Balabhadra

This article is about illustrious person in Jainism. For Hindu deity, see Balarama.

Rama and Lakshmana are the eighth set of Baladeva and Vasudeva according to the Jain universal history

In Jainism, Balabhadra or Baladeva are among the sixty-three illustrious beings called śalākāpuruṣas that are said to grace every half cycle of time. According to Jain cosmology, śalākāpuruṣa are born on this earth in every Dukhama-sukhamā ara. They comprise twenty-four tīrthaṅkaras, twelve chakravartins, nine balabhadra, nine narayana, and nine pratinarayana.^[1] Their life stories are said to be most inspiring.^[2] According to the Jain puranas, the Balabhadras lead an ideal Jain life.^[3]

Nine Balabhadras

According to the Digambaras nine Balabhadras of the present half cycle of time (avasarpini) are:^[4]

Acala	Bhadra	Balarama
Nandimitra	Nandisena	Rāma
Sudarśana	Suprabha	Vijaya

References

1. Joseph 1997, p. 178.
2. Jain, Vijay K. (2015), Acarya Samantabhadra's Svayambhustotra: Adoration of The Twenty-four Tirthankara, Vikalp Printers, p. 199, ISBN 9788190363976, Non-Copyright
3. Jain, Jagdish Chandra; Bhattacharyya, Narendra Nath (1 January 1994). Jainism and Prakrit in Ancient and Medieval India. Manohar. p. 146. ISBN 9788173040511.
4. Doniger 1999, p. 550.

General references

• Doniger, Wendy, ed. (1999), Encyclopedia of World Religions, Merriam-Webster, ISBN 0-87779-044-2
• Joseph, P. M. (1997), Jainism in South India, International School of Dravidian Linguistics, ISBN 9788185692234