I want to know who was the asura Bala, and the reason why he was killed by an avatar of Vishnu
asked Jan 10, 2019 at 18:11
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No, Bali was Vanara son of Indra who was killed by Sri Ramachandra. Bala was an asura who was killed by Varaha (an avatar of Vishnu) but who also attributed his murder to Indra.– Gabriel Alexander Gonzalez AguJan 11, 2019 at 3:08
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1Vali is vanara son of Indra. Bali is grandson of Prahlada who was sent to Patala by Vamana. It would be helpful if you add this information in the question which is present in the question by editing.– SarvabhoumaJan 11, 2019 at 3:47
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1@GabrielAlexanderGonzalezAgu, due to confusion between sounds of 'Ba' and 'Va', Vaali (with long 'aa') is Indra's son, while maha-Bali (with short 'a') was taken care of by Vamana.– marJan 11, 2019 at 4:17
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So, Bala is the same as Mahabali? The same one that caused Indra to be called Bala's killer?– Gabriel Alexander Gonzalez AguJan 11, 2019 at 6:26
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@GabrielAlexanderGonzalezAgu There is no Bala; there is a "Bali" and a "Vali." Bali aka Mahabali is an Asura who is currently living in Patala. Vali is a Vanara (monkey) son of Indra.– IkshvakuJan 11, 2019 at 15:08
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1 Answer
Bala and Mahābala are two of the thirteen Saiṃhikeyas mentioned in the the Śivapurāṇa. The Saiṃhikeyas are the sons of the Asura Simhikā (source). They were vanquished by Bhārgava, also known as Paraśurāma (son of Jamadagni), which is considered to be an avatar of Viṣṇu.
The names Bala and Mahābala are mentioned Purāṇas, for example, Śivapurāṇa V.32.34-36:
- Due to the intermixture of Daityas and Dānavas these sons became valorous and famous as Saiṃhikeyas. They are thirteen in number.
35-36) They were the very powerful Rāhu and Śalya, Bala, Mahābala, Vātāpi, Namuci, Ilvala, Svasṛpa, Ajika, Naraka, Kālanābha, Śaramāṇa and Śarakalpa. These increased their races.
While the Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III.6.18-22 mentions their demise:
- The groups of Saiṃhikeyas are remembered as consisting of ten thousands. They were killed by the powerful Bhārgava (Paraśurāma) son of Jamadagni.
However, altough this Purāṇa also mentions thirteen names of which some are similar to the Śivapurāṇa, the names Bala and Mahābala are not mentioned.
