"He is the divine son of Vasudeva
by his wife Rohini. He is also known as Rohini-nandana, the beloved son of
Rohini. He was also entrusted to Nanda Maharaja along with His mother, Rohini,
when Vasudeva embraced imprisonment by mutual agreement with Kamsa. So Nanda
Maharaja is also the foster father of Baladeva along with Lord Krishna.
Lord Krishna and Lord Baladeva were constant companions from
Their very childhood, although They were stepbrothers. He is the plenary
manifestation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore He is as
good and powerful as Lord Krishna. He belongs to the vishnu-tattva (the
principle of Godhead). He attended the svayamvara (selection of her bridegroom)
ceremony of Draupadi along with Sri Krishna.
When Subhadra was kidnapped by Arjuna by the organized plan
of Sri Krishna, Baladeva was very angry with Arjuna and wanted to kill him at
once. Sri Krishna, for the sake of His dear friend, fell at the feet of Lord
Baladeva and implored Him not to be so angry. Sri Baladeva was thus satisfied.
Similarly, He was once very angry with the Kauravas, and He wanted to throw
their whole city into the depths of the Yamuna. But the Kauravas satisfied Him
by surrendering unto His divine lotus feet.
He was actually the seventh son of Devaki prior to the birth
of Lord Krishna, but by the will of the Lord He was transferred to the womb of
Rohini to escape the wrath of Kamsa. His other name is therefore Sankarsana,
who is also the plenary portion of Sri Baladeva. Because He is as powerful as
Lord Krishna and can bestow spiritual power to the devotees, He is therefore
known as Baladeva.
In the Vedas also it is enjoined that no one can know the
Supreme Lord without being favored by Baladeva. Bala means spiritual strength,
not physical. Some less intelligent persons interpret bala as the strength of
the body. But no one can have spiritual realization by physical strength.
Physical strength ends with the end of the physical body, but spiritual
strength follows the spirit soul to the next transmigration, and therefore
the strength obtained by Baladeva is never wasted. The strength is eternal, and
thus Baladeva is the original spiritual master of all devotees.
Sri Baladeva was also a class friend of Lord Sri Krishna as
a student of Sandipani Muni. In His childhood He killed many asuras along with
Sri Krishna, and specifically He killed the Dhenukasura at Talavana.
During the Kurukshetra battle, He remained neutral, and He
tried His best not to bring about the fight. He was in favor of Duryodhana, but
still He remained neutral. When there was a club-fight between Duryodhana and
Bhimasena, He was present on the spot. He was angry at Bhimasena when the
latter struck Duryodhana on the thigh or below the belt, and He wanted to
retaliate the unfair action. Lord Sri Krishna saved Bhima from His wrath. But
He left the place at once, being disgusted at Bhimasena, and after His
departure Duryodhana fell to the ground to meet his death.
The funeral ceremony of Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, was
performed by Him, as He was the maternal uncle. It was impossible to be
performed by any one of the Pandavas, who were all overwhelmed with grief. At
the last stage, He departed from this world by producing a great white snake
from His mouth, and thus He was carried by Sesanaga in the shape of a
serpent."
Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1.11.16-17, Purport, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada:
