॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
***
श्रीशुक उवाच
तत: पर्वण्युपावृत्ते प्रचण्ड: पांशुवर्षण: ।
भीमो वायुरभूद् राजन्पूयगन्धस्तु सर्वश: ॥
T: Sage Shuka narrated: Then, on the new-moon day, a fierce and frightening wind arose, scattering dust all about and spreading the smell of pus everywhere.as came a downpour of abominable things sent by Balvala, after which the demon himself appeared, trident in hand.
बृहत्कायं भिन्नाञ्जनचयोपमम्
सस्मार मूषलं राम: परसैन्यविदारणम् ।
हलं च दैत्यदमनं ते तूर्णमुपतस्थतु: ॥
T: Seeing this ghastly giant figure all black like collyrium, Balarama summoned his divine weapons, the plough and the Gada. They arrived instantly and stood bowing down to him. As Balvala tried to escape into the skies, Balarama caught hold of him in his plough and smashed him dead with his Gada. The sages celebrated Balarama, garlanded him with a string of lotuses, and gifted him clothes and jewellery, pronouncing their benediction.
Balarama then undertook a very long pilgrimage, bathing in all the great rivers starting with the Sarayu and the Ganga, visiting many holy places. The list mentions Gaya, Ganga Sagar, Tirupati, Sri Shaila, Kanchi, Srirangam, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Kanyakumari, Trivandrum, Agastya's peak, Gokarna, and so on. See here...
गयां गत्वा पितृनिष्ट्वा गङ्गासागरसङ्गमे
उपस्पृश्य महेन्द्राद्रौ रामं दृष्ट्वाभिवाद्य च ।
स्कन्दं दृष्ट्वा ययौ राम: श्रीशैलं गिरिशालयम् ।
द्रविडेषु महापुण्यं दृष्ट्वाद्रिं वेङ्कटं प्रभु:
कामकोष्णीं पुरीं काञ्चीं कावेरीं च सरिद्वराम् ।
श्रीरङ्गाख्यं महापुण्यं यत्र सन्निहितो हरि:
ऋषभाद्रिं हरे: क्षेत्रं दक्षिणां मथुरां तथा ।
सामुद्रं सेतुमगमत्महापातकनाशनम्
दक्षिणं तत्र कन्याख्यां दुर्गां देवीं ददर्श स:
विष्णु: सन्निहितो यत्र स्नात्वास्पर्शद् गवायुतम्
गोकर्णाख्यं शिवक्षेत्रं सान्निध्यं यत्र धूर्जटे:
On returning to Dwaraka, Balarama heard of the gory cataclysmic war between Kauravas and Pandavas which had destroyed most of the Kshatriyas who had burdened the earth. He proceeded at once to the Mahabharata battleground.
स भीमदुर्योधनयोर्गदाभ्यां युध्यतोर्मृधे ।
वारयिष्यन् विनशनं जगाम यदुनन्दन: ॥
युधिष्ठिरस्तु तं दृष्ट्वा यमौ कृष्णार्जुनावपि ।
अभिवाद्याभवंस्तुष्णीं किं विवक्षुरिहागत: ॥
गदापाणी उभौ दृष्ट्वा संरब्धौ विजयैषिणौ ।
मण्डलानि विचित्राणि चरन्ताविदमब्रवीत् ॥
युवां तुल्यबलौ वीरौ हे राजन् हे वृकोदर ।
एकं प्राणाधिकं मन्ये उतैकं शिक्षयाधिकम् ॥
तस्मादेकतरस्येह युवयो: समवीर्ययो: ।
न लक्ष्यते जयोऽन्यो वा विरमत्वफलो रण: ॥
T: Wanting to stop the club fight (Gadayuddha) that was raging between Bhima and Duryodhana on the battlefield, Lord Balarama went to Kurukshetra. Seeing him, Yudhishthira, Sri Krishna, Arjuna and Nakula-Sahadeva twins bowed low, quite anxious as to what unpredictable thing Balarama might say or do.
Lord Balarama found Duryodhana and Bhima with clubs in their hands, each furiously striving for victory over the other as they circled about skillfully. The Lord addressed them as follows.
"King Duryodhana! And Bhima! Listen! You two warriors are equal in fighting prowess. I know that one of you has greater physical power i.e. Bhima, while the other is better trained in technique i.e. Duryodhana, my (Balarama's) student. Since you are so evenly matched in fighting prowess, I do not see how either of you can win or lose this duel. Therefore please stop this useless battle."
Nobody was listening. Bhima and Duryodhana hated each other so much and recalled all the insults heaped on each other. Leaving this battle in the hands of Fate, Balarama went away.
He finally proceeded to the same Naimisharanya and submitted to the great sages there that he had completed his pilgrimage to atone for his sins. The sages were delighted. They gave him the ceremonial Avabhrita snana and pronounced many benedictions. Balarama also entered a mood of great spiritual awakening and gave those assembled the ultimate spiritual insights on the goal of existence i.e. liberation.
Sage Shuka concluded by saying that anyone who listens to this narrative, of the atonement of Balarama, at dawn and dusk, would develop great Bhakti toward Sri Maha Vishnu i.e. Sri Krishna.
***
॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
