Krishna's elder brother, Balarama.
Balarama is said to be a partial avatar, or incarnation, of Shesha, a snake on which the deity Vishnu reclines like a sofa.
- To defeat the wicked monarch Kamsa, Shesha assumes human form as Balarama and Vishnu takes human form as Krishna.
- Kamsa has imprisoned their parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, since a disembodied voice predicted that Devaki's eighth child will murder Kamsa on their wedding day.
- Devaki's first six children are killed at birth by Kamsa by throwing them onto stones, but Balarama is spared when the baby in Devaki's womb is miraculously transferred into Vasudeva's second wife, Rohini's womb.
Balarama is also known as Sankarshana because of the unique circumstances surrounding his conception ("dragging away").
- Balaram is Krishna's cousin and grows up with him in Nanda and Yashoda's home, where he participates in many of Krishna's adventures, including the killing of Kamsa.
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