Dr. R. Nagaswamy #6B8E23 01-Jan-2007 Balarāma in Sangam Literature Balarāma is mentioned in the earliest strata of Tamil literature, namely the Sangam works, assignable to the beginning of the Current Era, He is mentioned as one with tremendous strength Vali (Bala in Skt) and named Vāliyon. He is also said to be white in colour as opposed to his brother Kṛṣhṇa who is black in colour. He is called Veḷḷai Nāgan, i.e. white Snake and often identified with Ādiśeṣha the primordial snake that supports the universe. In ancient times the worship of Kṛṣhṇa and Balarāma went together A sangam poem Puranānūṟu mentioning four great gods refers to Śiva and Subrahmaṇya (Muruga), Balarāma and Kṛṣhṇa and refers to Balarāma as the embodiment of strength ( Vali ottīye vāliyōnai). The figure of Balarāma on a silver coin of Agathocleus, the Greek king of Bactria, found on the banks of the Oxus dated 180 CE with the legend inscribed in Greek. Balarāma as Nāgarāja The worship of Balarāma with Kṛṣhṇa was very popular in Tamilnad as mentioned in a group of Tamil poems called “Paripādal” assigned to 1-2nd cent CE. One of the verses in the collection describes a temple of Ādisesha in a village near the Madurai city, in Tamilnad. The village named “Iruntaiyur” was situated upstream on the banks of the river Vaikai that passes through Madurai. Iruntaiyur was a famous village, from where hailed two great Tamil poets of the Sangam age . The verse under reference describes the situation of the village. On one side of it was a mountain, and another side was a tank full of flowers and on the third side were cultivated fields and the fourth side was the temple. Brahmins who were Vedic followers and upholders of justice lived there, while on another side lived merchants who were great meritorious people selling commodities like food grains, garments, jewelry, incense, and rare objects from hills and sea. On another side lived agriculturists and cultivators who ploughed both dry and wetlands. The village abounded in all pleasures. In this village was the “Muḍi Nāgarāyar temple” who wore a crown with two serpent hoods. The temple was situated on the banks of the tank which had sporadic outcrop of rocky boulders here and there, The Lord was Ādiśeṣha, the primordial serpent, who served as a rope for churning the mountain, planted in the deep milky ocean, when the gods and demons churned the ocean for nectar. He was the embodiment of all strength carrying the whole universe on his hoods like jewels. When Śiva destroyed the three cities with the Meru mountain as a bow, this serpent god served as the bow string and established fame on earth. Balarāma was called Nāgar or White Nāga (Veḷḷai nāgar) in early Tamil literature. Adisesha and Balarāma are held identical in the sangam literature. Men and women, young and old carrying incense, flower baskets and food offerings congregated in large numbers in that temple of the serpent God and worshipped him. Nature itself played music and drum in the temple in the form of buzzing bees and dragon flies humming like stringed yāz (harp). The elephants’ sound resembled the drumming of clouds. Beautiful young maidens and men sang and performed erotic dance in the temple. Many men came to the temple with children and wives and prayed to the lord to eradicate their diseases and distress. The temple was always full of auspicious tidings. At the end of the poem the Poet says that these men and women who came there after worshipping in the temple of the Serpent god, went to the temple of Vāsudeva and worshipped him. In all the Sangam poems the word used is Thirumāl which is generally taken to be Viṣhṇu. But I have taken this word to stand for Vāsudeva as it is used in association with Balarāma. Kṛṣhṇa is already mentioned with sankha and cakra, indicating that he was considered the Supreme Vāsudeva. It is also known the term Vāsudeva stands both for Viṣhṇu and Kṛṣhṇa. This description of the temple of Balarāma as Muḍi Nāgarāja (Ādiseṣha) , shows that Vedic Brahmins, merchants, agriculturalists and cultivators lived around the temple. The young dancing girls and men danced erotic gestures under the influence of liquor they had consumed. Evidently the dancers made merry and danced erotic dances after getting drunk in the temple of Balarāma, who himself was fond of drinks. Balarāma is called Kamapāla, protector of love. It also indicates that worship of Balarāma and Kṛṣhṇa went together. The second point of interest is that the temple was in the midst of all sections of society including Vedic Brahmins which suggests that worship of Balarāma was prevalent among all people. Nāga Stones It is known Kṛṣhṇa is also installed with his image in the snakes even now by the Brahmins and all others that seems to suggest his portrayal on the snake was influenced by Balarāma cult. (In the portrayal of Kaliya Kṛṣhṇa the dance of Kṛṣhṇa is generally shown on the hoods of the snake Kaliya as told in the myth). The poem also shows that there was a strong cult of Balarāma around Madurai, (Southern Mathura) and further south. It is important to note that there is a town near Kanyakumari (extreme south) named Nagarkoil meaning the temple of Nāgarāja. This Town derives its name from the temple dedicated to Nāgarāja, the Serpent god. In fact the garbha-graham (sanctum) inside this temple was covered only with a thatched hut till recent times and an anthill representing serpent hole was worshipped inside the sanctum. At the entrance to the temple are two large five hooded Serpent images, made of stone, stylistically assignable to 8th 9th cent CE. Sometime in the 16th cent, a Kṛṣhṇa shrine has been built with preceding mandapa and other structures inline with the Nāgarāja sanctum. Thus it is now a twin temple housing with in the enclosure the shrines of the Serpent and Kṛṣhṇa. There could be no doubt that this temple is dedicated to Nāgarāja –identical with Balarāma and Kṛṣhṇa. This turns out to be an ancient temple of Balarāma and Kṛṣhṇa still continued to be worshipped in the Sangam tradition. All most all the poems in the Paripādal collection on Thirumāl directly or indirectly point to the identity of Vāsudeva with Balarāma, who is generally called “Vāliyon” or the personification of strength and wielder of sharp plough as a weapon. That the cult of Balarāma was always in association with Vāsudeva Kṛṣhṇa in Madurai and further South is illustrated by this poem. The identity of Balarāma with Kṛṣhṇa mentioned in some poems also indicate the fusion that has taken place and also his importance in early Vaishnavism. Balarāma is also sung as Sankarṣhana, one of the four Vyūha forms, in one poem. The poem Paripāḍal no 1 identifies Thirumal (Vāsudeva) with Balarāma. His colour is said to be white; plough was his weapon, while elephant was his symbol on his flag. (In some instances he is also said to have palm tree as his standard). Another interesting point mentioned in these poems is that Balarāma wore a ring only on one ear. He is also addressed as the father of Manmatha and Brahmā, the creator obviously as Vāsudeva. The Poem 2 of Paripāḍal says that though Kṛṣhṇa was younger to Balarāma by birth, he was greater than him by fame. Balarāma was sparkling white in colour but wore black garment. This poem attributes a Palm tree as his flag. He is mentioned as Vāliyon. The poem no 4 of the Paripāḍal collection refers to the four Vyūha forms Vāsudeva and also mentions four flags as Garuda, Plough, Palm tree, and elephant, sggesting these four vyūhas of Vāsudeva had these four symbols on their flags The Tamil epic Silappadikāram mentions the existence of a number of temples in villages among which one is called Veḷḷai Nāgar tam kōṭṭam, evidently pointing to the independent temples of Balarāma continuing to be popular in post sangam Tamilnad.