ORIENTAL SERIES.

40 BAHUKA BALA-RAMA.
quished and driven out of his country by the tribes of Haihayaa
and Talajanghas. He was father of Sagara.
BAHUKA. The name of Nala when he was transformed
into a dwarf.
BAHULiS. The Knttikas or Pleiades.
BAHY^JCHA. A priest or theologian of the .Kg-veda.
BALA-BHADBA. See Bala-rama.
BALA-GOPALA. The boy Krishna.
BALA-BAMA. (Bala-bhadra and Bala-deva are other forms
of this name,) The elder brother of Krishna, "When Krishna
is regarded as a full manifestation of Vishnu,
Bala-rama is
recognised as the seventh Avatara or incarnation in his place,
According to this view, which is the favourite one of the
Vaislmavas, Krishna is a full divinity and Bala-rama an incar-
nation ; but the story of their birth, as told in the Maha-bharata,
places them more upon an equality. It says that Vishnu took
two hairs, a white and a black one, and that these became Bala-
rama and Krishna, the children of DevakL Bala-rama was of
fair complexion, Krishna was very dark. As soon as Bala-rama
was born, he was carried away to Gokula to preserve his life
from the tyrant Kansa, and he was there nurtured by Nanda as
a child of EohinL He and Krishna grew up together, and he
took part in many of Krishna's boyish freaks and adventures.
His earliest exploit was the killing of the great Asura Dhenuka,
who had the form of an ass. This demon attacked him, but
Bala-rama seized his assailant, whirled him round by his legs
till he was dead, and cast his carcase into a tree. Another Asura
attempted to carry off Bala-rama on his shoulders, but the boy
beat out the demon's brains with his fists. When Krishna went
to Mathura, Bala-rama accompanied him, and manfully supported
him till Kansa was killed. Once, when Bala-rama was intoxicated,
he called upon the Yamuna river to come to him, that he might
bathe; but his command not being heeded, he plunged his
ploughshare into the river, and dragged the waters whithersoever
he went, until they were obliged to assume a human form and
beseech his forgiveness. This action gained for him the title
Yamuna-bhid and Kalindi-karshafta, breaker or dragger of the
Yamuna. He killed Rukmin in a gambling brawl When
Samba, son of Krishna, was detained as a prisoner at Hastinapur
by Dur-yodhana, Bala-rama demanded his release, and, being