vasudeva–kalanantah
sahasra –vadanah svarat
agrato bhavita devo
hareh priya–cikirsaya
‘The foremost manifestation of Krsna is Sankarsana, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Krsna, this original Sankarsana will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Krsna in His transcendental pastimes.’ (SB 10.1.24)
Lord Balarama has a very special relationship with Ujjain. During their childhood He and His younger brother, Krsna spent time as students of their guru, Sandipani Muni. In just 64 days they mastered 64 arts and sciences.
Five thousand years later His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaja invited Them back to Ujjain with the construction of the Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan Mandir and celebrating His appearance day here in Ujjain took on a very sweet mellow.
Devotees gasped with delight when they greeted Their Lordships during Darshan Arati. The splendid new outfits were complemented by exquisite rose garlands and opulent jewellery. With Their enigmatic little smiles it looked as if they were thoroughly enjoying all the attention.
The 11 o’clock abishek and pushpanjali ceremony was a festive event. The naughty little brothers looked so sweet with all the milk, ghee, yoghurt and honey dripping of Their transcendental bodies. Afterwards a good shower cleaned them up nicely. People offered flowers, sprigs of Tulasi and coconuts with rakhi bracelets at Their lotus feet. Three colourful cakes were also offered and distributed to the people. Afterwards a feast was prepared in Their honour.
Later that evening the luminous full moon of Balaram purnima peeked through the clouds and bathed everything in a pearly white light, marking the end of Jhulan Yatra.
***
The following excerpts are from an inspirational lecture given by His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja on Lord Balarama’s appearance day, 2008 about the spirit of co-operation and how it will please Srila Prabhupada, Guru and Krsna.
This type of love develops with Krsna consciousness, but it is also something that we are meant to cultivate. In Srila Prabhupada's last days, in Vrndavana, His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami exclaimed, "Srila Prabhupada, your disciples love you so much." And Srila Prabhupada replied, "Your love for me will be shown by how much you cooperate with each other." Many authorities, both spiritual and mundane, have commented that love is not just a sentiment but is also a process. Srila Prabhupada said that if we really love him--if we want to show our love for him--we will cooperate with each other for his pleasure, which ultimately means Krsna's pleasure (yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado).
By the family of Vasudeva and Devaki and the family of Nanda and Yasoda cooperating for the service of Lord Balarama, the two families were brought together. And that was one of Lord Balarama's purposes, as foretold by Gargamuni:
garga uvaca
ayam hi rohini-putro
ramayan suhrdo gunaih
akhyasyate rama iti
baladhikyad balam viduh
yadunam aprthag-bhavat
sankarsanam usanty api
"Gargamuni said: This child, the son of Rohini, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rama. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families--Vasudeva's family and the family of Nanda Maharaja--He will be known as Sankarsana."(SB 10.8.12)
AND
By Krsna consciousness, by cooperating to serve the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, different individuals, families, castes, and communities can all be united.
AND
And that is the duty of the spiritual master--to serve and please the Supreme Lord. Once, Srila Prabhupada asked some disciples, "What is the duty of the spiritual master?" And then he gave the answer: "The duty of the spiritual master is to serve Krsna. And the duty of the disciples is to assist the spiritual master." Balarama is the original spiritual master because, as Krsna's first expansion, He is the first servant of Krsna, and He is the first instructor about Krsna. The spiritual master is considered to be the representative of Lord Balarama, or Nityananda Prabhu.
So, Srila Prabhupada said, "Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate." In other words, love is not just a sentiment but is expressed through practical activity. Further, it is evoked by practical activity; loving sentiment is increased by devotional service. The word "cooperate" consists of "co-," which means "together," "jointly"; and "operate," which means to "perform a function," to "exert power or influence." Cooperate, means that together we perform some function. And we see the perfect example of cooperation in Vrndavana. Nanda and Yasoda and Rohini cooperated to raise Krsna and Balarama. In a broader sense, they cooperated with Vasudeva and Devaki to raise Them. And there was no envy.
AND
Krsna is the focus of all devotional service. That is the meaning of bhakti--to serve and please Krsna. And the medium for that service is the spiritual master, who represents Lord Balarama, or Lord Nityananda. So, Srila Prabhupada said, "Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate." That means we work together, co-operate. We perform the same function, but together, for the pleasure of guru and Krsna. And in that service there is no envy. There is only appreciation and gratitude. Each devotee thinks, "You've helped me so much by doing this." That consciousness develops naturally from bhakti, but at the same time we have to practice; we are in the stage of sadhana-bhakti, devotional service in practice. When we practice cooperation, serving the other devotees and appreciating their service, bhakti develops, and ultimately Krsna manifests Himself. Krsna and all of His associates are revealed to us in that state of pure devotion.