Balarama information

Balarama
Balarama
God of Agriculture and Strength
Member of Dashavatara
	17th century depiction of Balarama from a wall hanging in an Indian temple
Affiliation	Avatar of Shesha in Bhagavata Vaishnavism; eighth avatar of Vishnu in some Vaishnava traditions
Abode	Vaikuntha, Patala, Vrindavan
Weapon	Plough, Mace
Festivals	Balarama Jayanti, Ratha Yatra
Personal information
Born	Gokula
Parents	Vasudeva (father); Rohini (mother)Devaki (wife of Vasudeva); Rohini]];
Siblings	Krishna, Subhadra
Consort	Revati
Children	Nishatha ; Ulmuka (sons)
Dynasty	Yaduvamsha – Chandravamsha

Balarama (Sanskrit: बलराम, IAST: Balarāma) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Vāsudeva-Krishna^[7]^[8] He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities.^[9] He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana.

The first two epithets associate him with hala (langala, "plough")^[10] from his strong associations with farming and farmers, as the deity who used farm equipment as weapons when needed, and the next two refer to his strength.^[9]^[11]

Originally an agri-cultural deity, Balarama is mostly described as an incarnation of Adi Shesha, the serpent associated with the deity Vishnu^[9]^[5] while some Vaishnava traditions regard him as the eighth avatar of Vishnu,^[5] with Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda (c.1200) "incorporat[ing] Balarama into the pantheon" as the eighth of the 10 principal avatars of Vishnu.^[9]

Balarama's significance in Indian culture has ancient roots. His image in artwork is dated to around the start of the common era, and in coins dated to the second-century BCE.^[12] In Jainism, he is known as Baladeva, and has been a historically significant farmer-related deity.^[13]^[14]

^ Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 9788184752779.
^ Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. ISBN 9781135963903.
^ Nehra, Air Marshal R. K. Hinduism & Its Military Ethos. Lancer Publishers LLC. ISBN 9781935501473.
^ "L3 - Dashavatara".
^ ^a ^b ^c "Balarama | Hindu mythology". Encyclopedia Britannica. 23 August 2023.
^ "The Vishnu Purana: Book V: Chapter XXV".
^ Cite error: The named reference US438 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ""Balarama and Krishna Fighting the Enemy", Folio from a Harivamsa (The Legend of Hari (Krishna)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A–M. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 82–84, 269. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.
^ Jan Gonda (1969). Aspects of Early Viṣṇuism. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 100, 152–153. ISBN 978-81-208-1087-7.
^ Lavanya Vemsani (2006). Hindu and Mythology of Balarāma. Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press. pp. 30–31, 52–59, 68–69 with footnotes. ISBN 978-0-7734-5723-2.
^ Heather Elgood (1 April 2000). Hinduism and the Religious Arts. Bloomsburg Academic. pp. 57, 61. ISBN 978-0-304-70739-3.
^ Vemsani, Lavanya (2006). Hindu and Jain Mythology of Balarama (1 ed.). Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 9780773457232.
^ Patrick Olivelle (2006). Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE. Oxford University Press. pp. 391 with note 15. ISBN 978-0-19-977507-1.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

[1] Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 9788184752779.

[2] Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (4 July 2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. ISBN 9781135963903.

[3] Nehra, Air Marshal R. K. Hinduism & Its Military Ethos. Lancer Publishers LLC. ISBN 9781935501473.

[4] "L3 - Dashavatara".

[EB_Balarama-5] "Balarama | Hindu mythology". Encyclopedia Britannica. 23 August 2023.

[6] "The Vishnu Purana: Book V: Chapter XXV".

[US438-8] Cite error: The named reference US438 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[9] ""Balarama and Krishna Fighting the Enemy", Folio from a Harivamsa (The Legend of Hari (Krishna)". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 4 September 2023.

[Lochtefeld2002p82-10] James G. Lochtefeld (2002). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A–M. The Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 82–84, 269. ISBN 978-0-8239-3179-8.

[11] Jan Gonda (1969). Aspects of Early Viṣṇuism. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 100, 152–153. ISBN 978-81-208-1087-7.

[12] Lavanya Vemsani (2006). Hindu and Mythology of Balarāma. Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press. pp. 30–31, 52–59, 68–69 with footnotes. ISBN 978-0-7734-5723-2.

[Elgood2000p57-13] Heather Elgood (1 April 2000). Hinduism and the Religious Arts. Bloomsburg Academic. pp. 57, 61. ISBN 978-0-304-70739-3.

[14] Vemsani, Lavanya (2006). Hindu and Jain Mythology of Balarama (1 ed.). Lewiston, New York: Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 9780773457232.

[olivelle391-15] Patrick Olivelle (2006). Between the Empires: Society in India 300 BCE to 400 CE. Oxford University Press. pp. 391 with note 15. ISBN 978-0-19-977507-1.

Balarama information

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Balarama

Dashavatara

Balarama Dasa

Subhadra

Vasudeva

Balarama Bharatam

Avittom Thirunal Balarama Varma

Balarama Holness

Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma

Balarama Krishnulu

Balarama Deva

Kamsa

Shesha

Karanam Balaram Krishna Murthy

Krishna

Soothran

Jarasandha

Revati

Ugrashravas

Akrura

Travancore royal family

List of characters in the Mahabharata

Mayavi

Balarama
God of Agriculture and Strength^[1]
Member of Dashavatara^[2]^[3]^[4]
17th century depiction of Balarama from a wall hanging in an Indian temple
Affiliation	Avatar of Shesha in Bhagavata Vaishnavism; eighth avatar of Vishnu in some Vaishnava traditions^[5]
Abode	Vaikuntha, Patala, Vrindavan
Weapon	Plough, Mace
Festivals	Balarama Jayanti, Ratha Yatra
Personal information
Born	Gokula
Parents	Vasudeva (father) Rohini (mother)Devaki (wife of Vasudeva) Rohini]]^[a]
Siblings	Krishna, Subhadra
Consort	Revati
Children	Nishatha Ulmuka^[6] (sons)
Dynasty	Yaduvamsha – Chandravamsha