We generally associate the word ‘balam’ with physical strength, and it is true that our body, senses, mind and intellect must be in a healthy condition in order to perform our duties in life. Otherwise, we will always be on sick leave and other people will have to serve us all the time. Strength can also be financial, physical, political, intellectual and so on. But balam also has another, even deeper significance. In the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says, ‘balam balavatam asmi raga vivarjitam’ –‘I am the strength of the strong, devoid of desire and attachment’.

What is desire and attachment? The longing for an object when it is not in my possession is called desire, and the holding on to a thing after it has become mine is called attachment. When a person has both desire and attachment, he has no moral strength to abide in the performance of his or her own dharma. In your own life and in the lives of others around you, in the entire history of the world, you can see that the moment a person’s mind is overwhelmed with desire or attachment, he or she does, unrighteous actions. Ravana, for instance, was overwhelmed with a desire for Sita, who was the incarnation of purity. It is said in the Ramayana that, when Ravana was approaching Sita to kidnap her, he came like a frightened dog and wanted to make sure that Rama was not around at that time. Inspite of Ravana’s power, he lost all his strength and courage because of the ardent desire in him. This is sharply in contrast to Sita, on the other hand, who even while she was held captive by Ravana in the Asoka forest, was threatened and tempted by him and continuously tormented by rakshasas, stood her ground, refused to give in to Ravana. This moral strength is the real bala. Though we use the word often, we rarely realize the force of its meaning. Only with this moral strength can we live a righteous life, for without it, we will be weakened by the situations around us every moment and be lost.