Today is Lord Balarama's appearance day.

Lord Balarama, the older brother of Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead and cause of all causes, appeared in the womb of Devaki as her seventh son.  

She understood that Lord Visnu had entered her womb. While she was jubilant about it, she was also anxious that Kamsa would kill Him like he had killed her six previous children.

Krsna ordered His yogamaya potency to transfer Balarama, who is actually Ananta Sesa the multi-hooded serpent on whom Visnu rests, from the womb of Devaki to Rohini’s womb. 

Rohini was also one of Vasudeva’s queens but was living in the home of Nanda Maharaja in Gokula out of fear of Kamsa’s atrocities.

Lord Krsna stated that due to being forcibly attracted to the womb of Rohini, He would be known as Sankarshana. 

He would be the source of all spiritual strength, bala that enables one to attain the highest bliss called ramana. 

Therefore the plenary portion Ananta (or Sesa) would be known as Sankarshana or Balarama.

Thus Balarama was born as the son of Rohini.

Bala or spiritual strength is essential for attaining self-realization and Lord Balarama is the giver of spiritual strength. 

He is the gravitational force that sustains the planets in their universal positions. The one who bestows spiritual power He is the original spiritual master.

Balarama being Krsna's older brother is a paradox because He is actually the first expansion of Kṛṣṇa the original Personality of Godhead.

Srila Prabhupāda - "Lord Nityānanda is Balarāma, who is the origin of Mahā-Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa’s first expansion is Balarāma, a portion of whom is manifested as Saṅkarṣaṇa, who then expands as Pradyumna. In this way so many expansions take place." (CC Introduction)

Balarama, who is also known as Balabhadra, is the elder brother of Krsna and the husband of Revati. 

Balarama is also Krsna's first Visnu-tattva expansion.

Balarama is a symbol of strength, an obedient son, an ideal brother and husband, an ideal man, and a God. 

He is also known as Nilavastra as he is said to have a fair complexion and clad in a dark blue vest.

Although Balarama was addicted to wine and was very short-tempered and stubborn, he is also regarded as a protector from desires, the divinity of strength or the strength of the divine, symbolizing duty, honesty, and simplicity.

The elder brother of Krsna (a paradox because Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality), Balarama is also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra, Haladhara, and Halayudha. 

Significant in the Jagannath tradition, Balarama is regarded as one of the triad Deities (Balarama, Subadra and Jagannath)

Krsna expanded as Balarama who is Krsna's first "Visnu-tattva" expansion, when Indra and the other demi-gods came to the Lord and asked for their release from the demon Kamsa, King of Mathura. 

The Lord took one black and one white hair from his head and promised that these two would come to fight against the demons. 

In this way, first Balarama (the white hair), and then Krsna (the black hair), took birth and grew up together in a cowherd’s family.

Along with, being an expansion of Krsna, Balarama is also Ananta Sesa, the many-headed serpent, upon whom Garbhodakashayi Visnu rests in Kshirasagara, which is the ocean of milk. 

Ananta Sesa is the king of all nagas. He holds all the planets of the universe on its hood. That could explain the reason behind Balarama’s tremendous strength, believed to be stronger than a herd of elephants.

Lord Ramachandra pastime (Krsna's Visnu-tattva expansion) 

Lakshmana, Lord Ramachandra's brother, had to follow every command from His older brother and always obey Him. It is said by some this is the reason why his wish to become Krsna's elder brother was fulfilled in the next incarnation. 

The original child Krsna in Goloka-Vrndavana expanded as Visnu, who then played the role of the younger child Krsna in the material creation (because the original Krsna never leaves Vṛndāvana) 

Krsna's first Visnu-tattva expansion Balarama, further expanded as Ananta Sesa among many other Visnu/Narayana expansions. 

The brotherhood of Balaram and Krsna is similar to that of Ramachandra and Lakshmana, both were sons of Dasharath although they had different mothers.

Ananta Sesa is inseparable from Visnu, as when Visnu descended on earth as Ramachandra, Ananta Sesa incarnated as Lakshmana.  

Kṛṣṇa in the original Vrndavana, expanded Himself as the 4 armed form Visnu form, who then played the role of the two armed Krsna in the facsimile Vrindavana in the material creation. 

Remember "the original Krsna" never leaves Vṛndāvana, the original Kṛṣṇa enters the material creation via His Visnu-tattva form. 

Balarama was an excellent warrior in mace warfare. As a child, Balarama killed many asuras (demons) sent by Kansa: prominent of those were Dhenukasur and Pralambasur, while the majority were killed by Krsna.

(It must be noted that in the original Vrndavana no demons exist and there Krsna and Balarama never kill demons, they are only killed in the facsimile Vrindavana in the material creation)

Those killed by Balarama were also very dangerous. He was so strong that no one could defeat Him.

Duryodhana and Bhima were disciples of Balarama. Both Bhima and Duryodhana were taught the skills of mace fight by Balarama. 

Both of them had also approached Him to be part on their sides. Though, Duryodhan was his favorite disciple he refused to fight for him. 

He also did not fight from the side of Bhima, Balarama remained neutral as he cared for both.

Balarama usually wields a plow and is known as the “Farmer God”. Thus, he was very strong, and his weapons were a mace and a plow. 

In the Visnu-dharmottara Purana, it was laid down that Balabhadra should be worshipped by those who desire to possess power and obtain success in agriculture.

A few years after Mahabharata, men in Krsna's empire, who were known as Yadavas, forgot their religious duties and started fighting. 

Yadava civil war, where even Balarama took part in the battle caused the destruction of the remainder of the Yadu Vanshia and all of them killed each other. 

This distraught Balarama and he lost all interest in life. He sat under a tree in meditation and soon reached the state of Yoga Samadhi in the shape of a snake came appeared from His body as Ananta Sesa.

Balarama chooses His incarnations like Ananta Sesa and returned to Goloka-Vrndavana.

The place where He departed is situated near Somnath Temple in Gujarat. 

The local people of Veraval believe that in the cave near the temple place, the white snake who came out of Balarama’s mouth got into that cave and went back to Patala-loka.

Balarama was very straight-forward and did not always understand Lord Krsna’s complex logic although, he always agreed with his younger brother. 

When Krsna gave Narayani Sena to Duryodhana, it also included Balarama, but Balarama did not want to fight for both sides. 

The reason being He was an honorable person who could not fight his own brother Krsna and his disciples Bhima or Duryodhana. 

He advised them to stop the war, but none responded, so in Krsna’s suggestion he simply left for pilgrimage to avoid the war and arrived only at the end of the war.

An Interesting marriage

Revati, wife of Balarama was the only daughter of King Kakudmi, a powerful monarch who ruled Kusasthali, a prosperous and advanced kingdom.

Feeling that no human could prove to be good enough to marry his lovely and talented daughter, Kakudmi took Revati with him to Brahmaloka (abode of Lord Brahma) to ask God’s advice about finding a suitable husband for Revati.

Brahma laughed loudly and explained that time runs differently in the many different planetary systems and that during the short time they had waited in Brahmaloka to see him, 27 maha-yugas (a maha-yuga is a cycle of four yugas) has passed.

Hence 27 maha-yugas total 108 yugas, the Garga Samhita differs and says 27 yugas in total) had passed on Earth and all the candidates had died long ago. 

However, Brahma comforted him and added that Krsna and His brother Balarama was currently on earth and recommended Balarama as a worthy husband for Revati.

Kakudmi and Revati then returned to earth, which they regarded as having left only just a short while ago. 

They were shocked by the changes that had taken place. Not only had the landscape and environment changed, but over the intervening 27 maha-yugas, in the cycles of human spiritual and cultural evolution, mankind was at a lower level of development than in their own time. 

The Bhagavata Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam) describes that they found the race of men had become “dwindled in stature, reduced in vigor, and enfeebled in intellect.”

Kakudmi and Revati found Balarama and proposed the marriage. As she was from an earlier yuga, Revati was far taller and larger than her husband-to-be. 

Balarama tapped his plow (his characteristic weapon) on her head or shoulder and she shrunk to the normal height of people in Balarama’s age. The marriage was then duly celebrated.

Kansa was the brother of Devaki and was informed that we would be killed by his 8th Nephew. 

Hearing which Kansa, in no time, had Devaki and her husband Vasudeva arrested. 

Thus, he killed all their children which followed till the birth of the other six sons. 

Ananta Sesa started to inhabit the womb of Devaki Mata and Kansa saw the divinity on the face of Devaki and suddenly understood that God was residing inside her womb. This was the seventh son.

Thus, Lord Visnu called Yogmaya and told her about the change in his plans. Then, Yogmaya took Ananta Sesa to the womb of Rohini, who was another wife of Vasudeva. 

Ensuring which, Yogmaya penetrated into the womb of Yashoda and Visnu entered the womb of Devaki Mata. 

The Seventh Son was non-other than Balarama Himself and the lila continues on in unlimited amazing pastimes.

Srila Prabhupada - "Balarāma executes the orders of Lord Kṛṣṇa in the work of creation, and in the form of Lord Śeṣa He serves Kṛṣṇa in various ways.

According to expert opinion, Balarāma, as the chief of the original quadruple forms, is also the original Saṅkarṣaṇa. 

Balarāma, the first expansion of Kṛṣṇa, expands Himself in five forms: 

(1) Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa, 

(2) Kāraṇodakaśāyī, 

(3) Garbhodakaśāyī, 

(4) Kṣīrodakaśāyī, 

(5) Śeṣa. 

These five plenary portions are responsible for both the spiritual and material cosmic manifestations. 

In these five forms Lord Balarāma assists Lord Kṛṣṇa in His activities. 

The first four of these forms are responsible for the cosmic manifestations, whereas Śeṣa is responsible for personal service to the Lord. 

Śeṣa is called Ananta, or unlimited, because He assists the Personality of Godhead in His unlimited expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services. 

Śrī Balarāma is the servitor Godhead who serves Lord Kṛṣṇa in all affairs of existence and knowledge. 

Lord Nityānanda Prabhu, who is the same servitor Godhead, Balarāma, performs the same service to Lord Gaurāṅga by constant association." (CC Adi 5.10, Translation and Purport).^^.

From Matchless Wondergifts.