Indian traditions, Nivedita and Coomaraswamy
Balarama
The birth story identifies Devaki’s seventh child with Shesh or Ananta and describes his transfer to Rohini to protect him from Kans. The child born to Rohini is named Balarama. At Mathura Balarama accompanies Krishna to the tournament. When an elephant is driven against them, his first blow turns it back; the brothers then overcome it together and enter the lists.
Also known as Balaram · Baladeva
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In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalThe birth story identifies Devaki’s seventh child with Shesh or Ananta and describes his transfer to Rohini to protect him from Kans. The child born to Rohini is named Balarama.
Further detail
TraditionalAt Mathura Balarama accompanies Krishna to the tournament. When an elephant is driven against them, his first blow turns it back; the brothers then overcome it together and enter the lists.
Context & interpretation
Balarama is presented through two episodes in the 1914 collection. The transfer between pregnancies and serpent identity belong to its religious narrative. The tournament passage supports the brotherly partnership described here, not an independently verified feat.
Original passages
Source 1
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
The child born of Rohim was afterwards called BalaramaOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 267
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0267
- Original scan leaf
- 267
- Recorded leaf number
- 267
- Current Reader position
- 258
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
Balaram gave it such a blow with his fistOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 291
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0291
- Original scan leaf
- 291
- Recorded leaf number
- 291
- Current Reader position
- 282
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
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