Source
Texts:
Lord
Balarâma Goes on Pilgrimage
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Then, on de day of the new moon, arose a fierce
wind scattering dust, o King, with the smell of pus
everywhere.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Then, on the new-moon day, O King,
a fierce and frightening wind arose, scattering dust all
about and spreading the smell of pus everywhere.
Text
2
Following came
there upon the sacrificial arena down a rain of abominable
things produced by Balvala, after which he appeared carrying a
trident.
Next,
onto the sacrificial arena came a downpour of abominable
things sent by Balvala, after which the demon himself
appeared, trident in hand.
Text
3-4:
The
sight of that immense body looking like a heap of soot with a
topknot and beard of burning copper, fearsome teeth and a face
with contracted eyebrows, made Râma think of His club,
tearing asunder opposing armies, and His plow, subduing the
daityas, that both forthwith stood at his side.
The
immense demon resembled a mass of black carbon. His topknot
and beard were like molten copper, and his face had horrible
fangs and furrowed eyebrows. Upon seeing him, Lord
Balarâma thought of His club, which tears to pieces
His enemies' armies, and His plow weapon, which punishes the
demons. Thus summoned, His two weapons appeared before Him
at once.
Text
5
With
the tip of His plow pulling Balvala moving in the sky close,
struck Balarâma angry the harasser of the brahmins with
His club on the head.
With
the tip of His plow Lord Balarâma caught hold of the
demon Balvala as he flew through the sky, and with His club
the Lord angrily struck that harasser of brâhmanas on
the head.
Text
6
He,
releasing a cry of agony, fell with his forehead cracked open
gushing blood to the ground like a red mountain struck by a
thunderbolt.
Balvala
cried out in agony and fell to the ground, his forehead
cracked open and gushing blood. He resembled a red mountain
struck by a lightning bolt.
Text
7
The
sages together of praise awarded Râma with unfailing
benedictions, in ceremony sprinkling Him with water, like the
great souls did with the killer of Vritrâsura [Indra,
see 6.13].
The
exalted sages honored Lord Râma with sincere prayers
and awarded Him infallible blessings. Then they performed
His ritual bath, just as the demigods had formally bathed
Indra when he killed Vritra.
Text
8
They
gave Râma a vaijayantî
flower garland of unfading lotuses homing S'rî and a
divine pair of garments with divine jewelry.
They
gave Lord Balarâma a Vaijayantî garland of
unfading lotuses in which resided the goddess of fortune,
and they also gave Him a set of divine garments and
jewelry.
Text
9
Then
given leave by them came He together with the brahmins to the
Kaus'ikî river where they bathed and went He from there
to the lake from which the Sarayû flows.
Then,
given leave by the sages, the Lord went with a contingent of
brâhmanas to the Kaus'ikî River, where He
bathed. From there He went to the lake from which flows the
river Sarayû.
Text
10
Following
the course of the Sarayû coming to Prayâga bathed
He there propitiating the demigods and such and went He to the
hermitage of Pulaha
Rishi
[see also 5.7:
8-9].
The
Lord followed the course of the Sarayû until He came
to Prayâga, where He bathed and then performed rituals
to propitiate the demigods and other living beings. Next He
went to the âs'rama of Pulaha Rishi.
Text
11-15
Having
immersed Himself in the Gomatî, the Gandakî, the
S'ona and Vipâs'â river, He went to Gayâ, to
worship His forefathers and to the mouth of the Ganges for
ritual ablutions. At Mount Mahendra seeing and honoring Lord
Paras'urâma He next bathed where the seven branches of
the Godâvarî River converge as well as in the
rivers the Venâ, the Pampâ and the
Bhîmarathî. After seeing Lord Skanda
[Kârttikeya] visited Râma
S'rî-s'aila, the residence of of Lord Giris'a
[S'iva], and saw the Master in Dravida-des'a [the
southern provinces] the hill most sacred, the Venkatha
[of Balajî]. After the cities of
Kâmakoshnî and Kâñcî went He to
the river the Kâverî and to the greatest of them
all, the most holy S'rî-ranga, where the Lord manifested
[as Ranganatha]. Going to the place of the Lord the
mountain Rishabha, He went to southern Mathurâ
[Madurai where the goddess Mînâkshî
resides] and to Setubandha
[Cape Comorin], where the gravest sins are
destroyed.
Lord
Balarâma bathed in the Gomatî, Gandakî and
Vipâs'â rivers, and also immersed Himself in the
S'ona. He went to Gayâ, where He worshiped His
forefathers, and to the mouth of the Ganges, where He
performed purifying ablutions. At Mount Mahendra He saw Lord
Paras'urâma and offered Him prayers, and then He
bathed in the seven branches of the Godâvarî
River, and also in the rivers Venâ, Pampâ and
Bhîmarathî. Then Lord Balarâma met Lord
Skanda and visited S'rî-s'aila, the abode of Lord
Giris'a. In the southern provinces known as Dravida-des'a
the Supreme Lord saw the sacred Venkatha Hill, as well as
the cities of Kâmakoshnî and
Kâñcî, the exalted Kâverî
River and the most holy S'rî-ranga, where Lord Krishna
has manifested Himself. From there He went to Rishabha
Mountain, where Lord Krishna also lives, and to the southern
Mathurâ. Then He came to Setubandha, where the most
grievous sins are destroyed.
Text
16-17
There gave the
Wielder of the Plow, Halâyudha, a great number of cows
away to the brahmins. Going to
the
rivers the Kritamâlâ and Tâmraparnî and
the Malaya mountain range, He bowed down paying respect to
Âgastya
Muni who sitting there in meditation gave Him his blessings.
Leaving with his permission He went to the southern ocean to
Kanyâkumârî ['chaste girl'] where he
saw the goddess Durgâ
[known as Kanyâ].
There
at Setubandha [Râmes'varam] Lord
Halâyudha gave brâhmanas ten thousand cows in
charity. He then visited the Kritamâlâ and
Tâmraparnî rivers and the great Malaya
Mountains. In the Malaya range Lord Balarâma found
Âgastya Rishi sitting in meditation. After bowing down
to the sage, the Lord offered him prayers and then received
blessings from him. Taking leave from Âgastya, He
proceeded to the shore of the southern ocean, where He saw
Goddess Durgâ in her form of
Kanyâ-kumârî.
Text
18
Then
reaching Phâlguna and taking a bath in the sacred lake of
the five Apsaras where Lord Vishnu manifested, touched He a
myriad of cows [giving them away in
charity].
Next
He went to Phâlguna-tîrtha and bathed in the
sacred Pañcâpsarâ Lake, where Lord Vishnu
had directly manifested Himself. At this place He gave away
another ten thousand cows.
Text
19-21
Next the
Supreme Lord traveled through Kerala and Trigarta and then came
to Gokarna [northern Karnataka], a place sacred to the
manifestation of Dhûrjathi ['he with a load of matted
locks'], S'iva. Seeing the honored goddess
[Pârvatî] residing on an island off the
coast went Balarâma to
S'ûrpâraka
touching
the waters of the Tâpî, the Payoshnî and the
Nirvindhyâ. Next entering the Dandaka forest went He to
the Revâ where the city of Mâhishmatî is
found, touched He the water of Manu-tîrtha and came He
back to Prabhâsa.
The
Supreme Lord then traveled through the kingdoms of Kerala
and Trigarta, visiting Lord S'iva's sacred city of Gokarna,
where Lord Dhûrjathi [S'iva] directly
manifests himself. After also visiting Goddess
Pârvatî, who dwells on an island, Lord
Balarâma went to the holy district of
S'ûrpâraka and bathed in the Tâpî,
Payoshnî and Nirvindhyâ rivers. He next entered
the Dandaka forest and went to the river Revâ, along
which the city of Mâhishmatî is found. Then He
bathed at Manu-tîrtha and finally returned to
Prabhâsa.
Text
22
From the
brahmins He heard that in a battle [at Kurukshetra]
between the Kurus and the Pândavas all the kings were
being annihilated, to which He concluded that the earth was
finding relief of the burden [see also e.g.
10.50:
9].
The
Lord heard from some brâhmanas how all the kings
involved in the battle between the Kurus and Pândavas
had been killed. From this He concluded that the earth was
now relieved of her burden.
Text
23
He, the beloved
Son of the Yadus, then went to the battle intending to stop
Bhîma and Duryodhana who were fighting each other on the
field with clubs [see also 10.57:
26].
Wanting
to stop the club fight then raging between Bhîma and
Duryodhana on the battlefield, Lord Balarâma went to
Kurukshetra.
Text
24
But when
Yudhishthhira, the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, Krishna and
Arjuna saw Him, were they silent in offering their obeisances
with the burning question: 'What does He, coming here, want to
tell us?'
When
Yudhishthhira, Lord Krishna, Arjuna and the twin brothers
Nakula and Sahadeva saw Lord Balarâma, they offered
Him respectful obeisances but said nothing, thinking "What
has He come here to tell us?"
Text
25
Seeing
the two with clubs in their hands, skillfully moving in
circles, furiously striving for the victory, said He
this:
Lord
Balarâma found Duryodhana and Bhîma with clubs
in their hands, each furiously striving for victory over the
other as they circled about skillfully. The Lord addressed
them as follows.
Text
26
'O
King, o Great Eater, the two of you warriors are equal in
prowess; one I think is of a greater physical power, while the
other one is technically of a better training.
[Lord
Balarâma said:] King Duryodhana! And Bhîma!
Listen! You two warriors are equal in fighting prowess. I
know that one of you has greater physical power, while the
other is better trained in technique.
Text
27
I
do not see how from any of you here, equal in prowess, then a
victory or the contrary could be seen; so stop this useless
fighting.'
Since
you are so evenly matched in fighting prowess, I do not see
how either of you can win or lose this duel. Therefore
please stop this useless battle.
Text
28
The
two though sensible, did, fixed in their enmity in constant
remembrance about each others harsh words and misdeeds, not
take heed of His words, o King.
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] They did not accept Lord
Balarâma's request, O King, although it was logical,
for their mutual enmity was irrevocable. Each of them
constantly remembered the insults and injuries he had
suffered from the other.
Text
29
Deciding
that it was their fate went Râma to Dvârakâ
were He was greeted by a delighted family headed by
Ugrasena.
Concluding
that the battle was the arrangement of fate, Lord
Balarâma went back to Dvârakâ. There He
was greeted by Ugrasena and His other relatives, who were
all delighted to see Him.
Text
30
With Him
returning again to Naimishâranya engaged the sages Him,
the Embodiment of All Sacrifice having renounced all warfare,
with pleasure in all the different sorts of rituals
[*].
Later
Lord Balarâma returned to Naimishâranya, where
the sages joyfully engaged Him, the embodiment of all
sacrifice, in performing various kinds of Vedic sacrifice.
Lord Balarâma was now retired from warfare.
Text
31
The
Supreme Lord, the Almighty, bestowed upon them the perfectly
pure spiritual knowledge by which they indeed could perceive
this universe as residing within Him as well as Himself
pervading the creation.
The
all-powerful Lord Balarâma bestowed upon the sages
pure spiritual knowledge, by which they could see the whole
universe within Him and also see Him pervading
everything.
Text
32
Together
with His wife [Revatî: see 9.3:
29-33]
having taken the concluding ritual
avabhritha
bath
appeared He, well dressed, nicely adorned and surrounded by His
family members and other relatives and friends, as splendid as
the moon with its own light [the stars].
After
executing with His wife the avabhritha ablutions, the
beautifully dressed and ornamented Lord Balarâma,
encircled by His immediate family and other relatives and
friends, looked as splendid as the moon surrounded by its
effulgent rays.
Text
33
Of
this sort [of pastimes] of the mighty, unlimited and
unfathomable Balarâma, who by His illusory energy appears
as a human being, there sure are countless
others.
Countless
other such pastimes were performed by mighty Balarâma,
the unlimited and immeasurable Supreme Lord, whose mystic
Yogamâyâ power makes Him appear to be a human
being.
Text
34
Whoever
regularly remembers at dawn and dusk the activities of
Râma which are all amazing, will become dear to Lord
Vishnu.
All
the activities of the unlimited Lord Balarâma are
amazing. Anyone who regularly remembers them at dawn and
dusk will become very dear to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, S'rî Vishnu.
*
S'rîla Prabhupâda writes here: 'Actually Lord
Balarâma 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. As such, His 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'.
