Category:Krsna Book Chapter 79 - The Liberation of Balvala, and Lord Balarama's Touring the Sacred Places
Pages in category "Krsna Book Chapter 79 - The Liberation of Balvala, and Lord Balarama's Touring the Sacred Places"
The following 73 pages are in this category, out of 73 total.
A
- According to the advice of His father, Vasudeva, He (Balarama) offered oblations to the forefathers in this Visnu temple. From here He traveled to the delta of the Ganges, where the sacred river Ganges mixes with the Bay of Bengal
- Actually Lord Balarama had no business performing the sacrifices recommended for ordinary human beings; He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He Himself is the enjoyer of all such sacrifices
- After bathing there (river Narmada) according to regulative principles, Lord Balarama returned to Prabhasa-tirtha, where He had begun His journey
- After distributing cows at Setubandha, Lord Balarama proceeded toward the Krtamala and Tamraparni rivers. These two rivers are celebrated as sacred, and Lord Balarama bathed in them both
- After finishing His bathing and ritualistic ceremonies at Gangasagara, Lord Balarama proceeded toward the mountain known as Mahendra Parvata, where He met Parasurama, an incarnation of Lord Krsna, and offered Him respect by bowing down before Him
- After taking His bath in this holy place, He (Balarama) proceeded toward the river Sarayu and visited the source of the river
- After this He (Balarama) bathed in the rivers known as Tapi, Payosni and Nirvindhya, and then He came to the forest known as Dandakaranya. This is the same Dandakaranya forest where Lord Ramacandra lived while in exile
- After visiting Karttikeya, Lord Balarama gradually proceeded to Sailapura, a pilgrimage city in the province of Maharastra. Sailapura is one of the biggest districts in Maharastra province
- After visiting Rangaksetra, Lord Balarama gradually proceeded toward Madurai, commonly known as the Mathura of southern India
- After visiting this place (Kerala), He (Balarama) came to Gokarna-tirtha, where Siva is constantly worshiped. He then visited the temple of Aryadevi, which is completely surrounded by water. From that island He went on to a place known as Surparaka
- After visiting this place, He (Balarama) gradually proceeded toward Setubandha, the place where Lord Ramacandra constructed the stone bridge from India to Lanka (Ceylon)
- All of them (sages of Naimisaranya) embraced Balarama with great affection and induced Him to perform various kinds of sacrifices in that sacred spot of Naimisaranya
- All the important acaryas of the modern age - namely Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnu Svami and Nimbarka - advented themselves in these Dravida provinces. Lord Caitanya, however, appeared in Bengal, which is part of the five Gauda-desas
- Amidst His relatives and friends, He appeared to be a shining full moon amidst the luminaries in the sky. Lord Balarama is the Personality of Godhead Ananta Himself; therefore He is beyond the scope of understanding by mind, intelligence or body
- As soon as He (Balarama) saw the demon, Lord Balarama prepared to attack him. He first considered how He could smash the great demon to pieces. Lord Balarama then called for His plow and club, and they immediately appeared before Him
- As the well-wisher of both of them, Lord Balarama wanted to stop them (Bhimasena and Duryodhana), but they would not stop
- At the point of the cape (known today as Cape Comorin) is a big temple of goddess Durga, who is known there as Kanyakumari
B
- Balarama gradually reached the asrama of the sage Pulaha and from there went to the rivers Gandaki and Gomati. After this He took His bath in the river Vipasa. Then He gradually came to the bank of the Sona River
- Balarama said, "On the other hand, Duryodhana is superior in the art of fighting with a club. Taking this into consideration, My opinion is that neither of you is inferior to the other in fighting"
- Balarama said, "Under the circumstances, there is very little chance that one of you will be defeated by the other. Therefore I request you not to waste your time fighting in this way. I wish you to stop this unnecessary fight"
- Balarama's striking fractured the demon's forehead, making blood flow profusely
- Both Duryodhana and Bhimasena were very enthusiastic in fighting with clubs, and, in the midst of a large audience, each very skillfully tried to strike the other
- Both of them (Bhimasena and Duryodhana) then became like madmen in remembering the strong accusations and ill behavior they had exchanged with each other
F
- From Cape Comorin Lord Balarama turned toward Kerala. The country of Kerala is still existing in southern India under the name of South Kerala
- From there (Kanyakumari), Balarama went on to visit the pilgrimage city known as Phalguna-tirtha, which is on the shore of the Indian Ocean, or the Southern Ocean
H
- He (Balarama) again went to the holy place of pilgrimage at Naimisaranya, and the sages, saintly persons and brahmanas all stood up to receive Him
- He (Balarama) descended exactly like a human being and behaved in that way for His own purposes; we can only explain His activities as the Lord's pastimes
- He (Balarama) then proceeded toward Malaya Hill. This hill is very great, and it is said to be one of seven peaks called the Malaya Hills
- He (Balvala) was a gigantic person, and his black body was like a huge mass of carbon
- He (Lord Balarama) also took His bath there and performed the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. He continued His travels and gradually came to the pilgrimage city of Gaya, where there is a celebrated Visnu temple
- He (Lord Balarama) took His bath, and then He worshiped in the local temples of the demigods and, as enjoined in the Vedic literature, offered oblations to the forefathers and sages
- His (Balarama) exemplary action in performing sacrifices was only to give a lesson to the common man to show how one should abide by the injunctions of the Vedas
I
- In this particularly holy place (Setubandha), Lord Balarama distributed ten thousand cows to the local brahmana priests
- It is clear from the description of Srimad-Bhagavatam that when Lord Balarama was visiting the different places of pilgrimage He properly followed the Vedic system
- It is the Vedic custom that when a rich visitor goes to any place of pilgrimage he gives the local priests houses, cows, ornaments and garments as gifts of charity
L
- Lord Balarama heard that although most of the ksatriyas had been killed, the Kurus were still engaged in fighting. Therefore He returned to the battlefield just on the day Bhimasena and Duryodhana were engaged in a personal duel
- Lord Balarama is the original Visnu; therefore anyone remembering these pastimes of Lord Balarama in the morning and evening will certainly become a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus his life will be successful in all respects
- Lord Balarama next came to the bank of the river Narmada, the biggest river in central India. On the bank of this sacred Narmada is a pilgrimage spot known as Mahismati-puri
- Lord Balarama prepared Himself to meet the demon Balvala. At the time when the demon usually attacked the sacred place, there appeared a great hailstorm, the whole sky became covered with dust, and the atmosphere became surcharged with a filthy smell
- Lord Balarama then took the avabhrtha bath, which is taken after finishing sacrificial performances. After taking His bath, He dressed Himself in new silken garments and decorated Himself with beautiful jewelry
- Lord Balarama took permission from the brahmanas assembled at Naimisaranya and, accompanied by other brahmanas, went to the bank of the river Kausiki
- Lord Balarama turned toward southern India and visited the banks of the river Godavari. After taking His bath in the river Godavari and performing the necessary ritualistic ceremonies, He gradually visited the other rivers the Vena, Pampa and Bhimarathi
- Lord Balarama, being able to understand the destiny awaiting them (Bhimasena and Duryodhana), was not eager to go further in the matter. Therefore, instead of staying, He decided to return to the city of Dvaraka
- Lord Balarama, wanting to stop the fighting, said, "My dear King Duryodhana and Bhimasena, I know that both of you are great fighters & are well known in the world as heroes, but still I think that Bhimasena is superior to Duryodhana in bodily strength"
- Lord Krsna and Balarama appeared on this earth to lessen the burden of military strength created by the ambitious ksatriya kings. This is the way of materialistic life: not being satisfied by the absolute necessities of life
S
- Sacred place called Gangasagara, and at the end of January every year there is still a great assembly of saintly persons and pious men, just as there is an assembly of saintly persons in Prayaga every year called the Magha-mela fair
- Screaming loudly, the demon (Balvala), who had been such a great disturbance to the pious brahmanas, fell to the ground like a great mountain with a red oxide peak being struck and smashed to the ground by a thunderbolt
- Supreme goal is the understanding that the whole cosmic manifestation rests on the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that the S.P of Godhead is also all-pervading, even within the minutest atom, by the function of His Paramatma feature
T
- The brahmanas and sages honored Lord Balarama by presenting Him with first-class new clothing and ornaments and the lotus garland of victory; this garland was the reservoir of all beauty and was everlasting - it was never to be dried up
- The demon Balvala was flying in the sky, and at the first opportunity Lord Balarama dragged him down with His plow and angrily smashed the demon's head with His club
- The good instruction given by Lord Balarama to Bhimasena and Duryodhana was intended for the equal benefit of both of them. But they were so enwrapped in anger against each other that they could remember only their long-standing personal enmity
- The great sage Agastya used to live there, and Lord Balarama visited him and offered His respects by bowing down before him
- The inhabitants of Naimisaranya offered their heartfelt blessings to the Lord, and all agreed that none of Lord Balarama's attempts to do something would ever be a failure
- The inhabitants of Naimisaranya, learned sages and brahmanas, became most pleased by seeing this, and they offered their respectful prayers to Lord Balarama
- The mischievous demon Balvala began to shower torrents of stool and urine and other impure substances on the arena of sacrifice. After this onslaught, the demon himself appeared with a great trident in his hand
- The most important place of pilgrimage in southern India, or Dravida, is Venkatacala, commonly known as Balaji. After visiting this place Lord Balarama proceeded toward Visnukanci, and from there He proceeded on the bank of the Kaveri
- The reason they (Yudhisthira, Nakula, Sahadeva, Lord Krsna and Arjuna) were silent was that Lord Balarama was somewhat affectionate toward Duryodhana, who had learned from Balaramaji the art of fighting with a club
- The sages and brahmanas then performed a ceremonial bathing of Lord Balarama, just as the demigods bathe King Indra when he is victorious over the demons
- The temple of Kanyakumari was also visited by Lord Ramacandra, and therefore it is to be understood that the temple has been existing for millions of years
- There (Pancapsarasa) also He bathed according to the regulative principles and observed the ritualistic ceremonies. This site is also celebrated as a shrine of Lord Visnu; therefore Lord Balarama distributed ten thousand cows to the local brahmana priests
- They (sages of Naimisaranya) understood that Lord Balarama, although a ksatriya, was now retired from the fighting business. The brahmanas and sages, who were always for peace and tranquillity, were very much pleased at this
- This system of visiting places of pilgrimage and providing the local brahmana priests with all necessities of life has greatly deteriorated in this Age of Kali
- Traveling on the bank of the Sarayu River, He (Balarama) gradually reached Prayaga, where there is a confluence of three rivers - the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvatira
W
- When He (Balarama) returned to Dvaraka, He was received with great jubilation by relatives and friends, headed by King Ugrasena and other elder persons, who all came forward to welcome Him
- When Lord Balarama appeared on the scene, King Yudhisthira and his younger brothers Nakula and Sahadeva, as well as Lord Krsna and Arjuna, immediately offered Him their respectful obeisances, but they did not speak at all
- When Lord Balarama returned to Prabhasa-tirtha, He heard from the brahmanas that most of the ksatriyas in the Battle of Kuruksetra had been killed. Balarama felt relieved to hear that the burden of the world had been reduced
- When the fighting was going on, King Yudhisthira and others thought that Balarama might have come there to say something in favor of Duryodhana, and they therefore remained silent
- While attempting to do so they (Bhimasena and Duryodhana) appeared to be dancing, but nonetheless it was clear that both of them were very angry
- While going to Visnukanci, He visited Sivakanci. Lord Balarama took His bath in the river Kaveri; then He gradually reached Rangaksetra. The biggest Visnu temple in the world is in Rangaksetra, and the Visnu Deity there is celebrated as Ranganatha