Balarama

History

Balarama is an ancient deity who became prominent by the time of the Indian epics, a status supported by archaeological finds and ancient coins. His images often include a multi-headed serpent, a plough, and farming tools like a watering pot, which hint at roots in a rural, agricultural setting. Stories about Balarama appear in the Mahabharata, Harivamsha, Bhagavata Purana, and other Puranas. He is linked to the vyuha avatar Sankarshana, as well as to the deities Shesha and Lakshmana.

The tale that Balarama is an incarnation of Shesha, the serpent on whom Vishnu rests, highlights his connection to Vishnu. However, his mythology and place among Vishnu’s ten avatars are later, post-Vedic developments, since these ideas are absent from Vedic texts. In the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata, Balarama is described as an avatar of Vishnu, while Krishna is said to be the source of all avatars and existence. In some artworks from the Vijayanagara Empire and temples in Gujarat, Baladeva appears as the eighth avatar of Vishnu, coming before the Buddha or the Arihant.

Kautilya’s Arthashastra mentions Balarama, noting that his followers were ascetics who shaved their heads or wore braided hair. Balarama was originally a powerful local deity called Samkarshana, tied to the Vrishni hero cult in Mathura around the 4th century BCE. Coins from the Indo-Greek king Agathocles, dated to about 185–170 BCE, show Balarama’s image along with Greek writing.

Legend

Balarama was born to Vasudeva, but his story begins with the tyrant Kamsa of Mathura, who was determined to kill the children of his cousin Devaki after a prophecy foretold his death at the hands of her eighth child. According to the Harivamsha, Kamsa murdered Devaki’s first six newborns by dashing them against a stone floor. When Balarama was conceived, Vishnu intervened, transferring the embryo from Devaki’s womb to that of Rohini, Vasudeva’s first wife.

This event earned Balarama the name Sankarshana, meaning “one who was dragged away.” He was raised alongside his younger brother Krishna by the cowherd chief Nanda and his wife Yashoda. Though named Rama, his immense strength led to the titles Balarama, Baladeva, or Balabhadra, all meaning “Strong Rama.” His birth occurred on Shraavana Purnima, the day of Raksha Bandhan.

Sage Gargamuni performed a secret naming ceremony for the two boys to avoid Kamsa’s notice. Balarama spent his youth as a cowherd with Krishna, slaying the demon Dhenuka and the wrestlers Pralamba and Mushtika, all sent by Kamsa. When Krishna killed Kamsa, Balarama defeated the king’s commander, Kalavakra. Later, the brothers studied at the ashrama of Sage Sandipani in Ujjain.

Balarama married Revati, daughter of King Kakudmi, and fathered two sons, Nishatha and Ulmuka, and a daughter, Shashirekha, also called Vatsala. His weapon was the plough, which he used to fight asuras, carve a channel for the Yamuna River toward Vrindavan, and drag the entire city of Hastinapura into the Ganga.

Iconography

Balarama has light skin, unlike his dark-skinned brother Krishna. His weapons are the plough, called Balachita, and the mace. He wears blue clothes and a forest-flower garland, with his hair in a topknot and adorned with earrings, bracelets, and armlets. In the Jagannath tradition, he is known as Balabhadra and appears with his brother Jagannath and sister Subhadra. Balarama’s face is white, Jagannath’s is dark, and Subhadra’s is yellow. The shape of Balabhadra’s head ranges from somewhat flat to semi-circular, depending on the temple.

Outside Hinduism

In Jainism, Balarama is known as Baladeva and is considered a śalākāpuruṣa (great personality). The Jain Puranas, notably Hemachandra's Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacarita, narrate hagiographical accounts of nine Baladevas, with Balarama being the ninth. Balarama and Krishna are considered cousins of the revered Tirthankara Neminatha by Jains. Jainism lists 63 Śalākāpuruṣa, including triads of Vasudeva (Krishna), Baladeva (Balarama), and Prati-Vasudeva (Jarasandha).

In each age of Jain cyclic time, a Vasudeva is born with an elder brother termed the Baladeva. The Baladeva upholds non-violence, while the Prati-Vasudeva attempts to destroy the world, forcing Vasudeva-Krishna to forsake non-violence and kill him. The Jain versions of Krishna's life follow the same general outline as Hindu texts but differ in details, including Jain Tirthankaras as characters and being polemically critical of Krishna. In Jain texts, after death, Krishna goes to the third hell while Balarama goes to the sixth heaven.

The connection between Krishna and Neminatha has been a historic reason for Jains to accept the Bhagavad Gita as spiritually important and celebrate Krishna-related festivals.