Category:God Is Lord Balarama
Theme Analysis
The philosophical essence of this category establishes the supreme divine position of Lord Balarāma as the immediate and first expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa are exactly the same in their original forms and absolute potencies, differing only in their color and pastimes. As the source of all subsequent incarnations—including the catur-vyūha (Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha) and the viṣṇu-tattvas—Lord Balarāma is the origin of the creative and spiritual energies. The name Balarāma literally means "spiritual strength," and by His causeless grace, one can attain perfect spiritual realization and protection from envious, demonic forces. Whether He is performing extraordinary pastimes as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana, wielding His plow to punish the Yamunā river, or acting as the ultimate protector of devotees, Lord Balarāma is the Supreme Lord descending simply to increase the transcendental pleasure of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
- The First Expansion of Kṛṣṇa: Lord Balarāma is the immediate personal expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa. They possess the same original, transcendental form and are completely equal in their supreme potencies.
- The Source of All Incarnations: Lord Balarāma expands into the original Saṅkarṣaṇa and all subsequent viṣṇu-tattvas. He is the ultimate origin of the creative energy and the source of the puruṣa-avatāras.
- The Meaning of Balarāma: The name "Bala" signifies spiritual strength. Lord Balarāma is the bestower of the spiritual power required to attain pure devotion and self-realization.
- Transcendental Pastimes and Power: Descending as Kṛṣṇa's brother, Lord Balarāma performs magnificent pastimes, effortlessly killing demons like Pralambāsura and displaying His supreme strength by punishing the Yamunā river with His plow.
- The Protector of Devotees: As the original Śeṣa incarnation, Lord Balarāma acts as the ultimate protector of the Lord's pure devotees, saving them from the attacks of envious, demonic persons.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: God Is Lord Balarāma - The First Expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
Subcategories
This category has only the following subcategory.
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Pages in category "God Is Lord Balarama"
The following 90 pages are in this category, out of 90 total.
A
- After nearly a year, Baladeva observed that all the cowherd boys and calves were expansions of Krsna. Thus He inquired from Krsna and was informed of what had happened
- All manifestations, in both the material and spiritual worlds, are demonstrations of the different potencies of Lord Krsna. The Personality of Godhead Baladeva is His immediate personal expansion, and Bhima, Arjuna, etc., are His personal associates
- All the great, learned sages present realized that although they considered the action of Lord Balarama improper, the Lord was immediately able to compensate with greater profits
- Another lady said, "Don't you see how the face of Lord Balarama has turned especially beautiful? There is a reddish hue on His white face because He is engaged in a strenuous wrestling match with Mustika"
- Are Ugrasena, whose son was the mischievous Kamsa, & his younger brother still living? Are Hrdika & his son Krtavarma happy? Are Akrura, Jayanta, Gada, Sarana & Satrujit all happy? How is Balarama, the Personality of Godhead & the protector of devotees?
- 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
- At that time Baladeva took up His plow weapon and gazed upon Jarasandha with colored eyes
- At the last stage, He (Balarama) departed from this world by producing a great white snake from His mouth, and thus He was carried by Sesanaga in the shape of a serpent
B
- Bala means this Balarama, the spiritual strength. The spiritual realization can be achieved by the grace of Lord Balarama
- Baladeva is the immediate expansion of Krsna. He also engages in the service of Krsna, and certainly the ordinary living entities are serving. Everyone is created, constitutionally, for serving Krsna
- Baladeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who hears and chants about Him is purified. Because He is always the well-wisher of all living entities, He has descended with all His paraphernalia to purify the entire world and lessen its burden
- Balarama immediately struck the demon's (Pralambasura's) head with His strong fist, and the demon fell down dead as if he were a snake whose head had been smashed
- Balarama is Nityananda. Vrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta haila sei, balarama ha-ila nitai. This bala - Balarama - comes with Caitanya Mahaprabhu, & both of Them are so merciful that in this age of Kali one may very easily take shelter of Their lotus feet
- Balarama is the protector of the devotees of the Lord
- 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 showed His power in such a way that all of Hastinapura trembled and would have been vanquished as if by a great earthquake. Then the matter was settled, and Samba married Duryodhana's daughter
- Balarama's own expansion is called Maha-sankarsana, and His fragment, the purusa, is counted as a kala, or a part of a plenary portion
- Balarama, the first expansion of Krsna, expands Himself in five forms: (1) Maha-sankarsana, (2) Karanodakasayi, (3) Garbhodakasayi, (4) Ksirodakasayi, and (5) Sesa
- Balarama, who has the same original form as Krsna, is Himself a cowherd boy in Vrndavana, and He also considers Himself a member of the ksatriya race in Dvaraka. Thus His color and dress are different, and He is called a pastime form of Krsna
- Because He (the son of Rohini) will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families - Vasudeva's family and the family of Nanda Maharaja - He will be known as Sankarsana - SB 10.8.12
- Because Romaharsana was seated on the vyasasana, he foolishly thought himself greater than the Lord; therefore he did not get down from his seat or bow down before the Lord (Balarama)
- Because Sankarsana appears in order to increase love of Krsna, He is known as Baladeva. One may take auspicious strength from Him to become a devotee of the Lord, and therefore He is also known as Balabhadra
- By remaining in Kamsa's association, they (some of the chief devotees, such as Akrura) would be able to see the SP of G take birth and display His childhood pastimes, and Akrura would later go to Vrndavana to bring Krsna and Balarama to Mathura
F
- For the pastimes of the Ratha-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha got aboard one car, and His sister, Subhadra, and elder brother, Balarama, got aboard two other cars
- From Baladeva is Sankarsana, from Sankarsana is Narayana, from Narayana there is the second Sankarsana, and from this Sankarsana the Visnu purusa-avataras
H
- He (Baladeva) is the plenary manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He is as good and powerful as Lord Krsna. He belongs to the visnu-tattva (the principle of Godhead)
- He (Balarama) immediately wanted to scratch the land near the river with His plowshare (because Yamuna neglected His order)
- He (Balarama) shook hands with those who were His equals in age and friendship and with loud laughing embraced each one of them
- He (Balarama) stood up steadily and, taking His plow in His hand, began striking the earth with it, separating the whole city of Hastinapura from the earth, and then He began to drag the city toward the flowing water of the river Ganges
- He (the king of Mithila) gave many valuable presents to Balaramaji in order to seek His pleasure. At this time Sri Balarama lived in the city for several years as the honored guest of the King of Mithila, Janaka Maharaja
- However powerful the reactions of one's sins, they will immediately be vanquished if one chants the name of Hari, Krsna, Balarama or Narayana
I
- If one has no connection with Nitai, Balarama, then even though one is a very learned scholar or jnani or has taken birth in a very respectable family, these assets will not help him
- If someone calls Lord Ramacandra by the vibration Hare Rama, O Lord Ramacandra! he is quite right. Similarly, if one says that Hare Rama means, O Sri Balarama! he is also right. Those who are aware of the visnu-tattva do not fight over all these details
- If someone says that the Rama in Hare Rama is Lord Ramacandra and someone else says that the Rama in Hare Rama is Sri Balarama, both are correct because there is no difference between Sri Balarama and Lord Rama
- Immediately upon entering the Talavana, Balarama began to yank the trees with His arms, exhibiting the strength of an elephant. Because of this jerking, all the ripe fruits fell down on the ground
- In his book Laghu-bhagavatamrta, Srila Rupa Gosvami has enumerated the following twenty-five lila-avataras: Prthu, Nrsimha, Kurma, Dhanvantari, Mohini, Vamana, Parasurama, Raghavendra, Vyasa, Balarama, Krsna, Buddha and Kalki
- In the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, the Lord advented Himself as Lord Sri Balarama and Lord Sri Krsna in the family of Vrsni (the Yadu dynasty), and by doing so He removed the burden of the world
- It appears that Lord Krsna and Baladeva were both very greatly afraid of Kamsa, and therefore They had to hide Themselves. But if Lord Krsna and Baladeva are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, how was it possible that They were afraid of Kamsa
- It is not imagination but a fact that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His sweet will, appears in different incarnations, such as Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Nrsimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Ramacandra, Balarama, Buddha and many other forms
- It is to be understood that the Vasudeva referred to in this verse of Bhagavad-gita is Baladeva, or Balarama, because He is the original source of all incarnations and thus He is the sole source of Vasudeva
K
- Krsna has appeared as the son of mother Saci, and Balarama has appeared as Nityananda, and Their business is to deliver all fallen souls, especially in this age, Kali-yuga
- Krsna said: these wasps and bees are not as they appear; they are great sages who are taking this opportunity to worship the supreme soul. Although You (Balarama) are not known by ordinary persons, they know You, & they are following and glorifying You
- Krsna spoke to His elder brother Balarama as follows, "My dear brother, You are superior to all of us, and Your lotus feet are worshiped by the demigods. Just see how these trees, full with fruits and flowers, have bent down to worship Your lotus feet"
- Kurus said, "Dear Lord, please consider us most foolish. Our intelligence was bewildered and not in order. Therefore we have come before You to beg Your pardon. Please excuse us"
L
- Lord Balarama had avoided taking part in the Battle of Kuruksetra, and yet because of His position as an incarnation, the reestablishment of religious principles was His prime duty
- Lord Balarama has two weapons, a plow and a club, from which He takes service when they are required
- Lord Balarama is the Sesa incarnation, and therefore He can save us from angry serpents or envious persons, who are always ready to attack
- Lord Balarama's thoughts of astonishment at such wonderful retaliation (of how Krsna responded by replacing all the calves and boys in the field which Lord Brahma stole by his mystic power) are recorded in this verse - SB 10.13.37
- Lord Narayana is a part of a plenary part of Lord Nityananda Balarama, who is the source of all incarnations
- Lord Sankarsana is Lord Balarama. Being the predominator of the creative energy, He creates both the material and the spiritual world
- Lord Sri Krsna is the svayam-rupa Personality of Godhead, and all other forms of Godhead, beginning from Sri Baladeva, Sankarsana, Vasudeva, Aniruddha, Pradyumna and Narayana are Lord Sri Krsna's plenary portions and integrated parts
O
- O King, leave here and offer your daughter to Lord Baladeva, who is still present. He is most powerful. Indeed, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose plenary portion is Lord Visnu. Your daughter is fit to be given to Him in charity
- O mother Devaki, by your good fortune and ours, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, with all His plenary portions, such as Baladeva, is now within your womb - SB 10.2.41
- Once Krsna was watching Sridama very expertly using his stick to fight with Balarama, who was an expert club-fighter and who had even killed the Pralambasura demon with His club
- One devotee described the personal beauty of Baladeva as follows, "Let me take shelter of the lotus feet of Balarama, whose beauty is enhanced by the earrings touching his cheeks"
- Our dear Lord (Balarama), the uncommon use of Your kusa weapon to kill Romaharsana Suta may remain as it is; because You desired to kill him, he should not be brought to life again
S
- Since Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the original form of Baladeva, in His ecstasy He asked everyone to bring honey. In this way, all the devotees standing there saw the yamunakarsana-lila
- Since the argument (about Samba's release) was not settled, Balarama showed His power in such a way that all of Hastinapura trembled and would have been vanquished as if by a great earthquake
- Since the gorilla was striking Him with his hands, Lord Balarama would not strike him back with His own weapons, the club or the plow. Simply with His fists He struck the collarbone of the gorilla
- Sri Baladeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He is equal in supremacy to the Supreme Godhead, yet wherever Krsna appears, Sri Baladeva appears as His brother, sometimes elder and sometimes younger
T
- 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 devotees worship all these forms (Lord Rama, Baladeva, Sankarsana, Narayana, Maha-Visnu and so forth) according to their liking, and the Lord, out of His affection, presents Himself as arca-vigraha
- The gorilla was striking Him with his (Dvivida's) hands, Balarama would not strike him back with His own weapons, club or plow
- The incarnations of Rama and Dhanvantari displayed His fame, and Balarama, Mohini and Vamana exhibited the Lord's beauty. Dattatreya, Matsya, Kumara and Kapila exhibited His transcendental knowledge
- The Ksirodakasayi Visnu has His own planet on the northern top of the universe, and there is a great ocean of milk where the Lord resides on the bed of the Ananta incarnation of Baladeva
- The Kurus said, "Our dear Lord (Balarama), You have appeared on this earth in Your transcendental body just for the maintenance of the cosmic situation. You are above all anger, envy and enmity"
- The Lord has innumerable forms (ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan (BS 5.39)), and unless these forms, such as Lord Ramacandra, Nrsimhadeva, Krsna and Balarama, were transcendental, how could they be worshiped by devotees since time immemorial
- The Lord’s clothing, bedding, slippers and everything required as an ordinary necessity are all transformations of Sesa, Visnu, the expansion of Sri Baladeva
- The original quadruple forms - Krsna, Baladeva, Pradyumna and Aniruddha - expand into another quadruple, which is present in the Vaikuntha planets of the spiritual sky
- The river Yamuna still has many small branches due to being scratched by the plowshare of Lord Balarama
- The Sankarsana form in the second quadruple is not only a representation of Balarama but also the original cause of the Causal Ocean, where Karanodakasayi Visnu lies asleep, breathing out the seeds of innumerable universes
- The Yamuna very much afraid of Lord Balarama’s anger, immediately came and surrendered unto Him, praying to the Lord, the SP of Godhead, and admitting her fault. She was then excused. This is the sum and substance of the yamunakarsana-lila
- There (in the spiritual sky) the personal feature of Balarama called Maha-sankarsana is the shelter of the spiritual energy. He is the primary cause, the cause of all causes
- There are innumerable forms of God - Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, Krsna, Kapiladeva, Balarama and so on. Sometimes foolish people ask, - You are worshiping Krsna. Why don't you worship Rama
- These are the feelings of Srimati Radharani. First Lord Caitanya felt that He had been taken to Vrndavana, where He saw Krsna’s rasa dance with the gopis. Then He was brought to Kuruksetra to see Lord Jagannatha, His sister (Subhadra) and Lord Balarama
- This time He (Balarama) wanted to bring the Yamuna by force, and He took the help of His plow. He wanted to punish the Yamuna because she did not come in obedience to His order
- This verse (of CC Adi-lila 6.64), quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 10.15.17), describes how Lord Krsna and Lord Balarama were playing with the cowherd boys after killing Dhenukasura in Talavana
W
- When Lord Balarama came to rescue him (Samba), there was an argument about Samba's release
- When Lord Balarama saw that Romaharsana Suta did not understand the highest principle of religion in spite of his having studied all the Vedas, He certainly could not support his position
- When Romaharsana-suta was speaking to the great assembly of sages at Naimisaranya. Lord Baladeva entered that great assembly, but since Romaharsana-suta was on the vyasasana, he did not get down to offer respect to Lord Baladeva
- When the ass demons came to kick Krsna and Balarama with their hind legs, Balarama caught one of them and threw him into the top of a tree, and the demon died
- When the King of Mithila saw the arrival of Sri Balarama in his city, he was most pleased and received the Lord with great honor and hospitality