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Home › Mantras › Balaram Mantra
Dasavathara (Vishnu) Balaram Mantra: fair Balarama in blue holding his plough and pestle by the Ganga at Hastinapura, the Kaurava elders with joined palms before him
By the Ganga before Hastinapura, the Kaurava elders join their palms and ask Balarama's pardon
Mantra · Name mantra, dhyana, the Kauravas' plea and Garga's Stavaraja

Balaram Mantra

ॐ बलभद्राय नमः ।

Also known as Balarama Mantra

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

Dasavathara HomamThe Dasavathara Homam, performed for youBook →

What the Balaram Mantra is

The Balarama Mantra, often searched as the Balaram mantra, gathers here sixteen items addressed to Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, also called Baladeva, Balabhadra and Sankarshana. It opens with the short name mantra Om Balabhadraya Namah, which is the first name of the thousand-name list of Balarama. A dhyana verse from the Garga Samhita follows; it pictures him with a shining crown, cheeks touched by curls, a robe the colour of a dark cloud, and his plough and pestle. Next come five verses from the tenth book of the Bhagavata Purana, chapter 68, in which the Kauravas ask his pardon. The longest part is the Balabhadra Stavaraja, the 'king of hymns', from chapter 11 of the Balabhadra Khanda of the Garga Samhita: eight verses of names and deeds and a closing phala verse. The Garga Samhita ascribes the Stavaraja to Vedavyasa and frames it as a hymn the sage Pradvipaka teaches to Duryodhana at his request.

The City Dragged Toward the Ganga

The Bhagavata Purana sets the five Kaurava verses inside its account of Samba's marriage. Samba, a son of Krishna, carried off Lakshmana, the daughter of Duryodhana, at her svayamvara. Six Kuru warriors led by Karna surrounded him, broke his bow, bound him and brought the pair back to Hastinapura. Balarama set out to settle the quarrel without war and sent Uddhava ahead to learn the mind of King Dhritarashtra. The Kurus answered with scorn: the Yadavas, they said, held their royal honours only by Kuru favour. Stung, Balarama dug the tip of his plough under the city and began to haul Hastinapura toward the Ganga. As the ground tilted, the Kurus came out with their families, set Samba and Lakshmana in front, and offered the prayer printed here. They admit they never knew his power, call him the one cause of the world's keeping, rise and end, the bearer of the earth on a thousand heads, and say his anger is meant to teach, not to harm. Balarama was calmed and told them not to fear. Duryodhana sent the couple home with a dowry of elephants, horses, chariots and attendants. The chapter ends by saying the city still stands raised on its southern side along the river, and the Stavaraja remembers the deed when it calls him the one who dragged Hastinapura.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiॐ बलभद्राय नमः ।
Tamilௐ பலபத்ராய நமஃ ।
Teluguఓం బలభద్రాయ నమః ।
Kannadaಓಂ ಬಲಭದ್ರಾಯ ನಮಃ ।
Malayalamഓം ബലഭദ്രായ നമഃ ।
EnglishRoman transliterationoṃ balabhadrāya namaḥ |
“Om, salutation to Balabhadra, the strong and blessed one (Balarama).”
ॐ
oṃ — Om, the sacred syllable
बलभद्राय
balabhadrāya — to Balabhadra, the strong and blessed one
नमः
namaḥ — salutation

Balaram Mantra lyrics in full

The name mantra and dhyana, five verses of the Bhagavata Purana, and the eight-verse Balabhadra Stavaraja with its phala verse.

All 16 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Balaram Mantra PDFAll 16 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

Mantra 1

ॐ बलभद्राय नमः ।

Om, salutation to Balabhadra, the strong and blessed one (Balarama).

Dhyanam 1

स्फुरदमलकिरीटं किङ्किणीकङ्कणार्हं चलदलककपोलं कुण्डलश्रीमुखाब्जम् ।
तुहिनगिरिमनोज्ञं नीलमेघाम्बराढ्यं हलमुसलविशालं कामपालं समीडे ॥

I praise Kamapala, the fulfiller of wishes, whose spotless crown shines, who is fit to wear small bells and bracelets, whose cheeks are touched by moving curls and whose lotus face glows with earrings. He is lovely as a snow mountain, rich in a robe the colour of a dark cloud, and mighty with plough and pestle.

Verse 1

राम रामाखिलाधार प्रभावं न विदाम ते ।
मूढानां नः कुबुद्धीनां क्षन्तुमर्हस्यतिक्रमम् ॥

O Rama, Rama, support of all, we did not know your power. We are foolish and of poor understanding; please forgive our offence.

Verse 2

स्थित्युत्पत्त्यप्ययानां त्वमेको हेतुर्निराश्रयः ।
लोकान् क्रीडनकानीश क्रीडतस्ते वदन्ति हि ॥

You alone, needing no support, are the cause of the keeping, the rise and the dissolution of all things. O Lord, it is said that the worlds are toys for you at play.

Verse 3

त्वमेव मूर्ध्नीदमनन्त लीलया भूमण्डलं बिभर्षि सहस्रमूर्धन् ।
अन्ते च यः स्वात्मनिरुद्धविश्वः शेषेऽद्वितीयः परिशिष्यमाणः ॥

O Ananta of a thousand heads, you alone carry this earth on your head as if in play. At the end, drawing the whole universe into yourself, you lie down as the one without a second, the one who remains.

Verse 4

कोपस्तेऽखिलशिक्षार्थं न द्वेषान्न च मत्सरात् ।
बिभ्रतो भगवन् सत्त्वं स्थितिपालनतत्परः ॥

O Lord, your anger is meant to teach everyone, not born of hatred or envy, for you hold to pure goodness and are intent on keeping and protecting the world.

Verse 5

नमस्ते सर्वभूतात्मन् सर्वशक्तिधराव्यय ।
विश्वकर्मन् नमस्तेऽस्तु त्वां वयं शरणं गताः ॥

Salutations to you, Self of all beings, bearer of every power, the unchanging one. Maker of the universe, salutations to you; we have come to you for refuge.

Stuti 1

देवादिदेव भगवन्कामपाल नमोऽस्तु ते ।
नमोऽनन्ताय शेषाय साक्षाद्रामाय ते नमः ॥

O God of gods, O Lord Kamapala, salutations to you. Salutations to you, Ananta and Shesha, who are Rama himself.

Stuti 2

धराधराय पूर्णाय स्वधाम्ने सीरपाणये ।
सहस्रशिरसे नित्यं नमः सङ्कर्षणाय ते ॥

Salutations always to you, Sankarshana, who holds up the earth, who is complete, whose own light is his abode, who carries the plough in his hand and who has a thousand heads.

Stuti 3

रेवतीरमण त्वं वै बलदेवाच्युताग्रज ।
हलायुध प्रलम्बघ्न पाहि मां पुरुषोत्तम ॥

You are the beloved of Revati, O Baladeva, elder brother of Achyuta. O plough-armed one, slayer of Pralamba, highest of beings, protect me.

Stuti 4

बलाय बलभद्राय तालाङ्काय नमो नमः ।
नीलाम्बराय गौराय रौहिणेयाय ते नमः ॥

Salutations again and again to Bala, to Balabhadra, whose emblem is the palm tree. Salutations to you, fair one dressed in blue, son of Rohini.

Stuti 5

धेनुकारिर्मुष्टिकारिः कूटारिर्बल्वलान्तकः ।
रुक्म्यरिः कूपकर्णारिः कुम्भाण्डारिस्त्वमेव हि ॥

You alone are the foe of Dhenuka, of Mushtika and of Kuta, the ender of Balvala, the foe of Rukmi, of Kupakarna and of Kumbhanda.

Stuti 6

कालिन्दीभेदनोऽसि त्वं हस्तिनापुरकर्षकः ।
द्विविदारिर्यादवेन्द्रो व्रजमण्डलमण्डनः ॥

You are the one who split the course of the Kalindi river and dragged the city of Hastinapura; the foe of Dvivida, the lord of the Yadavas and the ornament of the land of Vraja.

Stuti 7

कंसभ्रातृप्रहन्तासि तीर्थयात्राकरः प्रभुः ।
दुर्योधनगुरुः साक्षात्पाहि पाहि प्रभो त्वतः ॥

You struck down the brothers of Kamsa; you are the master who went on pilgrimage to the holy places, and the very teacher of Duryodhana. O Lord, protect me, protect me.

Stuti 8

जय जयाच्युतदेव परात्पर स्वयमनन्तदिगन्तगतश्रुत ।
सुरमुनीन्द्रफणीन्द्रवराय ते मुसलिने बलिने हलिने नमः ॥

Victory, victory to you, divine Achyuta, higher than the highest, the endless one whose fame has reached the ends of every direction. Salutations to you, best among gods, great sages and serpent kings, the mighty bearer of pestle and plough.

Phala Shruti 1

यः पठेत्सततं स्तवनं नरः स तु हरेः परमं पदमाव्रजेत् ।
जगति सर्वबलं त्वरिमर्दनं भवति तस्य धनं स्वजनं धनम् ॥

The verse says that one who always recites this hymn reaches the highest abode of Hari, and in this world gains every kind of strength that crushes enemies, along with wealth and his own people.

The syllable people get wrong

In saṅkarṣaṇāya (Stuti 2) the ṅ is a nasal that blends into the k, and the ṣ is the retroflex sh with the tongue curled back, so it is said 'sun-kar-sha-NAA-ya', never 'san-kar-sa-na'.

When the Balaram Mantra is chanted

Weekday. Thursday

Festival. Balarama Jayanti (Shravana Purnima; Hal Shashthi in North India)

Questions

The Bhagavata Purana explains all three in one verse (10.2.13). He is Sankarshana because he was drawn from the womb of Devaki into that of Rohini, which is why the Stavaraja also calls him Rauhineya, son of Rohini. He is Rama because he delights the people, and Balabhadra because of his towering strength. Bala means strength, so Balarama is the Rama of strength.
Kamapala, 'the guardian of desires', is the name the Garga Samhita uses for Balarama in both items printed from it. The dhyana closes by saying 'I praise Kamapala', and the first verse of the Stavaraja hails him as Kamapala, god of gods. The settled meaning here renders it as the fulfiller of wishes. The same verse goes on to call him Ananta and Shesha, the serpent of endless coils.
Verses five to seven are a roll of deeds. They name the demons he overcame, among them Dhenuka the ass demon, the wrestler Mushtika, Balvala, Kumbhanda and the ape Dvivida, as well as Rukmi. They recall that he split the course of the Kalindi, the Yamuna, dragged Hastinapura, killed the brothers of Kamsa, went on pilgrimage to the holy places and taught Duryodhana. Stuti 3 adds Pralamba, the demon he slew while playing in Vraja.
Wordings called a Balarama Gayatri do circulate, but they differ from one another and none is found in the Puranic texts printed here, so no Gayatri is given. The items on this page each come from a named source: the opening name of his thousand-name list, the Garga Samhita and the Bhagavata Purana. Balarama also stands in some lists of the ten avatars; those verses are on the Dashavatara Stotram page at /mantra/dashavatara-stotram/.
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