The Serpents Who Welcomed Balarāma

The nāgas received Balarāma when he left the world. Balarāma is Śeṣa-Ananta, the great serpent, come as an avatāra (a descent). At Prabhāsa he gave up his human body and went into the sea as a great white serpent with a thousand hoods. The divine serpents of the deep and King Varuṇa himself came to welcome him. The Ocean received him, and the nāgas honoured him with the full rites of reverence, receiving their lord back into his original home.

The departure of Balarāma

Kṛṣṇa watched as Balarāma sat alone by a tree, fixed in yoga. From his mouth Balarāma sent out a great white serpent. It had a thousand hoods, its body was as vast as mountains, and its face was red. He cast off his mortal body and made his way to the great sea. Then the Ocean, the divine serpents and the sacred rivers came to welcome him. The serpent-kings rose up to receive one of their own.

The divine serpents

These nāgas came forth of their own accord to greet Balarāma as he returned to the waters. They offered him welcome and honour.

• Kārkoṭaka, a foremost among the serpent-kings who came to receive Balarāma.
• Vāsuki, the great king of the nāgas.
• Takṣaka, the mighty serpent-lord.
• Pṛthuśravas, a divine serpent of the deep.
• Aruṇa, a serpent who came to the welcome.
• Kuñjara, a serpent-lord among those assembled.
• Miśri, one of the divine serpents.
• Śaṅkha, a nāga who came forth.
• Kumuda, a serpent of the ocean.
• Puṇḍarīka, a divine serpent.
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the great serpent-king (sarparāja) who bears this name, a mahātmā (great soul) among the nāgas.
• Hrāda, a serpent who came to the greeting.
• Krātha, one of the assembled nāgas.
• Śitikaṇṭha, a serpent of fierce tejas (radiance).
• Cakramanda, a divine serpent.
• Atiṣaṇḍa, a serpent-lord among the welcomers.
• Durmukha, foremost among the nāgas (nāgaśreṣṭha).
• Ambarīṣa, a divine serpent of the deep.

With them came King Varuṇa himself, lord of the waters. He came in person to greet Balarāma. They honoured him with arghya and pādya (water offered to a guest, for the hands and for the feet) and the customary rites of reverence. They received him back into the ocean as their own.

Balarāma as Śeṣa-Ananta

The welcome shows the true nature of Balarāma. He is Śeṣa-Ananta, the first thousand-hooded serpent, on whom the worlds rest. At the appointed hour of Kāla (Time) he returned to his original place in the waters. The serpent-kings and Varuṇa honoured him on his return to his eternal home.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Mausala Parva, Chapter 4