Balvala
Balvala
Balvala was a terrible rākshasa, the son of Ilvala. The Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells that at every pūrṇimā and every amāvāsyā he came through the sky and spoiled the satra-yāga of the maharshis, raining pus, blood, filth, liquor and meat upon it. When Bhagavān Balarāma came to the maharshis’ satra on his tīrthayātrā, they asked him to slay Balvala as a great service to them. On the next parva day Balvala came with a śūla in his hand, and Balarāma drew him down from the sky with the tip of his plough and struck his head with his musala. Balvala is also named among the foes whom Śrī Kṛshṇa slew himself or through others, and who merged in him.
The defiler of the satra
Śuka tells Parīkshit that Balarāma had come on his tīrthayātrā to the satra-yāga of the maharshis. When he had slain Romaharshaṇa and, for an example to the people, asked the maharshis what prāyaścitta he should perform, they said: “Ilvala‘s son is known as Balvala. That terrible rākshasa comes at every pūrṇimā and every amāvāsyā and spoils the satra-yāga. O Balarāma of the Daśārha vaṃśa, that pāpī rains down pus, blood, feces and urine, liquor and meat. Slay him. That will be a great service to us.” After that, they said, he should wander for twelve months without a break, bathing in the tīrthas and going round Bhārata-khaṇḍa, and so attain purity.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 78
Balarāma slays Balvala
When the parva day came, a fierce wind blew and caused fear. Dust rained everywhere, and a foul smell spread. Then Balvala rained down a rain of filth upon the yajñaśālā, and at once he himself appeared, holding a śūla. His body was huge, like a dense heap of collyrium; his hair, beard and moustache were like heated, refined copper; his face was terrifying with fangs and brows.
Balarāma saw him and called to mind his divine musala, which shatters enemy armies, and his divine plough, which keeps the rākshasas in check, and both came to him at once. With the tip of the plough he drew down Balvala, who moved in the sky and wronged the brāhmaṇas, and struck him on the head with the musala. Balvala’s forehead split, blood flowed in streams and his whole body turned red. Crying out, he fell to the ground like a mountain struck by the vajra.
The great maharshis praised Balarāma, gave him blessings that come true, and performed abhisheka on him as the devas did for Indra when he slew Vṛtrāsura. They gave him a garland of victory made of lotuses of many colours that never fades, a pair of shining garments and brilliant ornaments. Then, with their leave, Balarāma set out on his tīrthayātrā.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 10, Chapter 79
Among the foes of Śrī Kṛshṇa
Brahmā, telling Nārada the līlā-avatāras of Śrī Hari, names Balvala among the foes who string their bows on the battlefield and boast: Pralamba, Dhenuka, Baka, Keśī, Arishṭa, Cāṇūra and the wrestlers, Kuvalayāpīḍa, Kaṃsa, Kālayavana, Naraka, Pauṇḍraka, Śālva, Dvivida, Balvala, Dantavaktra and the others. Śrī Kṛshṇa, in the forms of Balarāma, Bhīma and Arjuna, slays them; they merge in him, and he grants them his divine abode, Vaikuṇṭha. Uddhava too, speaking to Vidura, says that of Śambara, Dvivida, Bāṇa, Mura, Balvala, Dantavakra and others, Śrī Kṛshṇa slew some himself and had others slain by others.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapter 7; Skandha 3, Chapter 3
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapter 7; Skandha 3, Chapter 3; Skandha 10, Chapters 78–79