Category:Balarama Says
Theme Analysis
As the first plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Balarāma plays a unique role in the eternal pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. His words, as recorded in the Vedic literatures and explained by Śrīla Prabhupāda, reveal a complex personality: He is simultaneously the ultimate philosophical authority, a fiercely protective elder brother, an uncompromising chastiser of the arrogant, and a loving servitor struck with wonder by Kṛṣṇa's opulence.
One of the most profound instances of Balarāma speaking occurs during the Brahmā-vimohana-līlā. When Lord Brahmā steals the cowherd boys and calves, Kṛṣṇa expands Himself to replace them. For an entire year, Balarāma observes an unprecedented increase in parental and fraternal affection among the residents of Vṛndāvana. Astonished, He explicitly questions Kṛṣṇa, eventually realizing and declaring that all the boys and calves are not demigods or sages, but direct expansions of Kṛṣṇa Himself. This dialogue highlights Balarāma's theological insight and His deep, ecstatic love.
Balarāma’s voice is also one of righteous fury. When the Kuru dynasty improperly arrests Sāmba and subsequently insults the Yadu dynasty—treating them like "shoes" while considering themselves "helmets"—Balarāma becomes enraged. His vituperative speech dismantling the Kurus' false pride is legendary. He reminds them that the dust of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet is worshipped by Brahmā and Śiva, and He threatens to physically smash the entire universe or rid the world of the Kuru dynasty on that very day to teach them a lesson.
Yet, Balarāma is also the voice of pacification and profound wisdom. He acts as a neutral mediator, attempting to stop the unnecessary club fight between Bhīmasena and Duryodhana. He offers philosophical solace to Rukmiṇī when her brother is humiliated, explaining the laws of karma. In all His statements—whether expressing parental affection to keep Kṛṣṇa indoors, instructing the personified Yamunā river, or dealing with the hypocritical Romaharṣaṇa Sūta—Lord Balarāma's words perfectly establish the absolute supremacy of Kṛṣṇa while actively maintaining the cosmic and moral order.
- Theological Astonishment: Lord Balarāma's realization and declaration that Kṛṣṇa had expanded into all the cowherd boys and calves highlights His profound understanding of Kṛṣṇa's mystic opulence.
- Righteous Anger: Balarāma’s fierce chastisement of the arrogant Kuru dynasty perfectly defends the honor of the Yadu dynasty and establishes Kṛṣṇa's supreme, unapproachable position.
- Philosophical Authority: Whether speaking on the laws of karma, the nature of material transmigration, or Vedic injunctions, Balarāma's words act as absolute scriptural authority.
- Protective Affection: Beneath His immense power, Balarāma's words frequently reveal a deep, parental-like affection and protective care for His younger brother, Kṛṣṇa.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Balarāma Says - The Voice of the First Expansion.
Pages in category "Balarama Says"
The following 53 pages are in this category, out of 53 total.
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- Baladeva felt astonished and said, "How wonderful it is that my ecstatic love for Krsna is again being attracted to so many cowherd boys, calves and cows!" He was struck with wonder by thinking in this way
- Balarama continued, "The living entity, or spirit soul, being in contact with these, is transmigrating from one body to another due to illusory enjoyment, and that transmigration is known as material existence"
- Balarama said - This is an abomination very much contrary to Our family tradition! To cut someone's hair and shave his mustache and beard is almost comparable to killing him
- Balarama said to Krsna, You Yourself are playing as the calves & cows & boys. What is the mystery of this situation? Where have those other calves & cows & boys gone? And why are You expanding Yourself as the cows, calves & boys? Will You kindly tell Me
- Balarama said to Yamuna, "You wretched river! You didn't care for My order. Now I shall teach you a lesson! You didn't come to Me voluntarily. Now with the help of My plow I shall force you to come. I shall divide you into hundreds of scattered streams"
- Balarama said, "Consider the exalted position of the Yadu dynasty. They have forcibly used both the assembly house and the parijata tree of the heavenly planets, and still you think that they cannot order you (Kurus)"
- Balarama said, "Dear friends, this time I have come to you (Kurus) as a messenger with the order of the all-powerful King Ugrasena. Please, hear the order with attention & great care. Without wasting a single moment, please try to carry out the order"
- Balarama said, "Does this mean that even Lord Krsna, the Lord of the whole creation and the husband of the goddess of fortune, cannot use this royal paraphernalia? The dust of Krsna's lotus feet is worshiped by all the great demigods"
- Balarama said, "Don't you (Kurus) even think that Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can sit on the exalted royal throne and command everyone? All right! If your thinking is like that, you deserve to be taught a very good lesson"
- Balarama said, "Every statement they (Kurus) made was full of crazy proposals. I should immediately take them to task and bring them to their senses. If I do not take steps against them, it will be improper on My part"
- Balarama said, "For when such a relative is conscious of his own fault, that consciousness itself is like death. Therefore, there is no need to kill him"
- Balarama said, "Great demigods like Lord Brahma, Siva and even the goddess of fortune and I are simply plenary parts of His spiritual identity, and still you (Kurus) think that He is not fit to use the royal insignia or even sit on the royal throne"
- Balarama said, "How regrettable it is that these fools (Kurus) consider us, the members of the Yadu dynasty, to be like shoes and themselves like helmets"
- Balarama said, "I am now prepared to smash the whole universe, and I know that Krsna will not be angry with Me. "Then He addressed Krsna: "My dear Krsna, tell Me immediately why the whole world is trembling, and why the moon has become elongated!"
- Balarama said, "I do not think we should disturb our good relationship; we should continue our friendship without any unnecessary fighting. Please, therefore, immediately release Samba and bring him, along with his wife, Laksmana, before Me"
- Balarama said, "It is clear now that these leaders of the Kuru dynasty have become mad over their worldly possessions and opulence"
- Balarama said, "It is clear that they do not want a peaceful settlement, for they are factually warmongers. With great pride they have repeatedly insulted Me by calling the Yadu dynasty ill names"
- Balarama said, "King Ugrasena knows very well that you warriors of the Kuru dynasty improperly fought with the pious Samba, who was alone, and that with great difficulty and unrighteous tactics you have arrested him"
- Balarama said, "Krsna Yourself are playing as the calves and boys. What is the mystery of this situation? Where have those other calves and boys gone? And why are You expanding Yourself as the calves and boys? Will You kindly tell Me what is the cause?"
- Balarama said, "O you kings of the ants! Why are you hiding yourselves in these holes?" At the same time He also addressed the King of heaven: "O King Indra! You plaything of Saci! Why are you laughing?"
- Balarama said, "O you members of the Yadu dynasty, why are you laughing at Me? Please give me back My liquors made of honey from the kadamba flower!"
- 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, "On this very day I shall rid the whole world of any trace of the Kuru dynasty. I shall finish them off immediately"
- Balarama said, "Simultaneously I can also give this Romaharsana Suta life again, with a span of long duration, sufficient strength and full power of the senses. Not only this, but if you desire I shall be glad to award him anything else you may ask"
- Balarama said, "Tell Him He should not leave the house today." This shows how Balarama, Krsna's elder brother, took care of Krsna with parental love, within the scope of fraternal affection
- Balarama said, "The Ganges water inundates the whole world, and since it emanates from His lotus feet, its banks have turned into great places of pilgrimage"
- Balarama said, "The principal deities of all planets engage in His service and consider themselves most fortunate to take the dust of the lotus feet of Krsna on their helmets"
- Balarama said, "They (the Yadus) were preparing to attack the whole kingdom of the Kuru dynasty, but I pacified them and took the trouble to come here to settle the affair without any fighting. Yet these rascals behave like this"
- Balarama said, "Ugrasrava, the son of Romaharsana Suta, should henceforth take his father’s position and continue the discourses on the Purana"
- 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 said, "We have all heard this news (Bhismadeva, Dhrtarastra, Dronacarya, Duryodhana and Bahlika faught with Samba improperly), but we are not very much agitated because we are most intimately related to one another"
- Balarama said, "Whatever Rukmi might have been, he is now Our brother-in-law, a relative of Our family, and You (Krsna) should not have put him in such a condition"
- Balarama said, "You (Kurus) have thought it wise that the royal insignias like the whisk, fan, white umbrella, royal throne and other princely paraphernalia not be used by the Yadu dynasty"
- Balarama said, "Your (Kurus) conclusion is wonderful! You do not care for King Ugrasena, whose order is obeyed even by King Indra"
- Because of Their (Balarama and Krsna) feeling affection for Nanda and Yasoda, Lord Krsna and Balarama became choked up, and for a few seconds They could not speak
- Being afraid of His mother, Krsna replied, “My dear mother, all these boys, including My elder brother, Balarama, are speaking lies against Me
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- Krsna and Balarama learned how to speak and understand the languages of various countries. Not only did They learn the languages of human beings; Krsna could also speak even with animals and birds
- Krsna and Balarama said, "Dear father and mother, although We were born of Vasudeva and Devaki, you have been Our real father and mother, because from Our very birth and childhood you raised Us with great affection and love"
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- Lord Baladeva said, "O supreme controller (Krsna)! These boys are not great demigods, as previously thought. Nor are these calves great sages like Narada. Now I can see that You alone are manifesting Yourself in all varieties of difference" - SB 10.13.39
- Lord Balarama again turned toward Krsna and said, "My dear Krsna, a relative, even though he commits such a blunder and deserves to be killed, should be excused"
- Lord Balarama considered, "I have appeared in order to chastise false persons who are internally impure but externally pose themselves as very learned and religious. My killing of such persons is proper, to check them from further sinful activity"
- Lord Balarama said, "Because the son is produced from the body of the father, the Vedas enjoin that the son is the father’s representative"
- Lord Balarama said, "I shall be glad to award him anything else you may ask. I shall be very glad to grant all these boons to fulfill your desires"
- Lord Balarama said, "This man (Romaharsana Suta) is liable to be awarded the death punishment because"
- Lord Balarama said, "Ugrasrava, will therefore have all the facilities you (sages) offered - a long duration of life in a good and healthy body, with no disturbances and full strength of all the senses"
- Lord Balarama said, I thought that these boys and calves were a display of the power of great sages like Narada, but now I see that all these boys and calves are You (Krsna)
- Lord Balarama said, My dear Krsna, in the beginning I thought that all these cows, calves and cowherd boys were either great sages and saintly persons or demigods, but at the present it appears that they are actually Your expansions. They are all You
- 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"
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- These words are very astonishing but quite befitting the Age of Kali; otherwise how could Balarama speak so vituperatively?
- This (CC Madhya 20.306) is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 10.68.37). When the Kauravas flattered Baladeva so that He would become their ally and spoke ill of Sri Krsna, Lord Baladeva became angry and spoke this verse
- To pacify Rukmini, Lord Balarama said to her, "You should not be sorry that your brother (Rukmi) has been made odd-looking. Everyone suffers or enjoys the results of his own actions"