Balarama is an avatar of Adhisesha the god of prosperity. Balarama’s significance in Indian culture has ancient roots.
Balarama – God of Agriculture and Strength
Balarama is a Hindu god and the elder brother of Lord Krishna. He is also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra, Haladhara and Halayudha. The first two epithets refer to his strength, the last two associate him with ‘Hala’ (plough) from his strong associations with farming and farmers, as the deity who used farm equipment as weapons when needed.
Balarama is an ancient deity, a prominent one in the epics era of Indian history. His iconography appears with Naga (many-headed serpent), a plough and other farm artefacts such as a watering pot, possibly indicating his origins in an agricultural culture. Balarama’s legend appears in many Parva (books) of the Mahabharata.
Kamsa was the brother of Devaki and was informed that we would be killed by his 8th Nephew. Hearing which Kamsa, in no time, had Devaki and her husband Vasudeva arrested. Thus, he killed all their children which followed till the birth of the other six sons.
Now, The Sesha Nag started to inhabit the womb of Devaki Maa and Kamsa saw the divinity on the face of Devaki and suddenly understood that God was residing inside her womb. This was the seventh son.
Thus, Lord Vishnu called Yogmaya and told her about the change in his plans. Then, Yogmaya took Sesha Nag to the womb of Rohini, who was another wife of Vasudeva. Ensuring that Yogmaya penetrated the womb of Yashoda and Lord Vishnu entered the womb of Devaki Maa. The Seventh Son was none other than Balarama himself and the rest is history.
Vyuha avatar ‘Sankarshana’
Narratives of Balarama are found in Mahabharata, Harivamsha, Bhagavata Purana, Krishna Charit Manas and other Puranas. He is classified as the Vyuha avatar ‘Sankarshana’.
He was named Rama, but because of his great strength, he was called Balarama, Baladeva, or Balabhadra, meaning Strong Rama. He was born in Shravana Purnima.
One day, Nanda requested the presence of Sage Gargamuni, his priest, to name the newborn Krishna and Balarama. When the Garga arrived, Nanda received him well and requested the naming ceremony. Gargamuni then reminded Nanda that Kamsa was looking for the son of Devaki and if he performed the ceremony in opulence, it would come to his attention. Nanda therefore asked Garga to perform the ceremony in secrecy.
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. He attracts the Yadus to follow his instructions and therefore his name is Sankarshana.
When his elder brother, fatigued from playing, would lie down with his head upon the lap of a cow herd boy, Lord Krishna would help him relax by personally massaging his feet and offering other services.
Balarama’s Childhood
Balarama spent his childhood as a cow herder with his brother Krishna. He killed Dhenuka, an asura sent by Kamsa, as well as Pralamba and Mushtika wrestlers sent by the king. After the evil king died, Balarama and Krishna went to the ashrama of sage Sandipani at Ujjain to study. He married Revati, the daughter of King Kakudmi.
Balarama’s Children
Balarama had 3 children – Nisatha, Uluka and Shashirekha. Shashirekha married the son of Arjuna (his cousin and brother-in-law), Abhimanyu.
Balarama is the celebrated plougher, one of the pillars of agriculture along with livestock with whom Krishna is associated with. The plough is Balarama’s weapon. In the Bhagavata Purana, he uses it to fight demons, dig a way for the Yamuna River to come closer to Vrindavan and pull the entire capital of Hastinapura into the Ganges River.
Balarama was very straightforward and did not always understand Lord Krishna’s complex logic although, he always agreed with his younger brother. When Krishna gave Narayani Sena to Duryodhana, it also included Balarama, but Balarama did not want to fight for both sides. The reason is that he was an honourable person who could not fight his brother Krishna and his disciples Bhima or Duryodhana.
He advised them to stop the war, but none responded, so in Krishna’s suggestion he simply left for Pilgrimage to avoid the war and arrived only at the end of the war. When Bhima defeated Duryodhana by striking him in the thigh with his mace, Balarama threatened to kill Bhima. This was prevented when Krishna reminded Balarama of the vow of Bhima—to kill Duryodhana by crushing the thigh he had exposed to Bhima’s wife Draupadi.
In the Bhagavata Purana, it is described that after Balarama took part in the battle causing the destruction of the remainder of the Yadu dynasty and witnessing the disappearance of Krishna, he sat down in a meditative state and departed from this world.
In the Hindu traditions, Balarama has been a farmer’s patron deity, signifying as one who is ‘harbinger of knowledge’, of agricultural tools and prosperity. He is almost always shown and described with Krishna, such as in stealing butter, playing childhood pranks, complaining to Yashoda that his baby brother Krishna had eaten dirt, playing in cow pens, studying together at the school of guru Sandipani, and fighting evil wrestlers sent in by Kamsa to kill the two brothers.
He was the constant companion of Krishna, ever watchful. He is a creative store of knowledge for the agriculturists: the knowledge that dug a water channel to bring Yamuna water to Vrindavan that restored groves, farms and forests that produced goods.
He chooses his incarnation first as he is Adisesha and he had to be there in Vaikuntha before Krishna’s return who is Vishnu. The place where he departed is situated near Somnath Temple in Gujarat. The local people believe that in the cave near the temple place, the white snake who came out of Balarama’s mouth got into that cave and went back to Pataal Loka.
