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Why Bhagavan had Balarama kill DhEenukaasura



4/23/09


Dhenukaasaura was one of the asuras killed by Balarama during their stay in Vrindavanam. The story is that they all went to Dhenuka vanam with the cows and calves to spend the day there. There were lot of palm trees and they wanted to eat the sweet coconut-like fruits of the palm tree. So Balarama shook the trees and a lot of fruits dropped and they were enjoying the noruishing taste of the semisolid fruit.
That part of forest belonged to the asura Dhenuka whose aasuric or demonic form was of a huge donkey. He got very irritated by the noise made by the cowherd boys and charged on them unexpectedly. Balarama caught him and effortlessly killed him by hurling him against the palm trees.
 
Let us go deep into this simple killing of Dhenukaasura by Balarama. Symbolically Dhenukaasura represents the ignorance of the jeevaathma and the desire of it to carry the unbearable load of material achievements. The slave like mentality of carrying any heavy load of suffering to meet transient pleasures is called Dhenuka mentality. Vyasa Bahgavan indirectly advises us to avoid this mentality of a donkey.
 
It is interesting to note that Bhagavan did not kill Dhenukasara, but He let Balarama hurl him against the palm trees.There are three reasons for Bhagavan's decision .
Bhagavan is interested in Dhainuka paalanam or taking care of the cows. "Dhainuka" can mean "group of cows" or "pertaining to Dhenuka". If He is the one interested in Dhainuka Paalanam, it also means that he is interested in taking care of what is "pertaining to Dhenuka". Then how can He kill Dhenuka? So He had Balarama kill him.
 
In Garga Bhagavatham, there is another story about the previous janma of Dhenukaasura. In his previous life he was Saahasika, son of Maha Bali. Saahasika was cursed by Sage Durvaasas for disturbing his penance. Durvaasas Muni was meditating on Mount Gandhamaadana and Saahasika made a lot of noise playing
 with several women. He was very disrespectful towards Muni and he cursed him to become a donkey. As shaapamoksham, Muni said that after 400,000 years Dhenukaasura would get salvation by the hands of Lord Balarama in Taalavana or Thaala forest.
 
So Bhagavan had to respect the curse of Duravaasus Muni and that is the second reason to let Balarama kill the asura.
 
Third reason is the most important. During Narasimhaavathaaram, Bhagavan had promised Bhaktha Prahlada that he would not kill anybody in his vamsham or dynasty. Now Maha Bali is Prahlada's grandson. Saahasika is Prahlada's great grandson and this great grandson became Dhenukasura by Durvasa Muni's curse. So Bhagavan kept His word to Prahlad and did not want to kill this asura. Also he was given moksham. His kaarunyam or kindness flows not only to devotees, but to the whole dynasty of devotees.
 
All our scriptures say that  our good karmaas and bad karmaas affect our future generations also. The above story definitely illustrates the effect of Prahlaada's sukrutham.
 
Sreekrishnaarpanamasthu
 


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