Balarama
Balarama (Devanagri: बलराम) also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha ("carrier of the plow") is the elder brother of Krishna, one of the most famous divine beings appearing in the Puranic texts of Hinduism. The first part of his name derives from the Sanskrit bala referring to strength, and accordingly, Balarama is often described as being very physically strong. Within Vaishnavism (the branch of Hinduism which worships Vishnu) and a number of South Indian traditions, Balarama is worshipped as an avatar (or incarnation) of Vishnu, the preserver god, and he is also listed as such in the Bhagavata Purana.
Balarama in the Context of the Avatar Doctrine
Krishna is perhaps the most famous of the incarnations of the divine within the physical realm. Since both he and Balarama are sons of Vishnu, they are often considered a joint incarnation, and so Balarama himself is sometimes listed among the dasavataras, the ten most prominent incarnations of Vishnu. Although scriptural lists of these ten divine manifestations frequently differ, the most commonly accepted dasavataras are 1) Matsya, a fish; 2) Kurma, a turtle; 3) Varaha, a boar; 4) Narasimha, a lion-man; 5) Vamana, a dwarf; 6) Parasurama, a man wielding an axe; 7) Rama, a noble man; 8) Krishna, the teacher of the Bhagavadgita; 9) Buddha, a spiritually enlightened being and 10) Kalkin, the final avatar who has yet to arrive. Some sects substitute Balarama for Rama as the seventh avatar. Beyond this list, Balarama is among the twenty-five avatars of Vishnu listed in the Bhagavata Purana, where he is considered to be the nineteenth incarnation.[1] He is also identified as an incarnation of Shesha, the divine serpent upon whom Vishnu rests.
Mythology
Balarama and his brother Krishna were originally conceived in the womb of Devaki, wife of Vasudeva and half-sister of Kamsa, the evil ruler of Vrishni. Before their conception, Kamsa became fixated upon killing each and every child of his sister because of a prediction that he would die at the hands of her eighth son. Kamsa imprisoned Devaki and Vasudeva, and proceeded to kill each of their first six children as soon as they were born. In order to conceive of Devaki's seventh and eight children, Lord Vishnu is said to have taken two of his hairs, one black and one white, and implanted them in Devaki's womb. Just before their birth the two hairs-turned-offspring were miraculously transferred by way of Vishnu's maya to the womb of Rohini, a woman who had desired a child of her own, so as to save them from Kamsa's tyranny. Rohini gave birth to two boys, one dark in colour and the other light. The black child was named Krishna, and the fair child was formally named Rama, but because of his great strength he was renamed Balarama. Gargamuni, the family priest who performed the naming ceremonies for Krishna and Balarama, provided the following reasons for Balarama's names:
- Because Balarama, the son of Rohini, increases the transcendental bliss of others, His name is Rama, and because of His extraordinary strength, He is called Baladeva. [2]
Balarama has also been called Sankarsana, which describes his transfer from one womb to another.
Balarama was raised by Rohini, and he spent his childhood as a cowherd boy alongside his brother Krishna. The two children would partake in many adventures together as they grew, and even quarrelled with one another from time to time. Just like their contrasting skin colours, their personalities are defined by diametrical opposition: while Krishna's succeeds on account of his effeminate beauty, Balarama thrives by way of his sheer masculinity. Balarama and Krishna are the most human of the human incarnations of Vishnu; while figures such as Rama are notable for their perfected morality, the twin sons of Rohini exemplified numerous weaknesses. An example of this is Balarama's proclivity for imbibing in an excess of alchoholic beverages. In one instance, an intoxicated Balarama ordered that the River Yamuna, anthropomorphized as a goddess, come closer to him so that she would be more accessible when he wished to bathe. When the river did not comply with his request, Balarama used his plough to pull her until she surrendered to his will and moved closer to him. Despite his apparent abuse of intoxicants, it was Balarama who issued the prohibition of such substances within the holy city of Dvaraka.
As an adult, Balarama married Revati, the daughter of King Raivata, ruler of the Anarta province. The king believed that his daughter was of such incomparable beauty that mortal men were not worthy of her hand in marriage. In an attempt to find Revati a husband, Raivata sought the advice of Lord Brahma, the creator god. Brahma suggested that Balarama was the most suitable suitor, although he took many thousands of years to reveal this information. When Raivata and his daughter finally did return to the physical realm, they found that humankind had grown much shorter over the centuries in which they had been gone. Thus, when Revati was presented to Balarama, he promptly used his plough to wittle her down to an adequate size.
Balarama was a weapon expert and is famous for his ability as an instructor of combat tactics. He taught both Duryodhana of the Kauravas and Bhima of the Pandavas the art of fighting with a mace. When war broke between the corrupted Kauravas and the dharma-abiding Pandavas, Balarama considered himself equally affectionate toward both parties and so decided to side with neither group. Bhima, a warrior of greater strength, eventually defeated Duryodhana, a warrior of greater skill, by dealing him a blow below the navel with his mace. Upon hearing of this, Balarama threatened to kill Bhima, and was only prevented from doing so by Krishna.
Balarama's death is described in the Bhagavata Purana. After taking part in the battle that caused the destruction of the remainder of the Yadu dynasty, Balarama witnessed the disappearance of Krishna from the earthly realm. Having seen this, he then sat down in a meditative state and produced a great white snake from his mouth, that is, the holy serpent Shesha of whom he is sometimes said to be an incarnation. Shesha then carried Balarama into the ocean and out of the physical world.
Depiction
In concordance with the legend of his origin, Balarama is commonly depicted as being a fair-skinned man, especially in comparison to his brother, Krishna, who is shown as dark blue or black in hue. Balarama is almost always shown with two arms, in which he holds his trademark weapons, the plough and the mace. His hair is tied in a topknot and he is heavily ornamented with earrings, bracelets and armlets. Traditionally, Balarama is dressed in blue garments and wears a garland of forest flowers around his neck.
Significance
In the tradition of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, a lineage which originated from the teachings of 16th century Bengali revivalist Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Balarama is held to be as equal in supremacy to Lord Krishna. While Krishna is considered the Creator of the universe, Balarama represents his creative potency; of the three transcendental elements (sat, cit and ananda), Balarama is in charge of sat, which refers to eternity or truth. Hence, he is worshiped in this tradition as a supreme teacher or adiguru. For the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a modern continuation of the Gaudiya lineage, Balarama is a particularly important character. Balarama's significance also streches as far as the Jain tradition, where he appears alongside his brother in a number of important mythological texts such as the Hiravamsa Purana.
Despite the recognition of their mutual godhood, Balarama's popularity has never equalled that of Krishna. Balarama is constantly serving his brother in every respect in each of his incarnations and manifestations. For example, in the Ramayana, which tells the story of Lord Rama, Balarama is said to serve the titular character as his younger brother, Lakshmana. In the Kali-yuga, the current age in the cyclical cosmology of Hinduism, Balarama appears as Nityananda, the close friend of Caitanya Mahaprabhu who helped spread the 'Sankirtan movement'.
Notes
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Bassuk, Daniel E. Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: the myth of the god-man. Atlantic Highlands, NJ: Humanities Press International, 1987. ISBN 0391034529
- Knappert, J. Indian Mythology. London: Diamond Books, 1995. ISBN 0261666541
- Mitchell, A.G. Hindu Gods and Goddesses. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1982. ISBN 011290372X
- Parrinder, Geoffrey. Avatar and incarnation: the Wilde lectures in natural and comparative religion in the University of Oxford. London: Faber, 1970. ISBN 0571093191
- Rao, Velcheru Narayana. "Balarama." Encyclopedia of Religion. Edited by Mercia Eliade. New York: MacMillan Publishing, 1987. ISBN 0029098505
See also
- Krishna
- Lakshmana
- Nityananda
- Shesha
External links
- Who is Lord Balarama (Overview)
- 1000 names of Lord Balarama
- Vedic Encyclopedia - Sri Balarama's Pilgrimage
- Balarama avatar - Bhagavata Purana
- Krishna-Balarama Temple
- Krishna & Balarama Deity Gallery - Vrindavan.com
- Krishna & Balarama Deity Gallery - Vrindavan-dham.com
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