Question: Balarama dealt so strongly with Romaharshan Suta, yet he was so lenient and friendly with Duryodhana. How to understand these enigmatic dealings of Balarama?
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Lord Balarama once visited the holy place Naimisaranya, where a great sacrifice was being performed by a great assembly of transcendentalists.
When Lord Balarama arrived, all the participants in the meeting – great sages, ascetics, brahmanas and learned scholars – immediately arose from their seats and welcomed Him with great honor and respect. Some offered Him respects by standing up and then paying obeisances, and those who were elderly great sages and brahmanas offered Him blessings after standing up. Everyone in the assembly stood up in the presence of Lord Balarama because they knew Him to be the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Unfortunately, after being worshiped and seated in His place, Lord Balarama saw Romaharsana, the disciple of Vyasadeva (the literary incarnation of Godhead), still sitting on the vyasasana. He had neither gotten up from his seat nor offered Him respects. Because he was seated on the vyasasana, he foolishly thought himself greater than the Lord; therefore, he did not get down from his seat or bow down before the Lord.
Education or learning means to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead; but Romaharsana improperly used the position of a brahmana without actual realization, and therefore his elevation to the brahminical position is not valid.
Lord Balarama also observed that Romaharsana not only refused to come down from his exalted seat (Vyasasana) but did not even stand up and offer his respects when Lord Balarama entered the assembly.
Lord Balarama did not like the audacity of Romaharsana and, becoming very angry at him, declared from His seat, “This man, Romaharsana, is so impudent that he has accepted a higher seat than that of all the respectable brahmanas present here, although he was born in a degraded pratiloma family.”
When a person is seated on the Vyasasana, he does not generally have to stand to receive a particular person entering the assembly, but in this case the situation was different because Lord Balarama is not an ordinary human being.
Therefore, although Romaharsana Suta was ushered to the Vyasasana by all the brahmanas, he should have followed the behavior of other learned sages and brahmanas present and should have known that Lord Balarama is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
When Lord Balarama saw that Romaharsana Suta did not understand the highest principle of religion in spite of his having studied all the Vedas, He certainly could not support his position. Lord Balarama considered, “I have appeared in order to chastise false persons who are internally impure but externally pose themselves as very learned and religious. My killing of such persons is proper, to check them from further sinful activity.”
The Lord’s position is always transcendental, and because He is omnipotent, He can act as He likes, without being obliged to follow the material laws and principles. Thus, it was possible for Him to kill Romaharsana Suta simply by striking him with a blade of kusa grass.
So, to conclude, Lord Balarama demonstrated with ‘radical’ exhibition, the necessity of humility and proper etiquette, including properly honoring of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lord Balarama’s being friendly and lenient towards Duryodhana:
1. Lord Krsna likes variety and the same is true in terms of rasas.
2. Lord Balarama although being one and the same as the Lord still is separate from Lord Krsna in terms of form. He is the direct first expansion of Lord Krsna. He assists in Lord Krishna’s transcendental pastimes. He is the source of the entire spiritual world and is the adi-guru, the original spiritual master.
3. Lord Balarama serves Lord Krsna in different ways and one of the ways he serves is by creating obstacles in Krsna’s service. In this way He increases the rasa and makes the pastimes very exciting and most importantly, it is pleasing to Lord Krsna.
One should understand that by taking opposing position to that of Krsna, Lord Balarama is simply making the pastimes more relishable to Lord Krsna. So, by showing friendliness to Duryodhana, Lord Balarama is simply making sure that Krishna would enjoy the rasa of somebody opposing Him.
How do we reconcile the fact that Duryodhana was very dear to Lord Balarama?
– It is to be understood that although Duryodhana looked like he was very close, ultimately his attitude was not pleasing to Lord Balarama.
– Duryodhana had some faith in Lord Balarama, but he didn’t have faith in Krishna or Krishna’s devotees – the Pandavas. And since Lord Balarama’s existence is to just serve, facilitate, and please Lord Krishna, anyone who is envious of the Lord and His devotees does not please Lord Balarama.
So, although it may appear that such devotees (Duryodhana) are very close to their guru (Lord Balarama), and they may even get some big position, they do not get the same quality of mercy that a surrendered disciple receives. Duryodhana had an ulterior motive and separate agenda from the Lord.
