Vincent Bronson Formicola born in Hayward, California, and was raised in San Diego.

When he was sixteen years old, he met His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, the founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in the form of one of his books, The Perfection of Yoga, a book based on the teachings of the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. The Perfection of Yoga was gifted to him by a saintly devotee named Radhanath Dasa, a disciple of Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Impressed with the knowledge in this small but powerful book, he pursued the ideals further. When he was seventeen years old, he visited the Hare Krishna temple in San Diego and quickly became friends with the devotees and became a regular attendee. Mahat-tattva Dasa (later Swami B. A. Tirtha) encouraged him to stay in the temple for three months, which has now turned into more than fifteen years. Within the first two years, he met His Holiness Giriraj Swami Maharaja and was accepted as his formal disciple and given the name Balarama Dasa. His first several years were spent distributing Śrīla Prabhupāda‘s books at universities in San Diego, as well as other venues. The following years were spent giving classes, studying scripture, performing deity worship, and caring for the temple and devotees in various ways. Based in San Diego, he travels throughout the West coast and world sharing the message of Krishna consciousness.