LORDBALARAMA- PART 2 Dear friends,
This is a posting about Lord Balarama, half-brother of LordSrikrishna. All information is compiled from websites and Google QA. This is SECOND part of the posting. Hope an interestingreading. As I intimated earlier to the groups, I ignore all negative comments about my postings byany member. Positive comments and suggestions will bereplied and acknowledged by me. Hope an interesting reading. Gopalakrishnan, 14-06-2026 Marriage of Balaramawith Princess Revati King Kakudmi travelled to Brahmaloka with his daughter,Princess Revati, for the sole purpose of finding a suitable husband for her. Revati was exceptionally beautiful,highly accomplished, and exceptionally virtuous. King Kakudmi felt that no mortal man on Earth duringhis time was worthy of marrying her. Driven by parental duty, he usedhis yogic powers to ascend to Satyaloka (Brahmaloka) to seek direct counselfrom Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, who he believed could select theperfect divine match. Whenthey arrived, Brahmā was listening to a musical performance by the gandharvas,so they patiently waited for him to finish. Height of Princess Revati The Puranas do notspecify Revati's height in an exact quantity, but they explicitly state that she was immensely tall and robust compared to the humans of the laterages. The Yuga Shift: Revati belonged to the Satya Yuga(or a very early time cycle), an era where human beings were naturally massive, physically pure,and long-lived. While Kakudmi and Revati waited for a short musical performance to finish in Brahmaloka, 27 Chatur-Yugas (over 116 million years) passed on Earth due tocosmic time dilation. The Contrast: When they returned to Earth during the Dwapara Yuga,humanity had evolved to become significantly dwindled in stature, physicalstrength, and intellect. Revati stood like a literal giantess next to the people ofthe new era. The Adjustment: When King Kakudmi presented her toBalarama, her massive height posed a marital challenge. To remedy this, Balarama took his signature weapon, a plough, and gently pressed itupon her head or shoulder. Through this divine touch,Revati shrunk down to the standard human height of the Dwapara Yuga, making hera perfect physical match for Balarama The Ultimate Match: Balarama’s only defined, singularromantic love and eternal consort is Princess Revati, the daughter of KingKakudmi. The Marriage: He married her long after hischildhood in Vrindavan, duringhis days as a prince in Dwarka. n Hindu traditions, Revati is worshipped as thedirect incarnation of Adishesha's eternal energy, making her Balarama'sonly designated counterpart. How Kakudmi's kingdom wasrebuilt as Dvaraka in his absence According to texts like the Harivamsa and the Bhagavata Purana, Kushasthali was built into Dvaraka by LordKrishna, who repurposed the ancient, ruined site to establish a new homefor the Yadavas. The transition from Kushasthali to Dvaraka occurred through aspecific sequence of legendary events: The Fall and Desolation of Kushasthali When King Kakudmi and his daughter Revati left forBrahmaloka, they left no ruler on the throne. Duringtheir massive absence of 27 Chatur-Yugas (millions of years), their prosperous capital of Kushasthali fell into complete neglect. Over the passing ages, the city was attacked by demons(Rakshasas) like Punyajana, eventually reducing the once-grand fort into adesolate, overgrown ruin. The Yadava Migration fromMathura During the Dwapara Yuga, Lord Krishna and the Yadava clanfaced relentless attacks in Mathura from Jarasandha (the powerfulKing of Magadha) and his ally, Kalayavana. To ensure the ultimate safety of his people and avoid endlessbloodshed, Krishna decided to strategically retreat from Mathura. He sought anisolated, geographically secure location to establish an impenetrable fortress. Reclaiming the AncestralFoundations Krishna chose the coastal region of Anarta (modern-dayGujarat), which happened to be the exact location where Kushasthali once stood.Because the Yadavas were remotely related to the old solar and lunar dynastiesthat once ruled the area, the ruins of Kushasthali were essentially theirancestral lands. Divine Architectural Transformation Krishna did not merely patch up the old ruins; he ordered amassive, supernatural reconstruction: Land from the Ocean: Krishna requested Samudra (the Lordof the Ocean) to recede and lend him 12 Yojanic blocks of land (roughly 96square kilometres) adjacent to the ruins of Kushasthali. The CelestialArchitects: Krishna commissioned Vishwakarma, the architect of the gods, along withthe master architect Mayasura, to build the city. The Gated Fortress: They constructed a glorious, highlyfortified city with wide roads, commercial ports, magnificent palaces made ofgold and precious gems, and massive defensive gates. Because of itscountless, monumental gateways, the newly constructed fortress over the ruinsof Kushasthali was named Dvaraka (meaning "The Gated City"). Kakudmi's Handover the ancestralrights When King Kakudmi and Revati finally returned to Earth fromBrahmaloka, they were stunned to find their old capital completely gone,replaced by the glittering, divine metropolis of Dvaraka ruled by Krishna. Seeing that the era had changed anda divine order was in place, Kakudmi happily handed over whatever ancestralrights remained by marrying his daughter Revati to Krishna’s elder brother, Balaram The account of Revatī’smarriage to Balarāma is described in the Ninth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The marriage was celebrated with great jubilation andtranscendental bliss. The streets were adorned with flower garlands, andsandalwood-scented water was sprinkled along the pathways. Auspicious itemssuch as water pots, banana trees, grains, and fruits were placed outside everyhome. The people dressed in beautiful attire and adorned themselves withprecious ornaments to witness the grand wedding. Amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns and musical presentations,Balarāma accepted Revatī ashis wife, bringing immense joy to everyone present. King Kakudmī, having fulfilled his duty as a father, wascompletely satisfied and laterretired to Badarikāśrama to engage in spiritual practices. Family life of Balaramaand children They had two sons, Nishatha andUlmuka, anda daughter named Shashirekha (also known as Vatsala). The details of their children, marriages, and grandchildrenare documented differently across canonical Sanskrit scriptures and regional folklore. Nishatha (Son): A powerful Yadava warrior. Ulmuka (Son): A valiant fighter who, alongside hisbrother, trained extensively in warfare. Vatsala / Shashirekha(Daughter): Hisdaughter is predominantly featured in prominent regional folklore, such asSouth Indian SasirekhaParinayam oral traditions, rather than the primary Sanskrit text of theVyasa Mahabharata. According to the Vishnu Purana and Srimad Bhagavatam, bothNishatha and Ulmuka remainedin Dwarka as part of the Vrishni/Yadava clan. However, canonicaltexts do not record specific names for their wives or detail theirindividual wedding ceremonies. Both sons died dynamically in the tragicYadava fratricidal war that destroyed Dwarka following the Kurukshetra War. The Daughter (RegionalFolklore & Traditions) The story of Balarama's daughter, Vatsala (also widely knownas Shashirekha or Surekha), is the center piece of famous folk legends in Andhra Pradesh andthroughout Southern India: The Broken Betrothal: Vatsala was originally promised toher cousin, Abhimanyu(the son of Arjuna and Subhadra). However, when the Pandavas lost their wealth and were sentinto exile, Revati and Balarama broke off the engagement. Balarama instead arranged her marriage to LakshmanaKumara, the son of Duryodhana and his wife Bhanumathi. The Secret Wedding: Heartbroken, Abhimanyu sought thehelp of his half-demon cousin, Ghatotkacha. Using his magical powers, Ghatotkachasmuggled Vatsala away from the wedding venue and brought her to a forest whereshe successfully married Abhimanyu. Grandchildren ofBalarama Because Balarama's sons perished in the totaldestruction of the Yadava clan, classical scriptures do not account for lineageor grandchildren continuing through Nishatha or Ulmuka. Grandchildren aretraced primarily through the folk traditions of his daughter: Abhilasha and Vishaka(Granddaughters): Incertain extended regional sub-traditions and oral iterations of the post-warstories, it is believed that Vatsala and Abhimanyu had two daughters named Abhilasha and Vishaka. Note on Parikshit: In themainstream Sanskrit Vyasa Mahabharata, Abhimanyu has only one recorded wife,Uttara (the princess of Matsya). Theirson Parikshit goes on to continue the Pandava lineage and becomes King ofHastinapur. Lord Balarama and LordKrishna had separate palaces in Dwaraka According to the Bhagavata Purana(specifically the 10th Canto) and the Mahabharata, the ancient, fortified cityof Dwarka was a massive, highly organized metropolis designed by the divinearchitect Vishvakarma. Rather than sharing asingle communal home, Lord Balarama and Lord Krishnalived in separate, magnificent palaces situated withindistinct quarters of the city. The division of their households and the layout of their palacesare described with unique details in the scriptures: Krishna’s Palaces (ThePrivate Quarter)The 16,108 Palaces: Krishna did not have just one palace; he had a dedicatedresidential district consisting of 16,108 individual palaces. A Palace for Each Queen: Because Krishna had 16,108 wives, he miraculously expanded his body into 16,108 identical forms so hecould live with each queen simultaneously. Each wife—including Rukmini, Satyabhama, and Jambavati—hadher own self-contained, ultra-luxurious palace compound made of crystal,silver, and embedded emeralds. The Main Palace: Krishna's primary imperialheadquarters and central palace from which he conducted administrative affairswas known as Hari Griha. Balarama’s Palace The Household of Balarama and Revati: As the elder brotherand the commander of theYadava military forces, Balarama lived in a grand, distinct palaceseparate from Krishna’s residential zone. He lived there with hiswife, Revati, and their sons, Nishatha and Ulmuka. Why Did Balarama Lived Separately Daily Routines and Privacy: The Bhagavata Purana notes that while Krishnaand Balarama were inseparable in their public and political duties, theymaintained distinct private lives. I will continue innext part. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/573683765.753881.1781439118008%40mail.yahoo.com.
