The birth anniversary of Lord Balarama, Lord Krishna's elder brother, is commemorated as Balarama Jayanti in many areas of India. Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is source of all incarnations. His second body is Lord Balarama. Both of them have same identities. They simply differ in appearance. Balarama is Krishna's first physical expansion, and he aids Lord Krishna in his transcendental pastimes. He is the adi-guru, the first spiritual teacher, and wellspring of the entire spiritual universe.
To serve Lord Krishna, he adopts five different forms. He assists Lord Krishna in his pastimes, and He creates in four additional forms known as the catur-vyuha forms of Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. In the task of creation, he carries out Lord Krishna's commands, and in the guise of Lord Sesa, he assists Sri Krishna in many ways. He enjoys the ultimate delight of serving Krishna in all of His incarnations. No one can approach Krishna without first seeking Baladeva's compassion.
