Balaramas Rasa lila

[Paramananda das]

 

Today is the Balarama Rasa yatra , the day Lord Balarama performed His Rasa lila. I was walking outside very early and the moon looked so bright , as if he was reflecting Lord Balaramas Rasa lila .Jaya Rasa Lila Sarva Manorama  :" This rasa-lila pastime captivates the hearts of all with its excellent expression of artistic song, dance and playing of musical instruments. Even the demigoddesses, Apsaras and Gandharvas are in awe seeing the marvelous talent of Sri Balarama and His  sakhis as they perform this most wonderful of all Vraja pastimes. To applaud their performance, the demigods shower down abundant fragrant flowers from the sky, beat kettle drums and exclaim joyous appreciation".

 Later when I came back from the japa walk the moon was gone and I was thinking I want to pay my obeisances to the moon as he is a witness to Lord Balaramas Rasa lila.

 Srila Vrindavana das Thakura has started His Caitanya Bhagavata Adi lila to glorifie Lord Balarama and His Rasa lila.I consider that chapter 1 of Caitanya Bhagavata Adi lila so important .Srila Visvanath Chakravati Thakura writes in his commentary to the Srimad Bhagavatam 10th Canto that the male demigods can not see Gopis while Krsnas rasa lila is going on they see only Krsna dancing wheras the female demigods see Krsna and Balarama and they sometimes fall out of the airplanes of the devas in bewilderment .The Rasa lila of Sri Krsna takes place every night in Vrindavana in His asta kaliya lilas .The gopis that Lord Balarama dance with is His own Gopis ,different from Krsnas.  

 

“Lord Balarama’s beauty is enhanced by the earrings touching His cheeks. Balarama’s face is decorated with tilaka made from musk, and Balarama’s broad chest is ornamented with a garland of gunja (small, red, black and white berries native to Vrindavana). Sri Baladeva’s complexion is as white as an autumn cloud, and He wears blue garments. Balarama’s voice is very grave and His arms are very long, touching His thighs” (NOD Chap. 4).

 

According to Srila Jiva Gosvami and Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur, Lord Balarama has His own group of gopis, completely different from the cowherd girlfriends of Sri Krsna. Lord Balarama respects Lord Krsna’s gopis, and is very careful to avoid mixing with them.

in his Vraja Riti Cintamani Srila Visvanath Chakravati Thakura has written:

“If while walking on Govardhana Hill, Krsna’s elder brother Balarama, sees a series of golden stones, He thinks: ‘The daughter of King Vrsabhanu (Radharani) must have just walked before Me,’ and Balarama changes course to avoid an awkward situation. In the same way, if Radharani sees a series of crystal stones, She thinks: ‘Balarama must have just now walked before Me,’ and Radharani then changes Her course”  .

However most do not know that sometimes Krsna and Balarama have conjoined Rasa lila with Krsnas and Balaramas gopis this is explained in Srimad Bhagavatam.

SB 10.34.20 — Once Lord Govinda and Lord Rāma, the performers of wonderful feats, were playing in the forest at night with the young girls of Vraja.

SB 10.34.21 — Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma wore flower garlands and spotless garments, and Their limbs were beautifully decorated and anointed. The women sang Their glories in a charming way, bound to Them by affection.

SB 10.34.22 — The two Lords praised the nightfall, signaled by the rising of the moon and the appearance of stars, a lotus-scented breeze and bees intoxicated by the fragrance of jasmine flowers.

SB 10.34.23 — Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma sang, producing the entire range of musical sounds simultaneously. Their singing brought happiness to the ears and minds of all living beings.

SB 10.34.24 — The gopīs became stunned when they heard that song. Forgetting themselves, O King, they did not notice that their fine garments were becoming loose and their hair and garlands disheveled.

SB 10.34.25 — While Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Balarāma thus played according to Their own sweet will and sang to the point of apparent intoxication, a servant of Kuvera named Śaṅkhacūḍa came upon the scene.

SB 10.34.26 — O King, even as the two Lords looked on, Śaṅkhacūḍa brazenly began driving the women off toward the north. The women, who had accepted Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma as their Lords, began to cry out to Them.

SB 10.34.27 — Hearing Their devotees crying out “Kṛṣṇa! Rāma!” and seeing that they were just like cows being stolen by a thief, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma began to run after the demon.

SB 10.34.28 — The Lords called out in reply, “Do not fear!” Then They picked up logs of the śala tree and quickly pursued that lowest of Guhyakas, who swiftly ran away.

SB 10.34.29 — When Śaṅkhacūḍa saw the two of Them coming toward him like the personified forces of Time and Death, he was filled with anxiety. Confused, he abandoned the women and fled for his life.

SB 10.34.30 — Lord Govinda chased the demon wherever he ran, eager to take his crest jewel. Meanwhile Lord Balarāma stayed with the women to protect them.

SB 10.34.31 — The mighty Lord overtook Śaṅkhacūḍa from a great distance as if from nearby, my dear King, and then with His fist the Lord removed the wicked demon’s head, together with his crest jewel.

SB 10.34.32 — Having thus killed the demon Śaṅkhacūḍa and taken away his shining jewel, Lord Kṛṣṇa gave it to His elder brother with great satisfaction as the gopīs watched.

That jewel of Sankacuda is known as the Shyamantaka jewel and how it ended up in Dvaraka is a long pastime I can not narrate now but Krsna gave this jewel to Balarama and He in secret gave it to Srimati Radharani it is actually Srimati Radharanis eternal jewel

I offer my pranams to the vaisnava readers  may this give the devotees pleasure, for this only have I written thisyour servant Paramananda das