form of Vishnu but the Ultimate Reality
from whom all the avatars spring.
Balaji
Popular epithet of the god Venkateshvara,
the presiding deityof the temple of the
same name at Tirupatiin the state of
Andhra Pradesh. See Venkateshvara.
Balaji
(2) Presiding deityof the Balaji temple
in Mehndipurvillage, Rajasthan, who
is considered a form of the monkey-
god, Hanuman. As an infant, Hanuman
is continually hungry, and one day he
attempts to eat the sun. Indra, the king
of the gods and ruler of heaven, is
incensed at Hanuman’s action and
strikes him with a thunderbolt, break-
ing his jaw (hanu). The wind-god, who
is Va y u, Hanuman’s father, goes on
strike to protest this punishment. Since
in traditional Indian physiology, winds
are considered responsible for all inter-
nal functions, including digestion, res-
piration, and elimination, Vayu’s strike
means that no one can live a normal
life. After a short time, the gods realize
their predicament and beg Vayu for for-
giveness; the deity is placated when
each of the gods promises to give
Hanuman a divine gift. By virtue of
these gifts, Hanuman gains great
power; not only is he immensely
strong, but he is an expert healer,
through both his skill in using herbs
and natural medicines and his magical
abilities to protect people from malev-
olent supernatural beings.
These powers and healing qualities
make Hanuman a strong protective
deity, and he is often worshiped on days
and at times deemed inauspicious or
unfavorable. These protective attributes
have made him enormously important
in contemporary Hindu life despite
his theoretically intermediate place in
the divine pantheon, and these qualities
are especially evident in his form as
Balaji. His temple has gained regional
prominence as a healing center for
people possessed by malevolent spirits
known as bhuts and prets. The
exorcisms proceed in a quasi-judicial
fashion, with the spirits being hauled
into the divine court, tried, and
banished from the sufferer with the
underlying assumption that these rites
succeed through Balaji’s irresistible
healing powers. As Sudhir Kakar has
masterfully shown, the language associ-
ated with possession and exorcism,
when understood in the context of tradi-
tional Hindu culture, can be seen as
a way of describing what modern
psychiatrists might call the diagnosis
and treatment of mental illness. See
Sudhir Kakar, Shamans,Mystics,and
Doctors, 1991.Balakrishna
Figure of Krishnain the form of a child
(bala). Devotees (bhakta) who worship
this form of Krishna are partaking in the
devotional relationship known as
vatsalya bhava, which parallels the
connection between parent and child.
The unusual twist is that the devotee
takes the role of the parent, lavishing
love and care on the deityin its child
form in a warm, protective, and
intimate relationship.Balarama
Krishna’s older brother. According to
most estimations, Balarama is a partial
avatar, or incarnation, of Shesha, a ser-
pent upon whom the god Vishnu
reclines as on a couch. Shesha takes
human form as Balarama, and Vishnu
takes human form as Krishna, to destroy
the evil king Kamsa. Kamsa has impris-
oned their parents, Vasudeva and
Devaki, because on their wedding day a
disembodied voice has foretold that
Devaki’s eighth child will kill Kamsa.
Kamsa kills Devaki’s first six children at
birthby flinging them onto stones, but
Balarama is saved when the embryo in
Devaki’s womb is magically transplant-
ed into the womb of Vasudeva’s second
wife, Rohini. Because of the unusualBalarama