Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c4.1511

c4.1511

BAKA III. (Bakadālbhya). The great sage who poured into the sacrificial fire the country of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra. For details see under Dālbhya. BALA. A sacred incantation. (See Atibala). BALA I. (VALA). A demon born to Kaśyapa Prajāpati of his wife Danāyu. This demon had three brothers: Vikṣara, Vira and Vṛtra. It was this Bala who later on became the king of Pāṇḍyadeśa. (Śloka 42, Chapter 67, Śloka 33; Chapter 65, Ādi Parva, M.B.). Chapter 168 of Vana Parva states that this Bala was killed by Indra. (For details see Vala). BALA II. A deva born to Varuṇa of his elder brother's wife. (Śloka 52, Chapter 66, Ādi Parva, M.B.). BALA III. The son born to Parīkṣit of the Ikṣvāku dynasty of the daughter of Maṇḍūkarāja. This Bala had two wives, Śalā and Dalā. (Śloka 38, Chapter 192, Vana Parva, M.B.). BALA IV. A monkey. In the battle with Kumbhakarṇa this monkey did many brave deeds. (Śloka 6, Chapter 287, Vana Parva, M.B.). BALA V. One of the two warriors whom Vāyu Bhagavān gave as a gift to Subrahmaṇya. The name of the other was Atibala. (Śloka 44, Chapter 91, Śalya Parva, M.B.). BALA VI. A Maharṣi of ancient Bhārata. He was the son of Maharṣi Aṅgiras. (Śloka 27, Chapter 208, Śānti Parva, M.B.). BALA VII. A sanātana Viśvadeva. (Śloka 30, Chapter 91, Anuśāsana Parva, M.B.). BALA VIII. A pārṣada of Viṣṇu. When Vāmana trampled over the head of emperor Bali and sent him to the underworld, the followers of Bali ascended the yajña maṇḍala and created a commotion. Bala was one of the pārṣadas who then came to the scene to quell the trouble. (Aṣṭama Skandha, Bhāgavata). BALA IX. A son of Māyāsura. He lived in a place in the netherlands called Atala. He created ninety-six different kinds of magic and gave them to the asura magicians who by the use of them gave the devas immense trouble. Once when Balāsura yawned three bad women, Svairiṇī, Kāminī and Pumścalī were born. They had with them a potable substance called Hāṭaka which they gave to men whom they liked and after enlivening the sex impulse in them enjoyed a sexual life with them to their heart's content. (Pañcama Skandha, Bhāgavata). Once during a fight between Indra and Jalandhara Bala defeated Indra in a pathetic way. Indra then sought refuge in him and praised him with songs. Flattered by this Bala asked Indra to ask of him whatever he wanted and the sly Indra requested for the physical body of Bala. Without the least hesitation Bala cut his body into pieces and gave him. Indra threw away the cut pieces to different sides and all the places where these pieces fell were at once transformed into Diamond mines.