In2-MeC

I am writing this on 12 August in Wroclaw, an hour before we are supposed to leave here. We will go to the northern coast of Poland, on the Baltic Sea, to join HH Indradyumna Maharaja's summer tour program. Today is Lord Balarama's appearance day. By the time you read this, it will be the next day (13 August), but as I understand that on that day Indradyumna Maharaja will celebrate Lord Balarama's appearance, so I shall say something about Lord Balarama here and now.

Lord Balarama killed a number of great demons in Vrndavana, just as Lord Krsna did. All these demons who invaded Vraja-dhama represent impediments on the path of pure devotional service. The ones that Baladeva killed specifically personify the impediments that a devotee has to eradicate by his own endeavors under the direction of the spiritul master. Lord Balarama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He is also a Vaisnava because He is utterly devoted to His transcendental younger brother, Sri Krsna. As such He is the original guru of all devotees. He shows by His demon-killing pastimes just what obstacles the devotees have to overcome in order to achieve pure bhakti.

Dhenukasura was a gigantic ass; an ass carries heavy loads. Similarly, when the spirit soul is enwrapped in ignorance of its eternal identity, he is, according to Bhagavad-gita 3. 27, ahamkara-vimudhatma or ass-like in his bewilderment. Thus the soul is burdened with misconceptions about spiritual life. Such misconceptions pertain to the holy name of the Lord and to the object of the spirit soul's worship. For example, the vimudhatma living entity hopes that the holy name will "bless" him with social position, wealth and power, which are simply heavy loads. Similarly he thinks that any entity that seems to offer such "blessings" is worthy of his worship and service.

Pralambhasura represents lust, the contaminated desire for association with the opposite sex. Profit, adoration and distinction are subtle manifestation of this lust, and they appear in the mind as greed for money and possessions, ambition for attention and honor, and sensuality.

The name Balarama indicates the Lord's mood of enjoying the exhibition of spiritual strength. This mood appears in the mind of the devotee as enthusiasm to cast out all contaminations in the spirit of intense humility. When the mind of the devotee becomes host to this mood, the blights of Dhenukasura- and Pralambhasura-consciousness are instantly destroyed.

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