Srimad Bhagavatam – day 649
The puzzled Balarama
Narayana Srihari.
During the year, the hearts of the mothers surged with inexplicable affection towards their sons. It was the same with the cows in Brindavana. They were unable to tolerate even a momentary separation from their offspring. This was happening because, whom they considered to be their child was in reality the Supreme Lord himself. The Lord, who is an embodiment of love, was with them in the form of their child. It was but natural for them to refuse to stay away from divine love!
Balarama was perplexed seeing this excessive attachment showered by the residents of Brindavan towards their sons, which, when seen from any angle far exceeded normal standards. Even he felt uncontrollably drawn towards each boy and each calf. He too was bound by their love. Why is this happening? ‘I hold Krishna as most dear to me. How can my heart now entertain the same degree of love towards all these boys and these calves? Why do I crave to touch these boys? Why does my mind seek to be with them at all times? Why do I desire to talk to them? When I see these calves I long to touch them and caress them. This feeling intensifies in me with each passing day. Why? Some extra-ordinary wonder is going on here’- he thought. He then used his divine vision and realized that the Lord had manifested as all the cowherd boys and as all the calves. Srikrishna was visible in all the boys and in all the calves.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Balarama then addressed Krishna and said, ‘O Supreme Lord! Neither are these boys the Guardian-deities nor are they great Maharishis, as I had thought! O Lord, they are none other than Your manifestations. In them all I see You’.”
Balarama now understood that, the boys and calves whom he had perceived as incarnations of the Demi-gods and Maharishis, were in reality the Supreme Lord himself. Balarama was an incarnation of Adi-śeṣa, the thousand-headed serpent on whom the Lord rests. Isn’t it but natural for him to be endowed with divine vision? Now when he used his vision, he could see Krishna illumining through the bodies of all the boys and the calves.
“Balarama then enquired, ‘O Lord, how could you transform into all these boys and calves? You exhibited perfectly their natures and their forms. Please explain to me in detail how this happened’. Upon being requested thus, Krishna explained the story in brief to Balarama”.
Swamiji explains: Balarama had asked, ‘Krishna, what is this illusion? For a long time I am trying to figure out. Why did you transform into many boys and many calves? In every home you are running around as their son. In every cattle-shed, you are the calf. O my Lord, will you please explain to me this story?’ Krishna then explained the story to Balarama. ‘This is all the work of Brahma. First he stole the calves. When I went in search of the calves, he stole the boys. I could have retrieved them but then it was already sunset and the boys needed to return home. To locate the boys and to have discussions with Brahma are time-taking, so I decided to manifest in the form of all these boys and calves. I presumed that he would return with the boys in a day or two. But then a year is about to complete, he is yet to arrive with them’.
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Exactly at that time Brahma arrived to meet them. In accordance with his time measurement in his plane of residence, just a second had passed since the time he had disappeared with the boys and the calves. But meantime here on Earth, a period of one year had elapsed”.
From this the time difference between the different planes of existence (worlds) is grasped by us. If our one year is just a second to him, then what would be the period of one Yuga in his time-measurement? Think.
“In great astonishment Brahma noticed that Srikrishna was accompanied by all the boys and the calves. Perplexed, he thought, ‘What is this? Krishna has created a far bigger illusion. What can be said of Srihari’s illusion? It bewilders every one. The original cowherd boys of Brindavan as well as all the calves are happily sleeping on the cot created by me using my illusory powers, aren’t they’?”
Krishna Krishna