Chapter 79 - Balvala Killed: Balarāma’s Pilgrimage

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Śuka narrated:

1. O king Parīkṣit! When the next parva (full moon) day came, a terrible, violent stormy wind swept over the place showering heavy dust and filling the whole atmosphere with obnoxious odour on all sides.

2. Then there was a downpour of filthy things on the sacrificial ground, caused by Balvala, after which he appeared with a trident in hand.

3-4. Beholding that asura of gigantic body, extremely black like a heap of collyrium, with hair on the head, moustaches and beard like red-hot copper and a face terror-inspiring with its fierce tusks and terrific knit brows, Balarāma remembered (his weapons)—the pestle that shatters hostile forces and the plough which vanquishes demons. And both the weapons immediately presented themselves to him.

5. With the point of his plough, he pulled to the ground, Balvala who was ranging through the sky and full of indignation, he struck that sworn enemy of Brāhmaṇas on the head with a pestle.

6. With his forehead shattered and split open and bleeding profusely, the demon gave out a helpless yell and fell down to the ground like a mountain struck with Vajra and covered with liquid red chalk.

7. The sages applauded Balarāma (for this feat) and pronounced their unfailing benedictions. Those highly blessed sages sprinkled sacred waters on Balarāma (as abhiṣeka) as gods did to Indra when he killed Vṛtra.

8. They presented to Balarāma a celestial five-coloured Vaijayanti garland of unfading flowers (chiefly lotuses, two excellent pieces of cloth and very valuable ornaments.

9. Then with the permission of those sages, Balarāma, accompanied with Brāhmaṇas went to the Kauśikī^[1] river. After taking bath therein, he proceeded to the lake^[2] from which the Sarayū flows out.

10. From its source and travelling along the current of the Sarayū, Balarāma reached Prayāga. He took his bath there in, offered water oblations to gods (sages and manes) and proceeded to the hermitage of Pulaha.^[3]

11-12. He bathed in the Gomatī, Gaṇḍakī, Vipāśā^[4] the Śoṇa and visited Gayā and worshipped his ancestors. After taking his bath at the confluence of the Gaṅgā with the sea, he met Paraśurāma and paid his respects to him on the Mahendra^[5] hill. He took bath in the seven branches of the Godāvarī, the Veṇā, the Pampā^[6] and the river Bhīmā.

13. After paying a visit to the temple of Skanda, he went to Śrī Śaila^[7]. The great Balarāma then visited the holy mountain Veṅkaṭa in the Draviḍa land.

14. Lord Balarāma then visited the city of Kāñcī^[8] known as Kāmakoṣṇī^[9] (Kāmakoṭī) and the great river Kāverī, he paid visit to the holy place known as Śrīraṅga^[10] (Srirangam) where Lord Hari ever abides.

15. He then went to the Ṛṣabha^[11] hill, a sacred place dedicated to Hari. He then visited Setu^[12]—the dam built across the sea (by Rāmacandra) where people are absolved of very heinous sins.

16. Balarāma gave ten thousand cows to the Brāhmaṇas there. He then visited the rivers Kṛta-mālā, Tāmraparṇī and the mountain-chain called the Malaya (one of the seven important mountain ranges in India).

17. There he paid respects to the sage Agastya who was established on the mountain. After receiving blessings from him and with his permission, Balarāma went to the south-sea where he visited the goddess Durgā (Pārvatī), known there as Kanyā (at Kanyā Kumārī).

18. Next he visited the sacred place called Phālguna^[13] and the lake called Pañcāpsaras (five celestial damsels) noted for the special presence of Viṣṇu. He performed ablution therein and gave ten thousand cows (to Brāhmaṇas).

19. Then Lord Balarāma went to Kerala, Trigarta.^[14] (From thence he proceeded to the famous Śaivite holy place Gokarṇa where god Śiva is ever-present.

20. Having visited the shrine of Pārvatī (designated as Āryā) on the island, Balarāma proceeded to Śūrpāraka (Sopara, Dist. Thana, Maharashtra). After taking bath in the Tāpī, the Payoṣṇī^[15] and the Nirvindhyā^[16], he entered the Daṇḍaka forest.

21. (From that forest) he entered the river Narmadā on the banks of which is situated the city of Māhiṣmatī^[17]. He performed ablution in the Manutīrtha and again returned to Prabhāsa.

22. Having heard from the Brāhmaṇas the report of the destruction of all Kṣattriya princes (participating) in the war between Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas, he considered it as the removal of the burden of the earth.

23. The scion (or the delight) of the Yadu’s race (Balarāma) went to Kurukṣetra with the desire of preventing Bhīma and Duryodhana from their single combat with their maces on the battle-field.

24. As soon as Yudhiṣṭhira, the twins Nakula, Sahadeva and even Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna saw him, they bowed to him but they kept quiet, as they were afraid why he had come over there and what he wanted to say.

25. He saw both Bhīma and Duryodhana, with maces in hand, both highly enraged and bent on vanquishing the other, were making wonderful manoeuvres (in the combat with maces). He spoke to them:

26. “O king (Duryodhana), O Bhīma, both of you are warriors equal in strength. I think one of you is superior in physical strength while the other excels in training.

27. As both of you are equal in prowess, I do not see that either of you will be victorious or vanquished. Hence, such a fruitless combat should be stopped altogether.

28. O Parīkṣit! The enmity of these two inveterate adversaries was so deep-seated that neither of them accepted his advice, though it was salutary and significant. For they did not forget their mutual offensive words and the wicked deeds.

29. Considering that the combat was destined (as a fruit of their past acts and hence inevitable), Balarāma returned to Dvārakā. He was received there warmly by Ugrasena and other relatives who were glad at his arrival.

30. (Balarāma took him with all the necessary materials and assistants for performing sacrifices). He again visited the Naimiṣa forest. The sages, acting as his sacrificial priests, gladly helped Balarāma whose person was constituted of sacrifice (or sacrifices formed a part of his personality) and who kept himself aloof from the (Kaurava-Pāṇḍava) war, in the performance of all sacrifices.

31. The almighty Lord Balarāma imparted to them highly pure spiritual wisdom by virtue of which the sages realized that the whole universe is in their Self and that their self pervaded all the universe.

32. Having performed the concluding bath of the sacrifice along with his consort Ṛevatī and accompanied by his clansmen, relatives and friends, Balarāma who put on excellent dress and was well adorned, shone like the moon radiating its own (moon-) light.

33. Innumerable are other feats and exploits (of such a nature) of the mighty Balarāma who is infinite (or Ananta or the serpent Śeṣa himself) and incomprehensible by nature. He has assumed the form of a mortal being by his own Māyā potency.

34. He who remembers and contemplates over the feats of Balarāma who performed miraculous deeds, both in the morning and the evening, becomes a beloved of the infinite Lord Viṣṇu.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Modern Kośi running from Nepal by the western border of the Purnea district in Bihar. The river has been tamed by dams now. Was it in the Kokāmukha tīrtha where Balarāma took his bath?—SGAMI, pp. 278-80, 340.

[2]:

The Purāṇas believe that the Mānasa lake is the source of the Sarayū. But the river rises in the mountains of Kumaun and after its junction with the Kālīnadī, it is called the Sarayū. Ayodhyā is on its bank.—GDAMI, p. 181-82.

[3]:

The same as Śālagrāma, near the source of the Gandak—GDAMI, p. 161 & 174.

[4]:

The Beas. It is difficult to plot the route followed by Balarāma as the purāṇa writer has vague idea of the geography of north India.

[5]:

The range of hills extending from Orissa to the district of Madura. It is applied to Eastern Ghats in general—SGAMI, p. 61. N.L. De states that Mahendra hills separate Ganjam from the valley of the Mahanadi—GDAMI p. 119.

[6]:

A tributary of the Tuṅgabhadrā. It rises in the Rsvamuka hills in Bellary district.

[7]:

Also called Śrī Parvata (GDAMI, p. 193) It is a hili in the Nallanialur range and a famous Tirtha in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.—SGAMI, p. 336.

[8]:

Modern Conjeveram on the river Palar, 43 miles south-west of Madras. The eastern part of the town is called Viṣṇu Kāñcī and western part as Śiva kāñcī—GDAMI, p. 86

[9]:

N.L. De identifies it with Kumbhakonam but he is doubtful about it.—GDAMI, p. 86.

[10]:

Śrīraṅgam, 2 miles to the north of Trichinopoly, Tamil Nad. Famous for its Viṣṇu temple (Śrī Raṅgam)—GDAMI, p. 193.

[11]:

The Palni hills in Madura. They form the northern portion of the Malaya mountain. The hills are locally known as Varāha Parvata—GDAMI, p. 169.

[12]:

The Adam’s bridge between India and Ceylon Rameshwaram is the first island in this chain of islets. It is called Śaṅgama Tīrtha also—GDAMI, p. 184.

[13]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā identifies it with Anantapun fifty-six miles to the south-east of Bellary. Pañcāpsarā tīrtha is near it. Subodhinī calls it ‘Anantaśayana’. He states that the five divine damsels were restored to their original status by Arjuna. Hence it is called Pañcāpsaras.

[14]:

North Canara in Karnataka—GDAMI, p. 205.

[15]:

The Pain-gaṅgā. a tributary of the Godavari—SGAMI, p. 57.

[16]:

The Newuj, a tributary of the Chambal flowing between the Betvva and the Kalisindh—SGAMI, p. 57.

[17]:

Modern Maheshwar, forty miles to the south of Indore. It was the capital of Haihayas. In the Buddhist canon in the Mahā Govinda sulta (Dīgha Nikāya 29.36) it is called Māhissatī and it was the capital of Avanti (Malwa).