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In the Treta-yuga, or second age, the Daitya king Eali had, by his devotions and austerities, acquired the domi- nion of the three worlds, and the gods were shorn of their power and dignity. To remedy this, Yish?zu was born as a diminutive son of Ivasyapa and Aditi. The dwarf appeared before Bali, and begged of him as much land as he could step over in three paces. The generous monarch complied with the request. Yishmi took two strides over heaven and earth ; but respecting the virtues of Bali, he then stopped, leaving the dominion of Patala, or the infernal regions, to Bali. The first five incarnations are thus purely mythological ; in the next three we have the heroic element, and in the ninth the relio;ious. 6. Para5u-rama. ' Kama with the axe. ' Born in the Treta, or second age, as son of the Brahman Jamadagni, to deliver the Brahmans from the arrogant dominion of the Kshatriyas. See Parasu-Eama, 38 A VA TARA—A YODHYA. 7. Eama or Eama-cliandra. ' The moon-like or gentle Rama/ the hero of the Eamayawa. He was the son of Dasaratha, king of Ayodliya, of the Solar race, and was born in the Treta-yiiga, or second age, for the purpose of destroying the demon Rava?^a. 8. Iv?'zsh7za. ' The black or dark coloured.' This is the most poj^ular of all the later deities, and has obtained such pre- eminence, that his votaries look upon him not simply as an incarnation, but as a perfect manifestation of Yishwu. When Krishna is thus exalted to the full godhead, his elder brother, Bala-rama takes his place as the eighth Avatara. See ~Krh\m^ and Bala-rama. 9. Buddha. The great success of Buddha as a religious teacher seems to have induced the Brahmans to adopt him as their ovm, rather than to recognise him as an adversary. So Yishwu is said to have aj)peared as Buddha to encourage demons and wicked men to despise the Vedas, reject caste, and deny the existence of the gods, and thus to effect their o^vn destruction. 10. Ivalki or Kalkin. ' The white hors.' This incarnation of VishTiu is to appear at the end of the Xali or Iron Age, seated on a white horse, with a drawn sword blazing like a comet, for the final destruction of the wicked, the renovation of creation, and the restoration of purity. The above are the usually recognised Avataras, but the number is sometimes extended, and the Bhagavata Pura?ia, which is the most fervid of all the Pura?zas in its glorification of Vishwu, enumerates twenty-two incarnations: — (i.) Purusha, the male, the progenitor; (2.) Yaralia, the boar; (3.) Narada, the great sage; (4.) Isara and Narayawa (q.v.) ; (5.) Kapila, the great sage; (6.) Dattatreya, a sage; (7.) Yajna, sacrifice; (8.) jR/shabha, a righteous king, father of Bharata ; (9.) Prithu, a king; (10.) Matsya, the fish; (11.) Kiirma, the tortoise; (12 and 13.) Dhanwantari, the physician of the gods; (14.) Xara-sinha, the man-lion; (15.) Vamana, the dwarf; (16.) Parasu-rilma ; (17.) Veda-Vyasa; (18.) Rama; (19.) Bala-rama; (20.) Kr/slma; (21.) Buddha; (22.) Kalki. But after this it adds — "The incarna- tions of Yishmi are innumerable, like the rivulets flowing from an inexhaustible lake, itishis, INIanus, gods, sons of Manus, PrajTipatis, are all portions of him." AVATARAYA. An abode of the Rakshasas. AYODHYA. Tlic modern Oude. The capital of Ikshwrdai, A YUR- VEDA—BAHU. 39 the founder of the Solar race, and afterwards the capital of Rama. It is one of the seven sacred cities. The exact site has not been discovered, AYUR-YEDA. ' The Veda of life.' A work on medicine, attributed to Dhanwantari, and sometimes regarded as a supple- ment to the Atharva-veda. AYUS. The first-born son of Purfiravas and Urvasi, and the father of Nahusha, Kshattra-vnddha, Rambha, Raji, and Anenas. BABHRU-YAHANA. Son of Arjuna by his wife Chitran- gada. He was adopted as the son of his maternal grandfather, and reigned at Mampura as his successor. He dwelt there in a palace of great splendour, surrounded with wealth and signs of power. When Arjuna went to Mampura with the horse intended for the Aswa-medha, there was a quarrel between Arjuna and King Babhrii-vahana, and the latter killed his father with an arrow. Repenting of his deed, he determined to kill himself, but he obtained from his step-mother, the Naga princess Uliipi, a gem which restored Arjuna to life. He returned with his father to Hastinapura. The description of this combat has been translated from the Maha-bharata by Troyer in his Rdja Taranginl, tome i. p. 578. BADARAYAiYi. A name of Yeda Yyasa, especially used for him as the reputed author of the Yedanta philosophy. He was the author of the Brahma Sutras, published in the Bibliotheca Jndica. BADARI, BADARIKA^AMA. A place sacred to Yishmi, near the Ganges in the Himalayas, particularly in Yish?iu's dual form of ]S^ara-Naraya?^a. Thus, in the Maha-bharata, >5'iva, addressing Arjuna, says, " Thou w^ast ISTara in a former body, and, with Narayawa for thy companion, didst perform dreadful austerity at Badari for many myriads of years." It is now known as Badari-natha, though this is properly a title of Yish?iu as lord of Badari. BAD AY A. 'A mare, the submarine fire.' In mythology it is a flame with the head of a horse, called also Haya-siras, * horse-head.' See Auiysl. BAHIKAS. People of the Panjab, so called in Pamni and the Maha-bharata. They are spoken of as being impure and out of the law. BAHU, BAHUKA. A king of the Solar race, wdio was van- 40 B AHUK A— B ALA-RAMA. i|uished and driven out of his country by tlie tribes of Haihaj-as and Talajanghas. He was father of Sagara. BAHUIvA. The name of Xala when he was transformed into a dwarf. BAHULAS. The K?-/ttikas or Pleiades. BAHYi?/CHA. A priest or theologian of the it%-veda. BALA-BHADRA. See Bala-rama. BALA-GOPALA. The boy l\.rk\\n^. BALA-RA]\IA. (Bala-bhadra and Bala-deva are other forms of this name.) The elder brother of Ivr/shwa. AA^lien K?'ishwa is regarded as a full manifestation of Yishmi, Bala-rama is recognised as the seventh Avatara or incarnation in his place. According to this view, Avhich is the favourite one of the Vaishwavas, K?'ish7ia is a full divinity and Bala-rama an incar- nation ; but the story of their birth, as told in the Maha-bharata, places them more upon an equality. It says that Vish?iu took two hairs, a white and a black one, and that these became Bala- rama and K?'ish?ia, the children of Devaki. Bala-rama was of fair complexion, K?7'sh?^a was very dark. As soon as Bala-rama was born, he was carried away to Gokula to preserve his life from the tyrant Kansa, and he was there nurtured by Nan da as a child of Rohinl. He and Krish^za grew up together, and he took part in many of K?-ish?za's boyish freaks and adventures. His earliest exploit was the killing of the great Asura Dhenuka, who had the form of an ass. This demon attacked him, but Bala-rama seized his assailant, whirled him round by his legs till he was dead, and cast his carcase into a tree. Another Asura attempted to carry off Bala-rama on his shoulders, but the boy beat out the demon's brains with his fists. AVhen K?'fsli?ia went to Mathura, Bala-rama accompanied him, and manfully supported him till Kan.m was killed. Once, when Bala-rama was intoxicated, he called upon tlie Yamuna river to come to him, that he might bathe ; but his command not being heeded, he plunged his ploughshare into the river, and dragged the waters whithersoever he went, until they were obliged to assume a human form and beseech his forgiveness. This action gained for liini the title Yamunfi-bhid and Kalindi-karsha?2a, breaker or dragger of the Yamuna. He killed Rukmin in a gambling brawl. Y^'hen 9rimba, son of K?7slma, was detained as a prisoner at Hastinapur by ]Jur-yodhana, Bala-rama demanded his release, and, being BALA-RAMA—BALHL 41 refused, lie tlirust his plouglisliare under the ramparts of the city, and drew them towards him, thus compelling the Kaura- vas to give up their prisoner. Lastly, he killed the great ape Dwivida, who had stolen his weapons and derided him. Such are some of the chief incidents of the life of Bala-rama, as related in the Pura?^as, and as popular among the votaries of Ivrish^ia. In the Maha-bharata he has more of a human cha- racter. He taught both Dur-yodhana and Bhima the use of the mace. Though inclining to the side of the Paw^avas, he refused to take an active part either with them or the Kauravas.