Hercules and Balarama: The

Symbolic and Historical Connections

Sometime around c.305 BC, the Greek geographer and
explorer Megasthenes arrived at the court of the Indian
emperor Chandragupta Maurya at Pataliputra (modern
Patna). He was sent as an ambassador by Seleucus Nicator of
the Seleucid dynasty, with whom Chandragupta Maurya had
entered into a treaty and matrimonial alliance. During his
stay in India, Megasthenes compiled the book Indica - a
commentary on the geography, social traditions, and
religious customs of India. Although, the original work of
Megasthenes is no longer available, later Greek historians
such as Arrian and Diodorus Siculus have referred to Indica in
their works, from where we can gather snippets of some very
important observations made by Megasthenes regarding the
presence of Hercules in India.

The Greek Accounts of Hercules in India

Arrian (c.86 AD 160 AD) also wrote a book called Indica, in
which he drew from Megastheness earlier work of the same
name. Arrian says about Hercules:

The Hercules who penetrated so far, the Indians tell us, was
a native of their country. He is particularly worshipped by the
Suraseni (Shurasena), who have two great cities, Methora
(Mathura) and Cleisoborus (Surapura), and the navigable
river Jobares (Yamuna), passes through their territories. This
Hercules, as Megasthenes asserts, and the Indians
themselves assure us, uses the same habit with the Theban
Hercules. Many male children, but only one daughter was
born to him in India, for he married many women. The
daughter's name was Pandaea, and the land where she was
born, and over which Heracles placed her as ruler, was
named Pandaea after her.[i]

Some scholars have suggested that the Hercules mentioned

by Megasthenes is the Indian deity Krishna, who is widely
worshipped across India. The parallels are quite remarkable,
indeed. Krishna was born in Mathura, which is located on the
banks of the Yamuna River, and he also belonged to the
Shurasena tribe, a branch of the Yadu dynasty. However, the
descriptions apply equally to Balarama, the elder brother of
Krishna. Both Krishna and Balarama grew up in Mathura, on
the banks of the Yamuna and they both commanded the
respect and worship of their tribe.

Interestingly, while Krishna was dark-complexioned and was

regarded as an avatar of Vishnu, his brother Balarama was
white-complexioned, and was believed to be an incarnation
of Ananta Sesha, the cosmic serpent, on whose coils Vishnu
rests in the middle of the cosmic ocean. It is for this reason
that the sculptures of Balarama often depict the seven
hooded (or six/five hooded) snake-canopy above his head.

The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus (c.50 BC) also referred

to Megastheness work in his Bibliotheca historica. His
description of the Indian Hercules is strongly suggestive of
Balarama:

Hercules was born amongst the Indians, and like the Greeks,
they furnish him with a club and lions hide. In strength he
excelled all men, and cleared the sea and land of monsters
and wild beasts. He had many sons, but only one daughter.
He built Palibothra (Pataliputra i.e. Patna) and divided his
kingdom amongst his sons. [ii]

These are apt descriptions of Balarama, who had a towering

physique and possessed extraordinary bodily strength. In the
Indian tradition he is credited with inventing various
techniques of wrestling and unarmed warfare. Like Hercules,
Balarama is always depicted holding a club (or a mace). He
was an undisputed master of fighting with the mace, and was
an instructor to the royal princes.
Fig 1: Statue of Hercules in gilded bronze from the 2nd century
BC. Hercules is holding a club and a wine cup. Source: Musei
Capitolini (http://en.museicapitolini.org)
 Fig 2: Standing figure of Balarama with the club, plough, conch
and wine cup. Gold and brass, c.9 th century AD. Source: Wikimedia
Commons / Marie-Lan Nguyen

Balarama was also associated with the lion, and he was

sometimes represented with the tiger's skin or the lion's skin
draped over his shoulders.Hercules, too, used the lions skin
as his armor; for this was the impenetrable skin of the
Nemean Lion which he had killed in his first labor. In certain
figures, Hercules is simply holding the lion skin in his hands
or it is draped over his club. There is an interesting parallel
here, with the symbolism of Balarama. In some figures,
Balarama holds a lion-plough (simha-langala). In the book
Iconography of Balarama, N.P.Joshi states that the lion-plough
is definitely a big winged lion with fine decorations, and a
pointed tail forming the blade of a plough.[iii] Sometimes a
miniature figure of a lion is depicted on top of the plough.

The Indian accounts of Balarama do not provide specific

information about the number of children he had, or how he
divided up his kingdom between his sons and daughters after
his death. Therefore, we cannot draw any inferences from the
statements of the Greek writers, in this regard. The kingdom
of Pandaea, over which the Indian Hercules is said to have
placed his daughter as ruler is possibly the Pandyan kingdom
of Tamil Nadu, with its capital at Madurai. The Pandyas are
mentioned in the Mahabharata, where they are described as
fierce warriors who took part in the Mahabharata war, and
sided with the Pandavas. Since the Cholas and the Pandyas
had been subjugated by Krishna, it is quite possible that
Balarama may have installed his daughter as the ruler of the
Pandyan kingdom.

Oriental Scholars connect Hercules and

Balarama
Interestingly, the Roman philosopher Cicero (106 BC-43BC)
had mentioned that, the Indian Hercules is denominated
Belus[iv], and he used the term Hercules Belus to refer to
him. Captain Francis Wilford wrote in the Asiatic Researches
(1799) that this Belus was none other than Balarama, the
brother of Krishna:

The Indian Hercules, according to Cicero, was called Belus.

He is the same with Bala, the brother of Crishna, and both
are conjointly worshipped at Mutra; Indeed, they are
considered as one Avatara or incarnation of Vishnu. Bala is
represented as a stout man, with a club in his hand. He is
also called Bala-Roma As Bala sprung from Vishnu, or Heri,
he is certainly Heri-cula, Heri-culus, and Hercules. Diodorus
Siculus says that the posterity of Hercules reigned for many
centuries in Palibothra (Patna), but that they did nothing
worthy of being recorded.[v]

Subsequently, Colonel James Tod, an officer of the British East

India Company in India and an Oriental scholar, also made
some important observations on the association between
Hercules and Balarama. James Tod had worked in India for
nearly 24 years, and on his return to Britain he wrote a book
titled Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan (1829), in which he
states:

How invaluable such remnants of ancient race of Harikula!

How refreshing to the mind yet to discover, amidst the ruins
on the Yamuna, Hercules (Baldeva, god of strength) retaining
his club and lion's hide, standing on his pedestal at Baldeo,
and yet worshipped by Suraseni! This was the name (Baldeo)
given to a large tract of country round Mathura, or rather
round Surpura, the ancient capital founded by Surasena, the
grandfather of the Indian brother-deities, Krishna and
Baldeva, Apollo and Hercules. The title would apply to either;
though Baldeva has the attributes of 'god of strength'. Both
are lords (es) of the race (kula) of Hari (Hari-kula-es), of which
the Greeks might have made the compound Hercules. Might
not a colony after the Great War have migrated
westward?[vi]

Colonel Tods account indicates that, as late as the 19th

century, Balarama was depicted as Hercules, with a club and
lions hide at Mathura. Colonel Tods suggestion that the term
Hercules may be composed of the terms Hari-kula-es is
also very illuminating. If this hypothesis is correct, then one
can be quite certain that this term applied to Balarama. As
the elder brother, the lordship over the Vrishni-Andhaka
federation was vested in Balarama.

Colonel Tod also made an interesting observation regarding

the Sobii tribe of Punjab, which Arrian had mentioned in his
accounts. Arrian had said that, one of the tribes of Punjab
called Sobii or Sibians, wore the skins of wild beasts, were
armed with clubs like Hercules, and marked their oxen with
the impress of the club. They also carried the effigies of
Hercules on their banners. According to Megasthenes, the
Sobii were a colony left there by Hercules. On this point, Tod
had pointed out that, this club-bearing nation is not yet
extinct, and that the Chobi votaries who yet fill the temples
of Heri and Baldeva in Surasena are the very people.[vii]

These observations suggest that the Indian Hercules was

none other than Balarama. If we delve into a little more
detail, and compare some of the other iconographical
features of Hercules and Balarama, we will be left with very
little doubt regarding the veracity of this association.

The Iconographical Details

The most prominent attribute of Balarama, apart from the
club, is the plough. Balarama is nearly always depicted
holding the plough, which he used for warfare as well as for
agriculture. As mentioned earlier, Balarama often carried the
lion-plough, which is essentially a decorated, winged lion, in
the form of a plough.

Interestingly, the Grecian Hercules was also associated with

the plough. The Romanian author Nicolae Densusianu tells us
that even in Romanian legends Hercules was a great hero,
proud and magnificent, with arms like a mace, who criss-
crossed the globe and defeated all the monsters of the world.
A popular name of Hercules in Romanian legends is
Iorgovan, a name which corresponds to the Greek form
Georgos, meaning the one who ploughs.[viii] On an
Imperial medallion issued by the Roman emperor Commodus,
the emperor is shown dressed as Hercules, ploughing out the
original furrow of Rome (in order to establish a sacred area
for the foundation of the city) with two oxen. In one hand he
holds the mace, and in the other he is guiding the plough.
 Fig 3: Roman Imperial medallion depicting the emperor
Commodus (c.180 - 192 AD), dressed as Hercules, ploughing out
the furrow of Rome; he is wearing the lion's skin, holding a club in
left hand and a plough in his right hand. Source: The Hunterian
Museum and Art Gallery, University of Glasgow 2014
Balarama, too, was depicted similarly on bronze coins issued
by the Indo-Greek ruler Agathocles (c.180-165 BC), which
were discovered at the site of Ai-Khanum, along the border of
the Soviet Union with Afghanistan. These coins, bearing
legends in the Greek and Brahmi scripts, show Vasudeva-
Krishna on one side, carrying a chakra and a conch. The
other side depicts a two handed Balarama, carrying a club in
his right hand and a plough in his left. Both brothers are
dressed as warriors, wearing ornate headdress and earrings,
and have sheathed swords hanging from their belts.
 Fig 4: Bronze coin issued by the Indo-Greek ruler Agathocles
(c.180-165 BC), depicting Balarama and Krishna. Source:
Wikimedia Commons / Classical Numismatic Group,
http://www.cngcoins.com
There is a well-known story associated with Balarama which
highlights his dexterity in using the plough, as well as his
propensity to drink wine. Once, in state of intoxication, he
asked the Yamuna river to come to him so that he could
bathe in it. When the river refused, he cut a channel through
the river, thereby diverting the waters in his direction. It is
said that Balarama had built a number of water channels in
the Yamuna river. Undoubtedly, he dug these channels for
agricultural purposes, because of which he came to be
regarded as a god of fertility.

The same ability was also invested in Hercules. In the fifth

labour of Hercules he was asked to clean the Augean stables
in a single day. Hercules used his plough to dig a channel
from the river Alpheus which flowed nearby. He dammed up
the old channel and allowed the river to flow through the new
channel. The waters rushed through the stables, washing
away all the filth in a single day.

The other important attribute of Hercules was the wine cup.

He is often depicted holding the wine cup in his hand.
Balarama, too, is known for being excessively fond of
drinking. N.P.Joshi tells us that, in iconography, he is usually
seen carrying a cup of wine. His wife Revati is sometimes
seen accompanying him with a wine jar.[ix] In Jainism,
Balarama is known as Baladeva, and one his attributes is the
drinking cup or the honey pot.[x]
Some of the other implements which Hercules carried were
the bow and arrow, as well as the sword, both of which he
used in some of his labors. Not surprisingly, sculptures of
Balarama also depict him with the sword, and the bow and
arrow. In the Jain tradition, the attributes of Baladeva include
the arrow, shield and sword. Even temperamentally Balarama
and Hercules were similar; both of them had a passionate,
fiery nature, accompanied by a great affection for their
friends, and a desire to rid the world of evil.

Fig 5: Herakles crowned with a laurel wreath, wearing the lion-skin

and holding a club and a bow, c. 460450 BC. Source: Wikimedia
Commons / Marie-Lan Nguyen
 Fig 6: Balarama with four hands, holding the club, plough, conch
and sword, with a serpent coiled on his head. Illustration by
Sourindo Mohun Tagore, 1880. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
It is worthwhile to note in this context that Hercules or
Balarama was also popular in Iran during the time of the
Seleucids (330-150 BC), with whom the Mauryan emperors of
India had entered into a treaty. The Greeks rulers of the
Seleucid dynasty regarded the Zoroastrian deity Bahram as
Heracles. A life-size rock sculpture of Bahram on the main
highway at Behistun shows him reclining with a goblet in his
hand, a club at his feet and a lion-skin beneath him. Even in
the early Sassanid Period (224 AD - 651 AD), Bahram appears
in the relief of Ardeshir I at Naqs-e Rajab III, with a lion's skin
in his left hand and a club in his right.
Fig 7: Bahram depicted as Hercules. 153 BC. at Kermanshah, Iran.
Source: Wikipedia / Alieh
These iconographical elements tell us that Bahram and
Balarama were identical, and they were both regarded as
Hercules by the Greeks. Like Balarama, Bahram was
considered as the "giver of victory" and the "smiter of
resistance". In the Bahram Yasht, Bahram is described as "the
most highly armed" (Yasht 14.1), the "best equipped with
might" (14.13), with "effervescent glory" (14.3), who has
"conquering superiority" (14.64), and is in constant battle
with men and daemons (14.4, 14.62). He is also connected
with sexual potency and "confers virility" (Yasht 14.29), has
the "ability to heal" (14.3). All of these adjectives apply
equally to Balarama.

Surprisingly, scholars have not yet identified this connection

between Balarama and Bahram, and have instead compared
Bahram to the Vedic Indra. The comparison with Indra, of
course, does not make sense since Indra was an immortal
and the king of the gods, while Hercules, and therefore
Bahram, was a mortal, and who had been raised to the status
of the gods after his death.
Although Hercules was indeed Balarama, he appears to have
inherited many of the heroic exploits of Krishna as well,
possibly because the brother deities Krishna-Balarama were
conjointly worshipped at Mathura. As a result, we can detect
many symbolic similarities between the exploits of Krishna-
Balarama, and the labors of Hercules.

The Exploits of Hercules and Krishna-

Balarama
As per the legends, Hercules had roamed the entire world,
and performed many heroic acts. The brother deities Krishna-
Balarama are also credited with numerous acts of heroism,
and Balarama, in particular, was known for his fondness for
travel. Even when the Mahabharata battle was raging,
Balarama had opted out of the battle, and instead embarked
on a year-long pilgrimage, during which time he is known to
have killed many demons. It is possible that different cultures
have preserved different versions of his exploits, and also
added to them over time, in an attempt to further glorify
their hero. In addition, migrations of people, as well as trade
and cultural contacts over the past several thousand years
must have played a role in giving shape to the currently
available versions of these stories in different lands.

Therefore, when we compare the exploits of Hercules and

Krishna-Balarama, we should not expect to find an exact
correspondence between these accounts; what we will find,
instead, are certain symbolic elements which appear in
both the accounts, which indicate that they sprang from a
common source, and pertain to the same personality.

Let us begin from the childhood of the respective heroes.

When Hercules was just eight months old, his stepmother
Hera had sent two poisonous snakes into his chamber. The
infant Hercules, already strong and quick-witted, strangled
the snakes, and played with their dead bodies. In the Indian
version, the evil king Kamsa had sent the demon women
Putana to kill Krishna. Putana assumed the form of a beautiful
woman, smeared her breasts with poison, and tried to suckle
the baby Krishna. But Krishna bit her so hard, that she fell
down dead, and Krishna was found playing on her dead body.

In the second of his twelve labors, Hercules had killed the

Hydra of Lerna. It was a giant, serpent-like, water monster
with multiple heads, and its breath was so poisonous that
Hercules covered his mouth with a cloth to protect himself.
Hercules decapitated the heads of the serpent with his sword,
while his nephew Lolaus used a firebrand to scorch the neck
stumps after each decapitation, so that a new head would
not spring up in its place. In the Indian account, a multi-
hooded snake called Kaliya entered the blue waters of the
Yamuna, and its poisonous fumes killed the birds, plants and
trees of the region. Krishna jumped on the hoods of the
serpent, smashing its heads, until the severely wounded
serpent agreed to return back to the ocean.

There is an alternate version of this popular story, in which

Balarama is credited with the killing of the serpent. A wall
relief from Candi Vishnu, Indonesia, shows Balarama prying
apart the jaws of Kaliya, while Krishna dances in triumph.
This compares very favorably with the depiction of Hercules
killing the Lernaean Hydra, assisted by his nephew Lolaus.
killing of the serpent Kaliya. A wall relief from Candi Vishnu, Indonesia,
shows Balarama killing the serpent by splitting open his mouth, with
Krisha dancing in triump. - See more at:
http://bibhudev.blogspot.in/2014/03/hercules-and-balarama-symbolic-
and.html#sthash.59bimy3A.dpuf
Fig 8: Hercules, Iolaus and the Lernaean Hydra. Attic lekythos, c.
500475 BC. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Fig 9: Krishna dancing on thehead of Kaliya, Imperial Mughal
School, India, c.1590-1595. Source: Wikimedia Commons
 Fig 10:Balarama prying apart the jaws of Kaliya, while Krishna
dances in triumph. Candi Vishnu, Indonesia. Source:
http://www.art-and-
archaeology.com/indonesia/prambanan/lj06.html

In his sixth labor, Hercules had to kill the Stymphalian birds.

These man-eating birds had beaks of bronze, and sharp
metallic feathers, and Hercules killed them with his poison-
dipped arrows. Krishna, too, killed a gigantic, man-eating
crane with a sharp beak called Bakasura, which tried to
devour Krishna. Krishna killed the monster bird by tearing
apart its beaks.

In his seventh labor, Hercules captured the Cretan bull, which

was wreaking havoc on Crete by uprooting the crops and
leveling the orchard walls. Hercules wrestled the bull to the
ground, bound it with ropes and drove it back to King
Eurystheus. In the Indian version, a demon called Arishta
took the form of a monstrous bull which struck terror into the
hearts of the people with its wild bellows. It dredged lumps of
earth from the mountain side, uprooted trees, and charged
towards Vrindavan. Krishna tossed the animal to the ground,
pulled out one of its horns and killed it with a few strokes of
it.

Fig 11: Hercules and the Cretan bull. Attic black-figure amphora, c.
510 BC. Source: Wikimedia Commons
 Fig 12: Krishna and Arishta. Source: belurmath.org.

The eighth labor of Hercules required him to steal the Mares

of Diomedes. The four, man-eating horses were wild and
uncontrollable, and breathed fire. Hercules killed Diomedes
and fed him to the horses, which calmed them down. Then he
bound their mouths shut, and took them back to King
Eurystheus. Krishna too was attacked by a demon called Kesi,
who took the form of a mighty and fast horse, whose mouth
breathed fire. Krishna simply thrust his left hand into the
horses mouth, suffocating the horse until it fell down
writhing, and died.

There is a separate incident involving Balarama, in which he

had entered a palm grove along with Krishna and the other
boys. There he was attacked by a ferocious, flesh-eating, ass-
demon called Dhenukasura. Balarama caught hold of the two
hind legs of Dhenukasura, whirled him round, and dashed
him against the trees. Krishna and Balarama then effortlessly
killed the rest of the ass-demons, who were the companions
of Dhenukasura. This incident probably bears a greater
resemblance to the act of Hercules capturing the Mares of
Diomedes.

Fig 13: Hercules capturing the Mares of Diomedes. Roman mosaic,

3rd century AD from Valencia, Spain . Source: Wikimedia Commons
/ Luis Garca
Fig 14: Krishna Killing the Horse Demon Keshi, Gupta period 5 th
century AD, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Source: Wikimedia
Commons / Claire H
 Fig 15: Balarama killing the ass demon Dhenukasura. Candi Vishnu,
Indonesia. Source: http://www.art-and-
archaeology.com/indonesia/prambanan/lj06.html

There are a couple of other exploits of Hercules, which are

not included within his twelve labors, but which have their
counterparts in the Indian legends. The fable of the earth-
born giant Antaeus, whom Hercules killed by holding him up
in the air and squeezing the breath out of his body appears to
be the exact counterpart of the story in which the infant
Krishna was being carried through the air by a demon called
Trinavarta who was sent by Kamsa on a mission to kill the
child. Krishna caught the demons neck tightly, and choked
him to death in mid air.

In another story, the flocks of Hercules were stolen by a

robber called Cacus, who hid them in cave in Mount Aventine
in Italy. The theft was discovered by the sounds made by
some of the oxen in the cavern. A similar event took place in
Krishnas life when the herds and cow-boys of Nandas farm
were stolen by a robber, who hid them in a cave in a
mountain quite inaccessible. However, the theft was
detected when the milch-cows, which were grazing close to
the cavern, heard the sound of the calves and started oozing
out milk from their udders.

The similarities in these stories clearly suggest a common

origin; and given the fact that Krishna-Balarama form an
integral part of the epic Mahabharata, one must conclude
that these stories travelled to Greece from India and not the
other way round. Nor should it surprise anyone that an
Eastern demigod, epitomizing strength, courage,
righteousness, and the will to succeed, was adopted by the
Greeks as their cultural hero. The Greeks habitually adopted
foreign deities as their own. As pointed out by Sir William
Jones, the Grecian Dionysus is none other than the Indian
monarch Rama.[xi] According to Arrian, the Indian Dionysus
was earlier than Heracles by fifteen generations. This
statement agrees quite closely with the genealogical records
of the Puranas, according to which there are 25 generations
between Rama and Krishna-Balarama.

In fact, the transmission of the legend of Hercules from the

countries of the East to Greece, was a well-accepted
viewpoint in the early 19th century. In A Classical Dictionary
(1872), Charles Anthon points to the Oriental origin of the
fable of Hercules, and its passage from the East into the
countries of the West. And it will be seen that the Greeks, in
conformity with their national character, appropriated to
themselves, and gave a human form to, an Oriental deity;
and that, metamorphosing the stranger-god into a Grecian
hero, they took delight in making him an ideal type of that
heroic courage and might which triumphs over every
obstacle.[xii]

The Historical Context

During the Mahabharata epoch (around 4000 BC, if we use
the Saptarshi Calendar as the basis of the Yuga Cycle[xiii] or
around 3000 BC using the traditional date of the Kali Yuga),
Greek colonies existed in close proximity to India, and many
Greek kings also established small kingdoms within India. The
Mahabharata (and other Sanskrit texts) referred to the
Greeks as Yavanas, while in the Pali language they were
called Yonas. It is an accepted fact that these terms
referred to the Ionian Greeks of coastal Turkey, who had
colonies elsewhere in Asia during the Mahabharata epoch. As
per the Mahabharata, the Yavanas were present beyond
Gandhara in northwestern India, and there was a country
called Parama Yona, in the far west of Yavana, which possibly
referred to Ionia.

The epic mentions that the Yavanas were fierce warriors and
they had participated in the Mahabharata War, along with
other powerful conglomerates such as the Sakas (Scythians),
Pahlavas, Hunas etc. The Yavanas also had small kingdoms
within India. The Mahabharata mentions a Yavana stronghold
near Mathura (the birthplace of Krishna-Balarama), and a
Yavana port-city in southern India, amongst many others.

Many passages of the epic describe the warriors of the

Mahabharata epoch such as Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, Karna
and Krishna fighting with the Yavana kings of India, in order
to bring them under subjection. The Mahabharata also
mentions the Yavana warrior-king called Bhagadatta, the
heroic ruler of Pragjyotisha (in Assam), who had taken the
side of the Pandavas during the war. What happened to these
Greek colonies in India whether they migrated westwards
after the war, or they got absorbed within the Indian
populace, or a combination of both is a question that
remains unanswered.

Given that many Greek colonies existed within India (and

specifically at Mathura), and they had also participated in the
Mahabharata War, it seems quite appropriate that the Greek
glorified the brother deities Krishna-Balarama. The Greeks,
and many other western peoples, who valued physical
strength and heroic courage, idolized Balarama in particular,
and turned him into their cultural hero; while the Indians,
with their penchant for mystical wisdom, grace and beauty,
and supernatural powers, became captivated by Krishna, who
personified these qualities. As a result, the heroic
accomplishments of the brother deities were attributed
primarily to Krishna in the Indian subcontinent, while in
Greece, these acts of valour and munificence were attributed
to Hercules. The worship of Balarama, however, persisted in
India till the modern times, particularly in the region around
Mathura, which was the birthplace of Krishna-Balarama and a
sacred place of worship for many thousands of years.

End Notes:

[i] Arrian, Indica, Chapter viii

[ii] Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica or Library of History, Book II, 39
[iii] Nilakanth Purushottam Joshi, Iconography of Balarama, Abhinav
Publications, 1979, p 24
[iv] Cicero De Natura Deorum, lib iii
[v] Captain Francis Wilford, "On the Chronology of the Hindus", Asiatick
Researches, Volume 5, 1799
[vi] Annals and Antiquities of Rajast'han, Or, The Central and Western
Rajpoot States of India, James Tod, pp 36, Published by Higginbotham and
co., 1873
[vii] Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland,
Vol III, Comparisons of the Hindu and Theban Hercules, Colonel James Tod,
1835
[viii] Nicolae Densusianu, PREHISTORIC DACIA, PART 3 Ch.XVII, 1913,
http://www.pelasgians.org/website3/17_01.htm
[ix] Nilakanth Purushottam Joshi, Iconography of Balarama, Abhinav
Publications, 1979, p 17
[x] Suresh Chandra, Encyclopaedia of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, Sarup
& Sons, 1998, p 30
[xi] Sir William Jones, On the Gods of Greece, Italy and India, 1784
[xii] Charles Anthon, A Classical Dictionary, Harper & brothers, 1872, p
601
[xiii] Bibhu Dev Misra, The end of the Kali Yuga in 2025: Unraveling the
mysteries of the Yuga Cycle, July 15, 2012,
http://bibhudev.blogspot.in/2012/07/end-of-kali-yuga-in-2025-
unraveling.html