(2/5) Understanding Baladev's Glory

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Sri Baladev Purnima
Kolkata-Worldwide, 3 August 2020, part 2

Baladev plays His horn so that Krishna can play His flute of divine love smoothly.

Krishna plays the flute and goes to the forest with cows and calves. Mother Yasoda knows no end of worry – who knows, sometimes a demon can come to the forest and create disturbance. Then Balai steps forward and comforts Mother Yasoda, 'Mother, you do not need to worry. I am with Him, then what is there to be afraid of?' Mother Yasoda says, 'When You go with Him, then I do not worry.' Then, Kanai and Balai go to the forest with other cowherds. When His horn sounds, there is no sweetness in it. Hearing the sound of Balai's horn, everything inauspicious becomes panic-stricken. His horn announces, 'Hey, whoever and whatever is there, be careful! If you are naughty, you are done! Demons, beware! If you make problems, you will not escape death!' Balai is not soft like butter – He is heroic ('balinam srestha' – He is extremely powerful). Balai looks after Krishna and makes sure He is always happy, makes sure that no obstruction comes in Krishna's pastimes – so that Krishna's flute can play properly, freely. Even during Krishna's srnga-lila (conjugal pastimes), Balaram secretly removes all obstacles. Like a gatekeeper, He stands at the gate with His horn and plough. Krishna has taken up the flute so that sweetness could resound and play everywhere; and when Krishna plays the flute, Balai plays the kettle-drum so that Krishna's pastimes and mellows would not be disturbed in any way. That is why He is heroic, He is Haladhara and Musaladhara (holder of a plough and a club). 'If I am there, then nothing will obstruct Krishna's pleasure.' That is why Baladev Prabhu is seva-vigraha – He is an embodiment of service, an ideal servitor. Although He is Krishna's elder brother, He nourishes Krishna's pastimes.

He is Laksman in Treta, He is Baladev in Dvapara, and in the age of Kali He is Nityananda. Krishna comes to this earth assuming the form of Gaura, an embodiment of magnanimity and mercy. Krishna performs His magnanimous pastimes as Sri Gaurasundar in order to rescue all the souls drowning in sins, suffering and offences. At that time Balai could not keep quiet – 'If You are coming, then I must come too!' Balai now becomes Nitai. This time too He is not a younger brother – He comes as an elder brother.

'vrajendra-nandana yei, sachisuta haila sei,
balarama haila nitai'

'The son of the King of Vraja has now become a son of Sachi, and Balaram has become Nitai.'

The son of the King of Vraja has become Sachi-nandan (son of Mother Sachi); in the meantime, Rohini-nandan (son of Rohini) has become Padmavati-nandan (son of Padmavati). This time Nitai Thakur comes much earlier – and He performs many pastimes. When it came to these pastimes of rescuing the jiva souls, He did not stay behind. Although He appeared much earlier, He remained quiet waiting until Sri Gaurasundar revealed Himself. Although He appeared before Sri Gaurasundar, He did not reveal Himself. He travelled to various holy places in the garb of a parivrajaka (mendicant). Such was His disguised pastimes. However, when the sounds of mrdangas arose in the house of Srivas Pandit in Sri Nabadwip Dham and kirtan began, then Nityananda Prabhu left His pilgrimage and at once ran to Sri Nabadwip Dham. It is necessary to ensure that the pastimes of the Lord where He distributes divine love and the Holy Name flow unobstructed. This time, it is necessary to bestow the gift of divine love for the Holy Name (Nama-prema) and rescue all souls submerged in sins, suffering, material life, all the fallen and lowly souls. Whenever the Lord falls behind this duty, His elder brother Nitai steps forward – not to overstep Sri Gaurasundar but to back Him, to reveal and enhance His glory. Wherever there are drunkards, debauchees, sinners and inauspicious people, Nitai Thakur runs there first. In Gaura-lila both Sri Gaurasundar and Nityananda Prabhu are incarnations of mercy and compassion. In these pastimes They never take up weapons (Their weapons are the mridanga and the karatals). However, when blood once fell from the forehead of Nitai Thakur in Nabadwip, then Sri Gaurasundar forgot Himself and summoned Sudarsan Chakra. He cried, 'Behead them!!' Then Nitai Thakur stood in His way and said, 'O Lord! Have You come to wield chakra here this time? Have You come to show how heroic You are and how good You are at slaying others?' Saying this, He stopped the chakra. Who except for the elder brother can stop Sri Gaurasundar's chakra? When Sri Gaurasundar took sannyas, He set off to Nilachal (Sri Puri Dham) – on the way, Nitai Thakur broke His danda into three parts. 'My Master must carry a danda? No way. You must listen to what I say!' When Gaurasundar asked for His danda, Nitai Thakur came to Him and said, 'I have broken Your danda. You can punish Me as You please.' Sri Gaurasundar said, 'I am a sannyasi, people will laugh seeing Me without a danda, they will mock Me! Do you want to entertain everyone?' Nitai Thakur said, 'I have listened to You a lot, I have followed You enough! Even if people laugh, they will laugh at Me – they will say why did I break Your danda. Your character is unblemished, You are a staunch renunciate, therefore You follow sannyas-dharma flawlessly. Nobody will mock You.' Who can break Gaurasundar's danda? Because Nitai is His 'elder brother', He could do it.

The current of Baladev and Nityananda flows eternally in the form of Sri Guru.

Laksman's pastimes took place in Treta-yuga, Baladev Prabhu's pastimes in Dvapara-yuga, and Nitai Thakur's pastimes in Kali-yuga. This is all past history. Nitai Thakur appeared in Kali-yuga five hundred years ago. So, this is all past events, historical facts. How are Sri Baladev Prabhu's pastimes happening now? Laksman does not disappear – He comes as Balaram. Balaram does not disappear either – He comes as Nitai. Nitai also does not disappear – He comes as the guru. Balai's pastimes are still going on, but they do not look the same as they did (in Dvapar-yuga) – as much as Balai's and Nitai's posture is not the same. Therefore, Baladev Prabhu's pastimes of appearance never ends, it occurs even now – in an inseparable and uninterrupted way.

'adyapiha sei lila kare gaura-raya
kona kona bhagyavana dekhibare paya'

'Gaura Ray continues performing His Pastimes, and those who are fortunate can see it.'

How is Nitai Thakur's appearance happening now? Nitai Thakur appears in the form of a guru. Gurudev is non-different from Nityananda. Gurudev appears with the power of Nitai Thakur eternally. Baladev Prabhu does not appear now, Nitai Thakur is also not manifest, so Their pastimes have stopped – this is not true. Gurudev comes in the form of Baladev, in the form of Nityananda and brings the souls who have taken shelter in him to Gaurasundar. Their appearance pastimes are happening eternally – They eternally appear in the form of the guru. The Lord manifests this eternal pastime in the hearts of surrendered jiva souls and His disciples. Not everybody can taste this eternal pastime. Just as not everyone can see Rama-lila, Krishna-lila, the same is true about gurudev and Nityananda – today too, not everybody can realise this pastime. Non-different from Baladev, gurudev's play of manifesting his power is continuing even now and will continue eternally. This current will never be stopped. This is the transcendental truth.

This current flows eternally through a genuine Sri Guru. Gurudev is an embodiment of service (seva-vigraha). Will the Supreme Lord's service ever diminish or be stopped? No. His service will always continue. Who will continue this service? This service is manifest by the Lord's seva-vigraha, Sri Gurudev. He awakens service consciousness in the hearts of jiva souls. If there is no guru, there is also no servitor – then who will do the service? Service is eternal, the servitor is also eternal. Sri Gurudev serves the Lord at every moment.

Sri Gurudev is Bhagavat-prestha – the dearmost associate of the Lord. The worshippable object of service manifests within him. Therefore, gurudev's appearance is Nityananda Prabhu's appearance, and at the same time that of Baladev. The power of Nityananda Prabhu manifests within gurudev and eternally continues service line. If you call somebody gurudev, but that person does not have connection with Nityananda, i.e. if he does not have the power of Baladev vested in him, then where will his quality and power of guru come from? How can you call him a guru then? If there is no power of guru, you may take a mantra, you may take initiation there, but the power of Nityananda Prabhu will not appear. If the power of Baladev does not awaken, then there is no power of guru there. If one is a genuine, proper guru, then the power of Nityananda manifests in him. This is not some poetical imagination or just some lecture. This is a spiritual truth. Baladev's appearance is eternal; Gurudev's appearance is also eternal. This appearance is a matter that exclusive disciples (who have exclusive adherence to their guru) realise in their hearts. It also reveals Krishna. Gurudev is inseparable from the appearance of Nityananda. Nitai Thakur is the Lord who gives Gaura. Because He exists jiva souls can get service to the Lord. Krishna always keeps His close associates manifest in this world to protect devotional line (bhakti-yoga) and to spread the exalted glory of His service. Gurudev is a manifestation of Krishna and a manifestation of service to Krishna. This is the intrinsic nature of Krishna. Otherwise, if there is no guru, how will His service run? Because gurudev appears eternally, jiva souls are able to attain perfection and there remains a possibility for them to get free from the bondage of the supramundane illusory potency.

Non-different from Baladev, gurudev destroys the cruel tyranny of Maya (illusory environment) in his disciples. Disciples often cannot understand this, so sometimes, he tells them about it out of mercy, then some fortunate disciples can understand it, and some still cannot. Just as a baby kicks his mother not being able to understand how much good she does for him, or passes urines on her lap, but the mother tolerates everything out of deep affection for the baby. Gurudev is also full of love and affection, he takes care of his disciples as a mother.

When gurudev bestows his mercy on somebody, illusory environment cannot obstruct them any more. If Sri Gurupadpadma wishes, he can rescue the jiva soul. No matter how much sin, how many offences and bad elements one may have, gurudev can destroy everything with his causeless mercy. If someone sincerely accepts this devotional line, then no matter how many faults, sins and offences they may still have – he forgives everything. Forgiveness comes with mercy, compassion. When someone has some fault or offence, they are forgiven; after forgiveness, they are given mercy. If Nitai Thakur was not forgiving, then nobody could ever be rescued. Who does Nitai forgive? Not such enemies like Ravana, Kamsa and Sisupal – gurudev forgives the jiva souls who are weak, repentant, miserable but want to practise devotion. Gurudev is merciful to the destitute, therefore if such destitute souls are not forgiven, they have no hope. Disciples try very hard to progress on the path of devotion, but they cannot. They cannot tolerate the urges that come from previous lifetimes. Gurudev certainly forgives such disciples and bestows his mercy on them. When one has ill motives or spiteful mind, there is no forgiveness shown for them. Non-different from Baladev and Nityananda, gurudev is very hard on the surface but soft as a lotus inside. Ravana, Kamsa, Jarasandha and others – those who are traitors – cannot understand such mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma. However, without the mercy of Sri Gurupadpadma, there is no hope for the jiva soul. Those who do not get the darshan of the power of Sri Guru within their gurudev, are cheated. Those who do not respect or obey their guru are cheaters, their life is useless. If you do not give proper respect and do not obey him in whose heart Nityananda Prabhu resides, if you treat them with contempt, then this is your great misfortune. If you have no love, no affection for your gurudev, if you do not serve him, obey him, accept him and if you hold grudge or malice against him, then you can never practise Krishna consciousness. Those who do not have such obstacles or ill feelings can never fall down or slip up – they can never be swayed from the path of devotion.

Jay Sri Balaram Prabhu ki jay!

— : • : —

{ 2001  |   2002  |   2003  |   2005  |   2009  |   2010  |   2011  |   2012 }
{ 2013  |   2014  |   2015  |   2016  |   2017  |   2018  |   2019  |   2020  |   2021 }

CLICK TO LISTEN TO THE LECTURE

Size: 38.7 Mb
Length: 72 min
Language: English

READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Appearance of Lord Baladev
2) Understanding Baladev's Glory
3) Sticking with Pure Life
4) Spiritual Balance and Maturity
5) Understanding Gurudev