Lord Balarama’s Appearance Day

Balarām Jayantī – Lord Balarāma’s Appearance Day

Lord Balarāma is Kṛṣṇa‘s elder brother and His appearance day takes place on the full moon day (pūrṇimā) of Śravaṇa (Sravan Pūrṇimā), two weeks before Kṛṣṇa Janmashtami, or Kṛṣṇa’s appearance. This day is celebrated in Vrindavana and Mathurā region. Particularly at the Dauji Temple, where Śrī Balarāma resides with His consort Revatī.

Lord Balarāma is the first expansion of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is the seventh son of Devakī and Vāsudeva and he is known as the original spiritual master. On the day of Balram Jayantī special bath, new garments, jewelleries and Rajbhog are offered to Śrī Balarāma. Devotees offer special prayers to Lord Balarāma on this day to receive spiritual strength from Him.

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were the darlings of Vrindavan/ Vraja. Together They would spend the day enjoying the company of the cowherd boys in the forests of Vraja. Their wonderful pastimes are related in the tenth canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which Śrīla Prabhupāda also translated as The Kṛṣṇa Book. Lord Balarāma is also considered the original spiritual master and His worship is therefore most important for Vaiṣṇavas.

Śrī Rāma, or Balarāma, is the protector of the devotees of the Lord. Baladeva acts as the spiritual master of all devotees, and by His causeless mercy the fallen souls are delivered. Śrī Baladeva appeared as Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu during the advent of Lord Caitanya, and the great Lord Nityānanda Prabhu exhibited His causeless mercy by delivering a pair of extremely fallen souls, namely Jagāi and Mādhāi. Therefore it is particularly mentioned herein that Balarāma is the protector of the devotees of the Lord. By His divine grace only one can approach the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus Śrī Balarāma is the mercy incarnation of the Lord, manifested as the spiritual master, the savior of the pure devotees.

Śrī Balarāma  is also addressed as the “the Personality of Godhead” because Lord Balarāma is the immediate expansion of viṣṇu-tattva as prakāśa-vigraha of Lord Kṛṣṇa. The Supreme Lord, although one without a second, expands Himself as many other living beings. The viṣṇu-tattva living beings are expansions of the Supreme Lord, and all of them are qualitatively and quantitatively equal with the Lord. But expansions of the jīva-śakti, the category of the ordinary living beings, are not at all equal with the Lord. One who considers the jīva-śakti and the viṣṇu-tattva to be on an equal level is considered a condemned soul of the world. (SB 1.14.28-29 purport)

The specific mention of the word bhagavān in this text indicates that Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa are original forms of the Lord. This will be further explained later. Lord Kṛṣṇa is not an incarnation of the puruṣa, as we learned from the beginning of this chapter. He is directly the original Personality of Godhead, and Balarāma is the first plenary manifestation of the Lord. From Baladeva the first phalanx of plenary expansions, Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna, expands. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Vāsudeva, and Baladeva is Saṅkarṣaṇa. (SB/1/3/23 )

namas te halagraha namas te musalayudha
namas te revatī-kanta namas te bhakta-vatsala

namas te dharani-dhara namas te bālānām śreṣṭha
pralambare namas te ‘stu ehi mām kṛṣṇa-purvaja

Obeisances to You, O holder of the plow. Obeisances to You, O wielder of the mace.  Obeisances to You, O darling of Revatī.  Obeisances to You, O kind benefactor of Your devotees.

Obeisances to You, O upholder of the earth.  Obeisances to You, O best of the strong.  Obeisances to You, O enemy of Pralamba.  Please come to me, older brother of Kṛṣṇa.