Balarama, brother of Krishna

[Shrew]

Balarama dragging Yamuna Devi with his plow.

Balarama killing the *** demon Dhenuka

Balarama with Krishna

Balarama was the teacher of Duryodhana (Kauravas) and Bhima (Pandavas) in the art of fighting with a mace.
So when the Kurukshetra war broke out, Balarama went on a pilgrimage because he did not want to take sides.
Balarama has his own rasalila with the gopis.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Haladhara, the one with the plow. All deities and even humans are engaged in 'leela'. Is not 'Samsara' but a 'leela'? But I do not think Lord Balarama was involved with gopis. He left that to his sibling. He was much too serious for these things. Elder brother, he had to present an example to the younger one. Krishna called him as 'Dau'.

However, beautiful images. The demon in the form of a horse was 'Keshi'.

 

[Jainarayan]

Not to nitpick but that is Krishna, not Balarama. Balarama wears a blue dhoti and is depicted with light skin. Krishna always wears a yellow dhoti and has the peacock feather.

 

[Shrew]

Haladhara, the one with the plow. All deities and even humans are engaged in 'leela'. Is not 'Samsara' but a 'leela'? But I do not think Lord Balarama was involved with gopis. He left that to his sibling. He was much too serious for these things. Elder brother, he had to present an example to the younger one. Krishna called him as 'Dau'.

Haladhara, the one with the plow - Could Balarama bee an old folk god associated with agriculture?

Balarama's Rasa Dance:

As previously told, when Balarama was eager to see His devotees, He mounted His
chariot bearing a palm-tree flag, and went to Vrndavana, where Yashoda and King
Nanda embraced Him when He arrived. Later He met with the gopas and gopis. He
stayed there for two months.
The gopis who were previously snakes, were born now as gopis in order to attain
Lord Balarama’s association, by following the advices given by Garga Muni in the
five methods of worshiping Lord Balarama, we described in the Paddhati Patala. In
this way they became perfect. Pleased with them, Lord Balarama enjoyed a
rasa-dance with them on the full-moon night of the month of Caitra, a night when
the red moon reddened the whole of Vrindavana forest.
Cooling, gentle, delightful, pollen filled breezes pushed Yamuna’s waves and blew
to the splendid shore. Then the land of Vraja became very splendid, its many forest
groves and courtyards filled with the fragrant pollen of playfully and gracefully
blossoming flowers, with the cooing of cuckoos and peacocks, and with the sweet
humming of bees.
Decorated with tinkling ankle-bells, glittering gold and jewel necklace, armlets, belt,
crown, and earrings, and with many lotus petals, dressed in blue garments, and His
eyes like glittering lotus petals, Lord Balarama was splendid with the gopis in the
rasa-dance circle. He was like Kuvera surrounded by a host of beautiful yakshis.
Then, sent by the demigod Varuna, Varuni, in the form of honey oozing from the
hollows of trees filled with the humming of bees made greedy by the sweet scent of
the flowers, made the entire forest very fragrant.
Eager to drink that honey, His eyes now red lotus flowers, His limbs weakened by
enjoying amorous pastimes, perspiration born from the fatigue of His pastimes now
streaming down His cheeks and washing away the pictures and designs drawn
there, walking like an elephant king, decorated with mighty arms like the trunks of
elephant kings, as if intoxicated, sitting on a throne, relinquishing His plow, His club
still in His hand, splendid like ten million full moons, His jewel anklets, bracelets,
and other ornaments tinkling, His gold earrings, necklaces, finger-rings, and jewel
crown glittering, and surrounded by beautiful gopis, their cheeks decorated with
graceful pictures and designs and their black braids mocking the beautiful snake
girls, Lord Balarama, the Supreme Lord, the master of the worlds, shone with great
splendor, and enjoyed transcendental pastimes.
In this way Lord Balarama, the king of the Yadavas, spent that springtime night with
the gopis.

 

[Terese]

Haladhara, the one with the plow. All deities and even humans are engaged in 'leela'. Is not 'Samsara' but a 'leela'? But I do not think Lord Balarama was involved with gopis. He left that to his sibling. He was much too serious for these things. Elder brother, he had to present an example to the younger one. Krishna called him as 'Dau'.

However, beautiful images. The demon in the form of a horse was 'Keshi'.

Aup ji, the 65th chapter of the 10th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam showcases Lord Balarama's lila with the gopis

http://srimadbhagavatam.org/canto10/chapter65.html

Jai Balaram Ki Jai!​

​

 

[निताइ dasa]

He Balai! My prana-natha (Lord of my life). May I have bhakti towards Your lotus feet, life after life. You are Godhead, but You are also devotee. You are akhanda Guru Tattva (the Guru of all living entities) and You provide the way to Your brother. With Your plough You make our hearts fertile for Bhakti. With Your club you smash the false ego in our hearts.

Actually you will notice that yesterday (on the first day of the month of Kartik), the waters of Radhakund miraculously turned white like milk. I think Radharani it telling us that without Balarama (who is white) one cannot reach Her and Her dhama.

You can see here, on the left is Radhakund (Pond of Radha) which is usually dark, but yesterday turned white, while on the right you have Syama Kund which is dark like the color of Krsna. It happens every year around this time, during Kartik.

 

[ratikala]

Namaskaram Prabhu ji's

SB 10.1.24
vāsudeva-kalānantaḥ
sahasra-vadanaḥ svarāṭ
agrato bhavitā devo
hareḥ priya-cikīrṣayā
Translation:
The foremost manifestation of Kṛṣṇa is Saṅkarṣaṇa, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa, this original Saṅkarṣaṇa will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa in His transcendental pastimes.
Purport:

Śrī Baladeva is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He is equal in supremacy to the Supreme Godhead, yet wherever Kṛṣṇa appears, Śrī Baladeva appears as His brother, sometimes elder and sometimes younger. When Kṛṣṇa appears, all His plenary expansions and other incarnations appear with Him. This is elaborately explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. This time, Baladeva would appear before Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa’s elder brother.​

 

[Aupmanyav]

Balarama's Rasa Dance:

Well, I won't hold it against him. Young people do indulge in frolics. Perhaps in my old age I have forgotten that.