The story of the killing of the ass-demon Dhenukasura by Balaramji in Taalvan carries important practical lessons for all of us. Balaramji is declared to be the original Spiritual Master. Our hearts are compared with the Taalvan forest. The heart is a beautiful place, a place for Krishna to reside and perform His pastimes. The fruits of our heart which we are supposed to offer to Krishna are our propensity to love and to serve. But currently our hearts are filled with innumerable Dhenukasuras and theirassociates. The propensity to love and to serve which are the fruits meant for the Krishna’s satisfaction are being devoured day after day by the Dhenukasuras of lust, envy, anger, greed, pride and illusion, sitting within our hearts. Consequently we are becoming more and more selfish and egoistic and not allowing Krishna and His devotees to perform Their pastimes within the Taalvan of our heart. Krishna’s sweet holy name doesn’t even stay within our heart. So what is our hope? Balaramji represents the Guru, Spiritual Master. When we allow the Guru to enter our heart through his instructions, through his example and through his inspiration, he thoroughly shakes up our false conceptions of being the proprietor and the selfish enjoyer of the things of this world just like Balaramji shook the tall Taal trees and instigated Dhenukasura. When we take shelter of the instructions of the Spiritual Master and sincerely try to follow them, the Dhenukasuras of lust, envy, anger, pride, greed and illusion get destroyed by the mercy of the Spiritual Master. Only by the grace of the Spiritual Master can we get rid of these demoniac contaminations within our hearts. And when our heart thus becomes pure and selfless then Krishna and all His devotees again enter and frolic within the Taalvan of our heart and enjoy the fruits of our love and our service. Thus our heart again becomes a beautiful place.
