Hindu and Jain Mythology of Balarama:

Winner of the Honorable Mention Prize of the 2007 Canadian-Asian Studies Association This book studies the evolution of Balarāma in Vaişņavism through comparative analysis of Balarāma stories from selected Hindu purāņas: the Harivamśa (HV), the Vişņu purāņa (Vi.pu), the Brahmā purāņa (Br.pu), and the Bhāgavata purāņa (Bh.pu). Through careful analysis of Balarāma stories from these texts, the author argues that Balarāma was a multifaceted deity of considerable importance in early Vaişņavism. The modifications introduced in the earliest stories reveal a process whereby Balarāma's popularity and status declined, and he became a minor deity as Kŗşņa grew in importance. In this process, Balarāma's personality is modified from his association with food, abundance, fertility and protection to that of an ordinary warrior.