we have three aspects, sat-chit-ananda, merging into one— three becomes one and one becomes three. This is all beyond our material conceptions, known as achintya-tattva. And what is considered achintya?
acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet prakṛtibhyaḥ paraṁ yac ca tad acintyasya lakṣaṇam
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 17.308)
[Anything transcendental to material nature is called inconceivable, whereas arguments are all mundane. Since mundane arguments cannot touch transcendental subject matters, one should not try to understand transcendental subjects through mundane arguments.]
Srila Jiva Gosvamipada explains that achintya refers to that which is beyond our material conception; those philosophies which cannot be established by material conceptions or arguments. With this in mind, how can one realise the Lord?
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām
Mundaka Upanishad (3.2.3)
[The Supreme Lord is not attained by expert explanations, by vast intelligence or even by much hearing. He is attained only by one who He Himself chooses. To such a person He manifests Himself.]
Even if you hear about the Lord thousands of times, you will not be able to understand Him.
A question will come - how will I realise the Lord? You will only realise Krishna when He mercifully manifests in your heart. Krishna is called kripa-sadhya, you can only attain Him by His mercy. Brahma-stuti also explains:
athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya- prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan
Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.29)
[My Lord, if one is favoured by even a slight trace of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of Your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they continue to study the Vedas for many years.]
In this verse, the four headed Brahma says, “O my Lord, some panditas or intelligent persons think, ‘I know so much tattva-siddhanta, I actually know everything.’ Really, they do not possess any real knowledge.” Without the Lord’s mercy, no one can realise Him.
Guru-tattva
As stated, Krishna Himself manifested His second body, nondifferent than Him, called Baladeva Prabhu— this is baladeva-tattva. Without the mercy of Baladeva Prabhu, no one can realise Krishna. According to our Gaudiya Vedanta conception or siddhanta, Baladeva Prabhu is called akhanda-guru-tattva or undivided guru-tattva. Without the mercy of a guru, you cannot understand anything. In this respect, our scriptures also explain that without taking shelter at the lotus feet of a bona fide guru, you cannot have true understanding of anything, and your spiritual life will never commence.
guru binu bhava nidhi tarai na koī, jauṅ biranchi sankara sama hoī
Rama-charita-manasa (6)
[Not even the most elevated of spiritual aspirants can cross over the material ocean without the mercy of the guru.]
In his verse in Rama-charita-manasa, Tulasi dasa explains – ‘guru binu bhava nidhi tarai na koī, jauṅ biranchi sankara sama hoī’. Meaning that even one with vast knowledge like Brahma or Shiva, cannot be delivered from this material world without taking shelter of the lotus feet of guru. Therefore, our original guru is Baladeva Prabhu, known as akhanda-guru-tattva. When we discuss our guru-tattva, we should understand that Gurudeva is a manifestation of Baladeva Prabhu, called ‘baladeva prakasha-vigraha gurudeva’.
Accordingly, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada explained that guru means one who is a direct manifestation of the embodiment in the mood of servitude towards the Divine Couple, Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. On account of this, every day, early in the morning, we glorify Gurudeva. Because without this mercy from guru, you cannot realise the truths of the Lord.
Our scriptures state:
prathamaṃ tu guruṃ pūjya tataś caiva mamārcanam kurvan siddhim avāpnoti hy anyathā niṣphalaṃ bhavet
Hari-bhakti-vilasa (4.344)
[One does not directly worship one’s worshippable deity. One must begin by worshipping the spiritual master. Only by pleasing the spiritual master and gaining his mercy, and only by obtaining him as the via medium, can one offer anything to the Lord. Thus, before worshipping the Lord one must always worship the spiritual master. This is the injunction of pancharatrika scripture.]
In this shloka, Krishna says, “First, you must worship the lotus feet of Guru, then you worship Me.”
saḿsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka- trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
mahāprabhoḥ kīrtana-nṛtya-gīta- vāditra-mādyan-manaso rasena romāñca -kampāśru-tarańga-bhājo vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā- śṛńgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau yuktasya bhaktāḿś ca niyuñjato 'pi vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda- svādv-anna-tṛptān hari-bhakta-sańghān kṛtvaiva tṛptiḿ bhajataḥ sadaiva vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
śrī-rādhikā-mādhavayor apāra- mādhurya-līlā guṇa-rūpa-nāmnām prati-kṣaṇāsvādana-lolupasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
nikuñja-yūno rati-keli-siddhyai yā yālibhir yuktir apekṣaṇīyā tatrāti-dākṣyād ati-vallabhasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi dhyāyan stuvaḿs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaḿ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
śrīmad-guror aṣṭakam etad uccair brāhme muhūrte paṭhati prayatnāt yas tena vṛndāvana-nātha sākṣāt sevaiva labhyā januṣo’nta eva
Sri Gurvashtaka
[The spiritual master is receiving benediction from the ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so the spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities.
Chanting the holy name, dancing in ecstasy, singing, and playing musical instruments, the spiritual master is always gladdened by the sankirtana movement of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Because he is relishing the mellows of pure devotion within his mind, sometimes his hair stands on end, he feels quivering in his body, and tears flow from his eyes like waves. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
The spiritual master is always engaged in the temple worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. He also engages his disciples in such worship. They dress the Deities in beautiful clothes and ornaments, clean Their temple, and perform other similar worship of the Lord. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
The spiritual master is always offering Krishna four kinds of delicious food [analysed as that which is licked, chewed, drunk, and sucked]. When the spiritual master sees that the devotees are satisfied by eating bhagavat-prasada, he is satisfied. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
The spiritual master is always eager to hear and chant about the unlimited conjugal pastimes of Radhika and Madhava, and Their qualities, names, and forms. The spiritual master aspires to relish these at every moment. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
The spiritual master is very dear, because he is expert in assisting the gopis, who at different times make different tasteful arrangements for the perfection of Radha and Krishna’s conjugal loving affairs within the groves of Vrindavana. I offer my most humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
The spiritual master is to be honoured as much as the Supreme Lord, because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari (Krishna).
By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the benediction of Krishna. Without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any advancement. Therefore, I should always remember and praise the spiritual master. At least three times a day I should offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master.
One who, with great care and alteration, loudly recites this beautiful prayer to the spiritual master during the Brahma-muhurta obtains direct service to Krishna, the Lord of Vrindavanа, at the time of his death.]
Srila Vishvanatha Chakravartipada very nicely glorified Sri Guru in his Gurvashtaka, the eight shlokas of guru-tattva. Gurudeva is also called Bhagavan.
sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
In our Gaudiya siddhanta, there are two Bhagavans. And who are they? One is called vishaya Bhagavan, the object of divine love. Simply put, vishaya Bhagavan is Krishna. The other is ashraya Bhagavan, the shelter of divine love— Gurudeva is ashraya Bhagavan. So, Guru is ashraya-tattva and Krishna is vishaya-tattva. Meaning that He is the Supreme Enjoyer. Do you understand this concept? Krishna Himself said:
ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān navamanyeta karhicit na martya-buddhyāsūyeta sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ
Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.17.27)
[One should know the acharya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods.]
Krishna says, “Never dishonour your guru as He is nondifferent than Me.” The verse says, ‘ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān navamanyeta karhicit’. Never dishonour your guru, he is nondifferent than Krishna. Do you recall, guru belongs to which tattva? Ashraya-tattva. Gurudeva is called the shelter of divine love or ashraya Bhagavan. One important aspect is to always remember that Baladeva Prabhu is also Svayam Bhagavan, He is nondifferent from Krishna. As Krishna is vishaya Bhagavan, similarly, Baladeva Prabhu is also vishaya Bhagavan.
However, Baladeva Prabhu is very humble and always thinking, “I am the servant of Krishna, I am the servant of Krishna, I am the servant of Krishna.” Again, Baladeva Prabhu is also vishaya Bhagavan and since Krishna performed a rasa dance, correspondingly, Baladeva Prabhu also performs a rasa-lila. When we perform Vraja-mandala parikrama and visit Rama-ghata, there, we discuss Baladeva Prabhu and how He performed a rasa dance with the gopis.
Lord Vishnu cannot carry out a rasa dance, Lord Ramachandra also did enact the rasa-lila. Even Dvarakadhisha-Krishna, who has sixteen thousand, one hundred and eight queens in Dvaraka, did not manifest His rasa dance. The rasa-lila is not even performed in Vaikuntha. Then, who performs this lila? Vrajendra-nandana Shyamasundara, because He is vishaya Bhagavan. Likewise, Baladeva Prabhu is vishaya-tattva and also vishaya Bhagavan. From this perspective, one can easily realise why Balarama can also perform the rasa dance.
One thing to consider is that ashraya-tattva Gurudeva can never perform rasa dance. Only unintelligent, nonsensical, sahajiya gurus attempt to perform a rasa-lila. It is important to understand this siddhanta, as these things do occur. Try to realise that Baladeva Prabhu is non-different from Krishna, and He and Krishna are one and the same. Krishna simply manifested two forms, and His second body is Balarama.
And why did the Lord do this? Krishna was thinking, “I am Bhagavan, how will people be able to serve Me?” In response, Krishna mercifully manifests Himself into the form of Lord Balarama, and in this form shows us how to serve Him. Baladeva Prabhu actually serves Krishna in numerous ways, but He predominantly serves Krishna in the following ways as His asana (seat), vasana (garments), bhushana (decorations), paduka (slippers) and dhama (residence). Balarama serves as Krishna’s sacred thread, and as the Lord’s dhama - Baladeva manifests in the form of dhama. We visit Vrindavana-dhama, Navadvipa-dhama, Jagannatha Puri dhama or Dvaraka-dhama, and all of these dhamas are manifested by Baladeva Himself. Lord Balarama manifests Himself into Krishna’s asana or seat. Wherever Krishna decides to sit, Baladeva manifests Himself as an asana for Him to rest on. Krishna’s vasana, clothes, are a manifestation of Baladeva Prabhu. In Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lila, Baladeva Prabhu manifested in the form of mridanga. Mahaprabhu said, “Mridanga is like My body.” And alankara, which means that all of Krishna’s decorative ornaments are similarly Baladeva Prabhu. In his karcha (memoir), Svarupa Damodara also explains how Baladeva Prabhu serves Krishna in different ways - Particularly, He facilitates Krishna with creation, srishti-tattva. Lord Balarama Himself assists Krishna’s lila especially:
saṅkarṣaṇaḥ kāraṇa-toya-śāyī garbhoda-śāyī ca payobdhi-śāyī śeṣaś ca yasyāṁśa-kalāḥ sa nityā- nandākhya-rāmaḥ śaraṇaṁ mamāstu
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 5.7)
[May Srila Nityananda Rama be the object of my constant remembrance. Sankarshana, Shesha Naga and the Vishnus who lie on the Karana Ocean, Garbha Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His plenary portions.]
Svarupa Damodara composed this verse in his karcha. And who is Nityananda Prabhu? He is nondifferent than Baladeva Prabhu. In krishna-lila, He is Baladeva, and in gaura-lila, He is Nityananda. In this regard:
āpane karena kṛṣṇa-līlāra sahāya sṛṣṭi-līlā-kārya kare dhari’ cāri kāya śrī-balarāma gosāñi mūla-saṅkarṣaṇa pañca-rūpa dhari’ karena kṛṣṇera sevana
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Adi-lila 5.9)
[He Himself helps in the pastimes of Lord Krishna, and He does the work of creation in four other forms. Lord Balarama is the original Sankarshana. He assumes five other forms to serve Lord Krishna.]
Then, the same Baladeva Prabhu manifested into five forms. With one form, Balarama helps Krishna’s lila, and also resides with Him. With His other four forms He assists Krishna with His creation.
Balarama’s first manifestation is called Sankarshana. From Sankarshana He manifests into Karanadakashayi Vishnu, then into Garbhodakashayi Vishnu and next into Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, Baladeva’s fourth manifestation is called Shesha avatara, taking the form of a shesha, snake. In His Shesha-naga, Ananta-shesha or Ananta-naga form, He maintains innumerable universes on His thousands of hoods.
So, Krishna first manifests into Baladeva Prabhu, then subsequently into Mula Sankarshana, Sankarshana, Karanadakashayi, Garbhodakashayi, Kshirodakashayi Vishnu and then Ananta-shesha. In this manner, Baladeva Prabhu serves Krishna in multiple ways. As mentioned, He particularly serves Krishna by becoming His asana, vasana, bhushana, chamara, chatra etc. Chatra means umbrella.
You may ask: in what way does Lord Balarama serve as an umbrella? When Vasudeva brought Krishna from Mathura to Gokula, as he exited the jail of Kamsa, a heavy downpour of rain began, causing Vasudeva Maharaja to lament, “How will I safely bring Krishna to Gokula?” Under intense showers, with no umbrella, Vasudeva Maharaja was attempting to carry a new born baby across a flooding river. How will he safely take Him across?
At that moment, Baladeva Prabhu manifested in the form of Shesha-naga and in His Shesha-naga form, He manifested His hoods, covering Krishna from the rain, as an umbrella would. Have you seen the painting of this particular pastime before? This is only one example of the many different ways Baladeva Prabhu serves Krishna. Here, it is explained - ‘pañca-rūpa dhari’ karena kṛṣṇera sevana āpane karena kṛṣṇa-līlāra sahāya’. In these ways, Baladeva Prabhu helps Krishna enact His various lilas.
Lord Balarama's Immeasurable Service to Sri Krishna
Lord Balarama also serves Krishna in every rasa: shanta, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya and madhurya. In madhurya-rasa, Baladeva Prabhu serves Srimati Radhika in the mood of Ananga Manjari. Here is one very confidential thing: generally, we are all aware that Gaudiya Vaishnavas, otherwise known as rupanuga Vaishnavas, are following in the footsteps of Rupa Gosvami or Rupa Manjari.
However in one article, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura revealed and explained the very confidential truth of those who are following the footsteps of Ananga Manjari. And Ananga Manjari is the younger sister of Srimati Radhika. In Radha-kunda, there are eight steps, ashta-ghatas. Meaning the eight kunjas of each sakhi are found there. Known as ashta-sakhi kunjas, the eight kunjas of the sakhis are very nice and beautiful.
They are named in accordance with each sakhis’ name. Lalita-devi’s steps are called Lalitananda-kunja and Vishakha-devi’s are named Vishakhananda-kunja— This is where Radha and Krishna perform Their very sweet and amorous pastimes. And those kunjas are beautifully manifested in the shape of a lotus, each containing their own unique splendid and vibrant colour.
As like Raktabja-kunja, in that kunja one lotus manifested a very nice and beautiful reddish colour. If you visit this kunja, you may notice from afar, a blossomed reddish lotus manifested. In Himabja-kunja, there is a golden lotus manifested, which is also very beautiful.
Even more confidential is that in the very middle of Radha-kunda, you will find Ananga Manjari’s kunja— where Radha and Krishna very confidentially meet and perform Their sweet amorous pastimes. Mercifully, our seventh Gosvami, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, manifested these very beautiful and confidential pastimes. Why am I saying all of these things to you? Because Baladeva Prabhu also serves Srimati Radhika with madhurya-rasa in the form of Ananga Manjari.
As I said, Baladeva Prabhu serves and helps Krishna with dasya, sakhya and vatsalya moods also. After Krishna would go herding the cows, He would become very tired. Then, Baladeva Prabhu would massage His lotus feet, and nourish Krishna as a father with vatsalya-bhava. According to rasa-vichara, Balarama serves Krishna with various rasas, different mellows.
Yet, from our angle as sadhakas, Baladeva is viewed as guru, one who destroys all anarthas from our hearts. Krishna plays and holds a flute in His hand, and Baladeva Prabhu carries a plough, hala and a club, musala. There is a painting from Navadvipa where Balarama holds a club. As a farmer, Baladeva Prabhu cultivates the fields with a plough, and similarly He cultivates the hearts of living entities.
Throughout the process of ploughing, many large stones are pulled out and the farmer has to repeat this process, continually cultivating the fields. Afterwards, these very large stones must be smashed with large tractors or other heavy machinery. The fields are then cultivated by smashing these large pieces of earth.
In this analogy, what do these large stones represent? The many different kinds of anarthas or unwanted things in the hearts of jivas, such as lust, anger, enviousness, jealousy and other rascal things. These anarthas are just like very large stones, embedded in the hearts of conditioned living entities.
Baladeva Prabhu must destroy all of these unwanted things, like lust and anger, with His club. Especially, four kinds of anarthas which reside in the hearts of conditioned souls. What are they? Svarupa-bhrama, hridaya-daurbalya, asat-trishna and aparadha. Svarupa-bhrama means the illusion of your own transcendental constitutional form. Who are you really? You are thinking, “I am a man, I am a woman, an Indian, or a Ukrainian”. Do you think this or not? Yes. But, who are you really? You are not Ukrainian, you are not British, you are not American, you are not Indian. Who are you?
jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa’ kṛṣṇera ‘taṭasthā-śakti’ ‘bhedābheda-prakāśa’
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila 20.108-109)
[It is the living entity’s constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krishna because he is the marginal energy of Krishna and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Krishna has three varieties of energy.]
Firstly, Baladeva Prabhu destroys all kinds of illusions known as svarupa-bhrama. Try to understand that without the mercy of Baladeva Prabhu, you cannot realise your own constitutional form. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explained that you have a very nice beautiful form— you are not this body.
Srila Gour Govinda Gosvami Maharaja very nicely explained that this body is like a plastic bag. And what is contained inside this plastic bag? Good or bad things? Stool, anger, enviousness, jealousy. But how nonsensical are we? We are licking and kissing these plastic bags. Yet, if you were to open the plastic bag and see what is contained inside, you would run away.
People are unaware as they are under the complete illusion of maya. ‘Arre, open the plastic bag! Then such a bad smell and stool and all sorts of unpleasantries will be revealed. I am not making this comparison, Gour Govinda Maharaja is the one who said, “Every day, you are putting bad things in your plastic bag.” Nevertheless, you possess a very nice beautiful form. You already know these things.
If you are in madhurya-rasa, mood of sweetness, then you have a very nice, beautiful manjari form, with nice eyes, nice nose, everything transcendental. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explained:
dekhite dekhite, bhulibo vā kabe, nija-sthūla-paricoya nayane heribo, braja-pura-śobhā, nitya cid-ānanda-moya
Dekhite, Dekhite (1)
[“When will I be able to leave this plane of my gross bodily identity far behind? Within a split second, I will completely forget about all these false external affairs and behold the exquisite beauty of the transcendental realm of Vraja, which is completely paraded with eternal, conscious bliss.”]
By performing bhajana and sadhana, you will eventually realise your very nice and beautiful transcendental form. At that time, your spontaneous nature will also reveal itself, called gopi-svabhava— the nature of your gopi form will manifest. ‘Braja-gopī-bhāva, hoibe swabhāva, āno-bhāva nā rohibe’. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that by chanting the holy names, and performing bhajana and sadhana, all of your anarthas will eventually be removed from your heart. Then, you will realise your very sweet and attractive transcendental constitutional form, siddha-deha.
Not only this, you also have a very sweet name: nama, rupa, guna, lila— you already possess everything. And you also have eleven moods, ekadasha-bhava, and pancha-dasha, the five stages— everything is already there. What is your name? You have a very nice and sweet name. What is your actual name though?
This verse states: ‘rādhā-kṛpā-bale, lobhibo vā kabe, nija siddha deha’. By the causeless mercy of guru and Srimati Radhika, you will realise your transcendental constitutional form— which you already have. Without this mercy of guru, Baladeva Prabhu, or without the mercy of Srimati Radhika, you can never realise your transcendental constitutional form. So, svarupa-bhrama, and hridaya-daurbalya - the weakness of your heart. From this arises anger, enviousness and jealousy. Afterwards, comes asat-trishna - hankering to enjoy material sense gratification, and commit aparadha, offences.
Nonetheless, if you repeatedly bow your forehead to the lotus feet of Lord Balarama, He will mercifully destroy all anarthas residing in your heart. Try to always remember that Baladeva is akhanda-guru-tattva, who holds a club which destroys all of your anarthas, and carries a plough, to attract all the living entities towards Him.
The Liberation of Dhenukasura
In krishna-lila we see that Baladeva Prabhu first killed one demon, Dhenukasura. Dhenukasura is the personification of ignorance, unintelligence, nonsense, rascality or darkness. What does the word guru mean? In English, the word translates to spiritual master. However, the word contains two syllables, gu-ru. In Sanskrit, gu means darkness and ru means light. Signifying to one who destroys all kinds of darkness from his disciples’ hearts and gives them light.
And what is this light? Guru bestows prema-bhakti in your heart. This is the duty of guru: how to destroy all anarthas from the heart of his disciples and give prema-bhakti. And how will guru accomplish these things? Only when one becomes completely and absolutely surrendered to the lotus feet of Gurudeva and tightly holds his lotus feet.
nitāi-pada-kamala, koṭi-candra-suśītala je chāyāy jagata jurāy heno nitāi bine bhāi, rādhā-kṛṣṇa pāite nāi dṛḍha kori' dharo nitāir pāy
Nitai-pada-kamala (1)
[The lotus feet of Lord Nityananda are a shelter where one will get the soothing moonlight not only of one, but of millions of moons. If the world wants to have real peace, it should take shelter of Lord Nityananda. Unless one takes shelter under the shade of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda, it will be very difficult for him to approach Radha-Krishna. If one actually wants to enter into the dancing party of Radha-Krishna, he must firmly catch hold of the lotus feet of Lord Nityananda.]
Narottama dasa Thakura sang, “Very carefully hold the lotus feet of Gurudeva.” Externally, some only hold Gurudeva’s feet and plead, “Gurudeva, Gurudeva, Gurudeva...” Except no, this is not the actual meaning. Sometimes people say, “Gurudeva, everything belongs to you, but your lotus feet are mine. And I will cut your lotus feet and keep them in my house.” Do not perform this type of lip service. What does it mean to actually hold the lotus feet of Gurudeva? Having guru-nishtha, steadiness at the lotus feet of Gurudeva.
You have learned many mantras which you are required to chant every day. How many mantras are you chanting? Guru-mantra, guru-gayatri, gaura-mantra, gaura-gayatri, krishna-mantra, gopala-mantra, kama-gayatri, pancha-tattva-mantra, maha-mantra, nrisimha-mantra, even more perhaps— and you are chanting these mantras daily. However, there is one mantra you must also remember every day. It is a simple mantra: ‘Never give up guru and never give up harinama’. Everyone has to chant the holy names every day. This is do or die.
Perhaps I will give up my body, however I will never give up my Guru or harinama. As like Haridasa Thakura said, “Khaṇḍa-khaṇḍa hai deha yāya yadi prāṇa tabu āmi vadane nā chāḍi harināma – Even if you cut my body into pieces and pieces, I will never give up harinama.” This is nama-nishtha, steadiness with the holy names. You must chant the holy names every day.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
And why am I saying this? Because Baladeva Prabhu is akhanda-guru-tattva, undivided guru-tattva. As mentioned, Baladeva Prabhu first killed Dhenukasura, whose form was like a donkey.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Shukadeva Gosvamipada told Pariksit Maharaja the story of the deliverance of Dhenukasura. Once, Krishna and Balarama, with Their friends like Subala and Sridama, were cow herding. They travelled from Vrindavana to Mathura, and as they approached Mathura they realised they forgot to bring their prasada. It was especially hot that day, the rays of the sun were scorching and they were very hungry. All of Krishna’s friends said, “O it is now midday and it is very hot, we cannot return home, and we are very hungry.”
At that moment, the sweet smell of ripened fruits emanated from the forest; these large palm fruits are called tala in Bengali. Actually, the forest in Talavana was Kamsa’s private garden. Gardabhasura, Kamsa’s associate, was guarding and watching over that place. However, Gardabhasura was taking his regular midday rest after eating lunch, so Krishna, Balarama and Their friends initially went unnoticed.
Krishna and Balarama said, “Okay, let’s go to this place, where the very sweet smell of tala is coming from.” Then, Krishna and Balarama began shaking the palm trees and the mature fruits began falling to the ground, making a rumbling sound. Dhenukasura then woke up because of the noise, and his eyes became very red, like balls of iron. He yelled, “Hey! Who are you?!” “I am the personification of your death,” Krishna replied.
This further enraged Dhenukasura, “Hey! Stupid nonsense cowherd boy! Why have you people come here? Do you know this is the garden of Kamsa? Only Kamsa is the supreme enjoyer of this garden, only he can relish the fruits of this forest!” Then Krishna and Balarama began shaking the palm trees again, causing many more palm fruits to fall. Seeing this only made Dhenukasura and Gardabhasura more upset. Dhenukasura rushed at Krishna and Balarama and attempted to attack Lord Balarama with his hind legs. Earlier, Krishna was thinking, “Okay, I have killed many demons, I have to give Baladeva Prabhu a chance.”
When Dhenukasura attacked Baladeva Prabhu, He very easily caught the demon’s hind legs, and He began spinning him and threw him very far. Despite Dhenukasura’s hard landing, he stood up and ran once more to attack Balarama. And, again and again, Baladeva Prabhu effortlessly caught his hind legs and swung him far away, eventually killing Dhenukasura. Then many unpleasant things began passing from the deceased body of Dhenukasura, and the area became engulfed in stool and urine. After witnessing the events that unfolded, all the relatives of Dhenukasura also attacked Baladeva Prabhu, and He very easily defeated them all. Following the battle, the garden became completely covered with blood, urine and stool, and Krishna, Balarama and Their friends could no longer eat the fruits (vivatsa-rasa). I have only briefly spoken on this pastime of Baladeva Prabhu killing Dhenukasura.
As mentioned, Dhenukasura is actually the personification of ignorance, andhakara— the darkness in the hearts of conditioned souls. And what is the nature of a donkey? To be completely stupid and full of nonsense, donkeys are completely foolish. They perform hard labour day and night and their lives are useless. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explained that those who are not doing their daily bhajana and sadhana and only performing hard work to maintain their lives and that of their families, can also be called donkeys.
You must try to comprehend what the meaning of human life is. Bhaktivinoda Thakura compares the ‘hard-working’ conditioned soul to a donkey. When you give up this body, nothing and no one will go with you. You cannot even take one penny with you. Just look at how materialistic people live, they work so hard to collect money. Then, they save it in a bank until they amass millions and millions of dollars. And eventually, when they die, can they take their savings with them?
Or perhaps you prefer to enjoy many kinds of sense gratifications. As a male donkey who always chases a female donkey, attempting to satisfy his senses, regardless of the female donkey bitterly beating the mouth of the male donkey with her hind legs. Despite so much blood and saliva pouring down his face, the he-donkey relentlessly runs behind the she-donkey. What is the meaning of this analogy?
In a pitiful state, like that of a male donkey, conditioned souls still continue to chase maya to enjoy sense gratification. This is true. Day and night, they are chasing this ‘she-donkey’ who represents maya to enjoy material sense gratifications. For this reason, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “Give up this illusion”.
ataeva māyā-moha chāḍi’ buddhimān nitya-tattva kṛṣṇa-bhakti koruna sandhān
Durlabha-manava-janma (13)
[“Therefore I ask of anyone who has any sharp intelligence: please give up all of these temporary illusions presented by maya, and kindly search after the means to get pure devotion to Lord Krishna, for this is the only really tangible eternal truth.”]
If you are a sober and intelligent person, give up this illusion and serve Guru, Vaishnava and Krishna. And chant the holy names - ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare’.
Sometimes, it can be very difficult to give up this illusion since maya is very powerful. This process can be easy to say, but it is not so easy to give up our attachments to maya. Because of this, in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna tells Arjuna:
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te
Bhagavad-gita (7.14)
[“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.”]
Krishna says, “O Arjuna, listen, My maya is very powerful. She is like an octopus. It is not so easy to be freed from maya.” An octopus has many legs which tightly grasps its helpless victims. In the same way, maya firmly grips conditioned living entities. Krishna says: “Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā - This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it."” And what is one meaning of maya? Asakti, attachment to material sense gratification.
So, how can one conquer maya? ‘Mām eva ye prapadyante’. Krishna says, “One who absolutely and completely surrenders to Me, only then can they be freed from the clutches of maya, otherwise not.” This is true. These things are easy to say, however, not so easy to practice. Still, chant the holy names - ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare’, and pray every day to the lotus feet of Baladeva Prabhu. As I said, Sri Balarama will grant us chit-bala, transcendental potency or shakti.
tāte kṛṣṇa bhaje, kare gurura sevana māyā-jāla chuṭe, pāya kṛṣṇera caraṇa
Chaitanya-charitamrita (Madhya-lila 22.25)
[If the conditioned soul engages in the service of the Lord and simultaneously carries out the orders of his spiritual master and serves him, he can get out of the clutches of maya and become eligible for shelter at Krishna’s lotus feet.]
This means one must serve Guru and Krishna, and chant the holy names. Then slowly, slowly, Maya-devi will give up her clutches on you. In this regard, in Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated:
guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā sarva-labdhārpaṇena ca saṅgena sādhu-bhaktānām īśvarārādhanena ca
Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.7.30)
[One must accept the bona fide spiritual master and render service unto him with great devotion and faith. Whatever one has in one’s possession should be offered to the spiritual master, and in the association of saintly persons and devotees one should worship the Lord.]
‘Guru-śuśrūṣayā bhaktyā’ - rendering service towards Guru, then eventually you can be free from maya. So, guru-seva and krishna-seva. Serve Guru and Krishna, then you will become liberated from maya. Here, Krishna is vishaya-tattva and Guru, Baladeva Prabhu is ashraya-tattva. Hence, we serve Krishna under the guidance of Baladeva and Nityananda Prabhu. In this regard, ‘nitaiyera karuna habe, vraje radha-krsna pabe’. When you receive the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, you can attain Vrindavana and serve the Divine Couple Sri-Sri Radha-Krishna.
Returning, Baladeva Prabhu first killed Dhenukasura. If you recall, Dhenukasura was the personification of ignorance, andhakara. And ignorance refers to lust, enviousness, jealousy and four kinds of anarthas: svarupa-bhrama, hridaya-daurbalya, asat-trishna and aparadha. Every day, when you wake up, remember Baladeva Prabhu, gurupada-padma. Give the jaya dao, the glories to Baladeva Prabhu. Srila Bhakti Vallabha Tirtha Gosvami Maharaja was always saying, “Jaya dao, jaya dao, Baladever jaya dao.” He became so absorbed as he sang this song very nicely. You should give glories to Baladeva Prabhu every day. As without His mercy, you cannot receive the mercy of Krishna, and without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, you cannot receive the mercy of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Baladeva Prabhu also killed other demons in krishna-lila such as Pralambhasura, the personification of lust. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that these demons symbolise different unwanted things. In Dvaraka, Baladeva Prabhu delivered a demon called Dvivida, who was in the form of a gorilla, vanara.
The Fall of Dvivida Vanara
Actually, in rama-lila, Dvivida vanara was a servant of Lord Ramachandra. What was his fault though? Dvivida was always envious and criticised Lakshmana. And lakshmana-tattva is guru-tattva. Very carefully ensure you never criticise guru (guru-avajna). Remember this: never dishonour guru. Lord Ramachandra is Bhagavan and Lakshmana is guru-tattva, akhanda-guru-tattva. And Lakshmana is the very nearest and dearest of Lord Rama as He is also His brother— They share this blood relationship.
Regardless of Dvivida vanara nicely serving Ramachandra, his jealousy and enviousness with Lakshmana contributed to his downfall. Lord Ramachandra warned Dvivida many times, “Do not criticise Lakshmana, Lakshmana is My brother and He is also guru-tattva.” Unfortunately, Dvivida did not heed the advice of Lord Ramachandra.
Approaching the end of rama-lila, Ramachandra took everyone with Him, but He did not take Dvivida. Because if you criticise Guru, how will the Lord possibly show you mercy? Try to understand this philosophy. ‘Harau ruṣṭe gurustrātā gurau ruṣṭe na kaścana’ — If the Lord is unhappy with you, then Guru can protect you, but if Guru is unhappy with you, no one can protect you, not even Krishna. Very carefully understand and follow this guru-tattva, always offer respect to Guru. Unfortunately, Dvivida vanara did not understand this philosophy and constantly criticised Lakshmana.
For this reason, Lord Ramachandra did not take the gorilla with Him; instead he was left to stay in the material world. After Treta-yuga comes Dvarapa-yuga. And in Dvarapa-yuga the same Ramachandra appears in the form of Krishna, and the same Lakshmana appears in the form of Baladeva Prabhu. You may ask: why did Lakshmana appear in the form of the Lord’s elder brother in krishna-lila? Why not His younger brother?
Possibly, later I will reveal. It is a very nice and beautiful katha, of why Baladeva Prabhu has come in krishna-lila as Krishna’s elder brother and in rama-lila as His younger brother Laskhmana. Except, today I want to speak about Dvivida vanara, how Balarama delivered the gorilla. In Dvarapa-yuga, during krishna-lila, Dvivida has come with similar samskaras, impressions in his heart, and still criticised Sri Baladeva. In this material world, some people, without reason, create disturbances for others by criticising them or worse. Why? Because of their past impressions, bad samskaras. Surely we have noticed that some criticise or have given their own opinions, always finding fault with others. Who are these people actually? They are descendants from the dynasty of Dvivida vanara. Try to understand this. For multiple lives, Dvivida criticised Lakshmana and Balarama. Still, Baladeva Prabhu was mercifully contemplating, “I have to deliver him.”
Baladeva Prabhu used the mystic powers in His plough to pull Dvivida towards Him, and with His club, He finally delivered the gorilla. What does the actual word dvivida mean? In Sanskrit, dvi means dual and vida means knowledge. Meaning, one who discriminates between Guru and Krishna. However, Guru and Krishna are nondifferent— this is abheda-tattva. Sadly, Dvivida vanara did not realise this truth.
yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi dhyāyan stuvaḿs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaḿ vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
‘Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo’ - If you receive the mercy of Guru, then you are eligible to receive the mercy of Krishna. Except Dvivida vanara believed, “No, I can directly receive the mercy from Lord Rama.” This misconception led him to dishonouring Lakshmana, guru-tattva. For this, Lord Ramachandra did not give him mercy. Anyhow, guru is very merciful. So Gurudeva, Baladeva Prabhu, destroyed all of his anarthas.
This is the duty of Guru, he is like a father or even a mother. And when a baby passes stool on the lap of his mother, the mother simply wipes the baby clean, and again carries the baby on her lap. Likewise, Guru very mercifully has such a deep parental mood, vatsalya-bhava with his disciples. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada mentioned in one of his lectures, “A disciple may possibly be guru-drohi, against his Guru, but a Guru is never against his disciple”.
Guru-drohi refers to those who are against their guru, even criticising him. However, Guru never criticises his disciples. Just like a father who, despite his children’s oppositions, maintains so much love and affection towards them. And like a father, Guru will never abandon his disciples. A disciple may abandon his Guru, but Guru never gives up his disciples. The Guru thinks, “How could I possibly give up my disciple?”
For example, in western cultures, many use the word ex- as a prefix to denote a loss. You are saying ex-wife, ex-girlfriend, ex-boyfriend or ex-president. Do parents, who have lost children, say ex-son or ex-daughter? Have you ever heard a parent say, “Before, he was my son, now he is not.” You simply cannot say this.
This is the spontaneous nature of parents: to maintain love and affection with their offspring. No one says, “This is my ex-son or my ex-daughter.” You cannot use these words. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada explained in one article how Guru’s love and affection towards his disciples is spontaneous, eternal and transcendental.
In Chaitanya-charitamrita, Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami also explains, “Sei prabhu dhanya, ye nā chāḍe nija-jana. - He is my master…” Even if a student leaves, his master will catch him by the choti (lock of hair), and again give him shelter at his lotus feet. Because the relationship between Guru and disciple is eternal and transcendental, it is not material. In his article, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada also explains that even in this material world, the love between parent and child is spontaneous. This considered, how could a parent ever say, “He is my ex-son or she is my ex-daughter.”? These thoughts would never enter their mind. Only in personalities like Putana, do we find these traits in a parent. She disguised herself in the form of a mother in an attempt to kill Krishna.
As mentioned earlier, Baladeva Prabhu delivered Dvivida vanara, and mercifully removed all ignorance and darkness from his heart. Recall that Lord Balarama is guru-tattva and this is the duty of Guru. A bona fide guru thinks, “Whether in this life or the next, I have to destroy his unwanted things, anarthas, from my disciple’s heart”.
Baladeva Prabhu also performed many lilas. On this very super, excellent auspicious day, maybe we can continue discussing the many lilas by Lord Balarama. Sometimes it may seem that, externally, contradictory conversations between Baladeva Prabhu and Krishna are occurring. Take for instance, Krishna wants His sister Subhadra to marry Arjuna, and Baladeva Prabhu wants her to marry Duryodhana.
Now, this lila has manifested to show us that without Krishna’s mercy, no one can do anything, Krishna’s desire is the supreme desire. Accordingly, without His desire, nothing can occur. Without Krishna’s desire, not even one leaf of a tree can move. There are many lilas to cover, like brahma-vimohana-lila, which I will also speak on at a later time. For two more days we will continue glorifying baladeva-lila-katha. Without the glorification of Baladeva Prabhu’s katha, how will your tongue become purified? Without listening to balarama-katha, how will your ears become purified?
[Jaya Baladeva Prabhu ki jaya!]
[Jaya Jaya Sri Radhe!]
Date: 26 August 2018 Location: Ukraine
Transcriber: Sanatana dasa (USA) Editor: Sanatana dasa (USA) Integrity check: Divya-premamayi dasi (Slovakia) Proofreader: Chandrika dasi (UK), Damodara dasa (UK) Image: Narasimhananda dasa (Russia)
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