Balarāma's Hand - Symbols of Duty and Transcendental Strength
Every feature of the Supreme Lord’s body is a reservoir of absolute beauty and omnipotent power. Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings provide a fascinating meditation on the hands of Lord Balarāma, exploring how they hold the symbols of universal maintenance, perform the sweetest childhood pastimes, wield terrifying weapons against miscreants, and offer the warmest embraces to His pure devotees.
Divine Form and Symbols
The Supreme Lord is not formless; He possesses a perfectly constructed spiritual body. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the items Lord Balarāma carries in His hands are deeply symbolic. By carrying a plow, Balarāma establishes the importance of agricultural labor, which works in perfect harmony with Lord Kṛṣṇa's protection of the cows.
- Balarama, Krsna’s vaibhava-prakasa, is eternally situated in Gokula. From the quadruple prabhava-vilasa, twenty-four forms of the vaibhava-vilasa are expanded. Each has four hands holding weapons in different positions.
- Both (Krsna and Balarama) were the shelter of the goddess of fortune. They had well-constructed bodies, beautiful hands and pleasing faces, and They were as strong as elephants.
- Balarama represents plowing the land for agriculture and therefore always carries in His hand a plow, whereas Krsna tends cows and therefore carries a flute in His hand. Thus the two brothers represent krsi-raksya and go-raksya.
- Krsna and Balarama taught us (the duties of a vaisya) by Their personal behavior. Krsna took care of the cows and played His flute, and Balarama took care of agricultural activities with a plow in His hand.
The Sweetness of Childhood
In the pastoral village of Vṛndāvana, the Supreme Lord perfectly played the part of an ordinary human child. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes the sheer joy the residents felt watching Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma crawl on Their hands, and how the brothers later used Their hands to hold simple forest ornaments, carry milking ropes, and mischievously steal butter.
- Both Balarama and Krsna began to crawl on Their hands and knees. When They were crawling like that, They pleased Their mothers. The bells tied to Their waist and ankles sounded fascinating, and They would move around very pleasingly.
- Krsna and Balarama carried binding ropes on Their shoulders and in Their hands, just like ordinary cowherd boys. While milking the cows, the boys bound their hind legs with a small rope.
- Krsna and Balarama would pile up planks so that They could reach the pots and would then pick holes in the pots with Their hands so that the contents would leak out and They could drink it. This was another means for stealing butter and milk.
- Krsna was dressed in glowing garments of yellow, Balarama in blue, and They held new twigs of mango tree, peacock feathers and bunches of flowers in Their hands.
Unmatched Strength in Battle
When confronting demonic forces, the beautiful hands of Lord Balarāma become instruments of terrifying destruction. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights Balarāma's raw physical power, noting how He locked hands in combat with massive wrestlers, wielded a heavy club against a giant gorilla, and even used His plow to drag an entire capital city.
- Krsna and Canura and then Balarama and Mustika locked themselves hand to hand, leg to leg, and each began to press against the other with a view to coming out victorious.
- This time Balarama immediately caught hold of the legs of the ass with one hand and, wheeling him (Dhenukasura) around, threw him into the treetops. While he was being wheeled around by Balarama, the demon lost his life.
- He took His club in His hands. The gorilla could understand that now Balarama was going to attack him. To counteract Balarama, he immediately uprooted a big oak tree, and with great force he came and struck Lord Balarama's head.
- 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.
Affectionate Exchanges
Despite possessing the power to annihilate the universe, the Supreme Lord is completely subordinate to the love of His devotees. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that Lord Balarāma used His hands to warmly greet His friends, submissively hold the hand of Mother Yaśodā, and inspire overwhelming ecstasy in the hearts of pure devotees who beheld His divine form.
- She (mother Yasoda) took Krsna by the hand, along with Balarama, and brought Them home, where she performed her duties by fully bathing Them, dressing Them and feeding Them - Srimad Bhagavatam 10.11.20.
- Upon reaching the entrance to Mathura, Krsna and Balarama got down from the chariot and shook hands with Akrura.
- He (Balarama) shook hands with those who were His equals in age and friendship and with loud laughing embraced each one of them.
- Vanamali Acarya saw a golden plow in the hand of Balarama, and the devotees all assembled together and danced, overwhelmed by ecstasy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, meditating on the hands of Lord Balarāma provides a comprehensive understanding of His absolute nature. Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches us that whether those hands are playfully crawling in the dust of Vṛndāvana, gripping the plow of cosmic duty, gracefully greeting pure devotees, or crushing the false pride of the demons, they are always acting for the ultimate benefit of all living entities. By taking shelter of the lotus hands of Lord Balarāma, a sincere devotee is guaranteed protection from material illusion and a safe return to the spiritual world.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Balarama's Hand. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.