Lord Balarama, the Giver of Spiritual Strength
To stay strong in any endeavour in life we need strength. This is also true for our spiritual endeavours. When we are on our spiritual journey, we need constant spiritual strength.
We need spiritual strength to keep going when we get tired on our spiritual journey.
We need spiritual strength to get up when we may have tumbled on our spiritual journey.
We need spiritual strength to not give up on the KC process when the going gets tough.
We need spiritual strength when we see hypocrisy around us on our spiritual journey.
We need spiritual strength when we don’t have good devotee association to take shelter of.
We need spiritual strength when our faith is shaken by those misrepresenting KC.
We need spiritual strength when we are struggling in the midst of a world pandemic, uncertainty and a very chaotic world.
So, who is the best person to approach for such spiritual strength?
As devotees we can know that there is a source that provides us with all the spiritual strength that we need, when we need it the most. We can know that we can become spiritually strong with his shakti or power in our spiritual lives. We can know when we are struggling on our spiritual journey, we can approach him for help. We can know that he is ever so merciful and is ever so ready to give us the spiritual strength that we need. We know him as Lord Balarama, the giver of spiritual strength.
Srila Prabhupada describes about Lord Balarama’s spiritual strength as follows:
“And Balabhadra, Balarāma, bala means strength and rāma means enjoyment. So Balarāma means who gives you spiritual strength for enjoying eternal blissful life, He is Balarāma.”
“In the Vedic literature you will find, nāyam ātmā bala-hīnena labhyo. Bala, bala means this Balarama, the spiritual strength. The spiritual strength can be achieved by the grace of Lord Balarama.” (Ratha-yatra – San Francisco, July 5, 1970)
“In the Vedas also it is enjoined that no one can know the Supreme Lord without being favored by Baladeva. Bala means spiritual strength, not physical. Some less intelligent persons interpret bala as the strength of the body. But no one can have spiritual realization by physical strength. Physical strength ends with the end of the physical body, but spiritual strength follows the spirit soul to the next transmigration, and therefore the strength obtained by Baladeva is never wasted. The strength is eternal, and thus Baladeva is the original spiritual master of all devotees.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.11.16-17, Purport)
Whether we are new on our spiritual journey or a KC veteran or anyone in between, we all need Lord Balarama’s spiritual strength to keep us going towards the goal of life, the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.
In another purport from Srimad Bhagvatam, Srila Prabhupada comments on the bhajan by Srila Narottama das Thakur on the mercy of Lord Balarama and the attainment of the goal of life as follows:
“One cannot attain the goal of life without the mercy of Balarama. Sri Narottama dasa Thakura therefore says, nitaiyera karuna habe, vraje radha-Krishna pabe: when one receives the mercy of Balarama, Nityananda, one can attain the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna very easily. Se sambandha nahi yara, brtha janma gela tara, vidya-kule hi karibe tara. 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. We must therefore conquer the enemies of Krishna consciousness with the strength received from Balarama.” (SB 7.15.45)
Today, let us pray to Srila Prabhupada, to Srila Narottama das Thakur and to Lord Balarama, the giver of spiritual strength so we can keep progressing in our spiritual endeavours towards the goal of life.
Balarama Purnima ki Jai!!