Xtromirit at 07:32, 3 November 2025

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{{short description|Odia poet}}
{{Infobox writer
| name = Balarama Dasa
| honorific_prefix = Krupasiddha Matta
| image = Bhakta Kabi Balarama Dasa.jpg
| caption = Statue of Balarama Dasa at Erabanga, his native place
| imagesize = 250
| language = [[Odia Language|Odia]]
| notableworks = [[Jagamohana Ramayana]], Lakshmi Purana
| birth_date = {{circa|1472}}
| birth_place = Puri
| nationality =
| occupation = Poet, Saint
| genre = Puranas, spiritual history, philosophy, yoga<br/>[[Odissi music]]
| death_date = {{circa|1556}}
| native_name = ବଳରାମ ଦାସ
| native_name_lang = or
}}
''Krupasiddha'' '''Balarama Dasa'''<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Satpathy|first1=Sumanyu|last2=Nayak|first2=Jatindra K.|date=2015|title="Mad" Balarama Dasa and His "Rāmāyana"|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44478655|journal=Indian Literature|volume=59|issue=3 (287)|pages=10–12|jstor=44478655|issn=0019-5804}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bahinipati|first=Priyadarshi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GrUqDgAAQBAJ|title=Jagamohana Ramayana. The Epic of Balarama Dasa|date=2017-02-20|publisher=Anchor Academic Publishing|isbn=978-3-96067-624-9|language=en}}</ref> (alternatively spelled ''Balaram Das''; {{IPA|or|bɔl̪ɔraːmɔ d̪aːsɔ|lang|LL-Q33810 (ori)-Prateek Pattanaik-ବଳରାମ ଦାସ.wav}}; {{circa|1474-1522}}) was a mystic seer-poet who wrote in Odia, best known as the author of the voluminous ''[[Jagamohana Ramayana]]'' or ''[[Dandi Ramayana]]''. He was one of the five great poets in [[Odia literature]], the 'Panchasakhā<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahanta |first=Brajabandhu |date=15 April 2018 |title=Pancha Sakhas of Medieval Odisha |url=https://historyofodisha.in/pancha-sakhas-of-medieval-odisha/ |website=History of Odisha}}</ref>' named [[Ananta Dasa]], [[Jagannatha Dasa (Odia poet)|Jagannatha Dasa]], [[Jasobanta Dasa]] and [[Achyutananda Dasa]] during the [[Bhakti movement|Bhakti age]] of literature. He was the eldest of the five. The honorific ''Krupāsiddhā'' or ''Krupāsāgara'', meaning 'bestowed with divine grace' is used for him by tradition.<ref name="Mukherjee 1998 p. 35">{{cite book | last=Mukherjee | first=S. | title=A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850 | publisher=Orient Longman | year=1998 | isbn=978-81-250-1453-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YCJrUfVtZxoC&pg=PA35 | access-date=2019-08-27 | page=35}}</ref><ref name="St-Pierre Kar 2007 p. 171">{{cite book | last1=St-Pierre | first1=P. | last2=Kar | first2=P.C. | title=In Translation: Reflections, Refractions, Transformations | publisher=John Benjamins Pub. | series=Benjamins translation library | year=2007 | isbn=978-90-272-1679-3 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S37EdUramu0C&pg=PA171 | access-date=2019-08-27 | page=171}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Not much is known about his early life. From his own writings it is known that he was the son of Somanatha Mahapatra and Jamuna Debi who belonged to [[Karan (caste)|Karan]] community.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukherjee |first=Prabhat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7LFzfbhmJcMC&dq=balarama+dasa+karana&pg=PA75 |title=The History of Medieval Vaishnavism in Orissa |date=1981 |publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=978-81-206-0229-8 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Pradhan |first=Atul Chandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MI4eAAAAMAAJ&q=balarama+dasa+karana |title=A Study of History of Orissa: From the Earliest Times to Mukundadeva |date=1984 |publisher=Panchashila |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukherjee |first=Prabhat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B_YdAAAAMAAJ&q=balarama+dasa+karana |title=The History of the Gajapati Kings of Orissa and Their Successors |date=1981 |publisher=Kitab Mahal |language=en}}</ref> Balarama Dasa hailed from an aristocratic family; his father, Somanatha, a minister in the Gajapati Empire, belonged to the Karana community. Somanatha was a devout follower of Lord [[Jagannath]] and raised Balarama in a deeply religious environment. He was known by the title Mahamantri Somanatha Mohapatra in the [[Gajapati Empire]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Joanna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZeXeEAAAQBAJ&dq=balarama+dasa+karana&pg=RA1-PR19 |title=The Two-Headed Deer: Illustrations of the Ramayana in Orissa |date=2023-12-22 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-32182-3 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Citaristi |first=Ileana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b2J6EAAAQBAJ&dq=balarama+dasa+father+karana&pg=PT25 |title=Odissi and the Geeta Govinda |date=2022-10-06 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-78098-7 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Dalal |first=Roshen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ&dq=balarama+dasa+mahamantri&pg=PT205 |title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide |date=2014-04-18 |publisher=Penguin UK |isbn=978-81-8475-277-9 |language=en}}</ref> Balarama Dasa also served as a minister in [[Prataparudra Deva|Prataparudra Deva's]] court and originally belonged to the village of Erabanga in Puri district.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dasa |first=Balarama |title=Bhakta Kabi Balarama Dasa Granthabali |publisher=Odisha Book Emporium |year=2017 |editor-last=Sahoo |editor-first=Dr. Niranjana |edition=1 |volume=1 |location=Cuttack, Odisha |language=or |script-title=or:ଭକ୍ତକବି ବଳରାମ ଦାସ ଗ୍ରନ୍ଥାବଳୀ |trans-title=Collected works of Bhakta Kabi Balarama Dasa}}</ref> He was educated and was well versed in Sanskrit. Balarama naturally grew to be proficient in both Odia and Sanskrit.<ref name="Patnaik Parida 1996 p.">{{cite book | last1=Patnaik | first1=H.S. | last2=Parida | first2=A.N. | title=Aspects of socio-cultural life in early and medieval Orissa | publisher=DSA Programme, Post Graduate Dept. of History, Utkal University | year=1996 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2jluAAAAMAAJ | access-date=2019-08-27 }}</ref> He became a devotee of Jagannatha.<ref name="Dalal 2014 p. 260">{{cite book | last=Dalal | first=R. | title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide | publisher=Penguin Books Limited | year=2014 | isbn=978-81-8475-277-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT260 | access-date=2019-08-27 | page=260}}</ref> It is speculated that he died while on a pilgrimage to Puri in Begunia village near Konark. There is a memorial for him near this village.<ref name="Dalal 2014 p. 261">{{cite book | last=Dalal | first=R. | title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide | publisher=Penguin Books Limited | year=2014 | isbn=978-81-8475-277-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zrk0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT261 | access-date=2019-08-27 | page=261}}</ref>

== Literary works ==
[[File:Jagannatha triad worshipped by Balarama Dasa at Erabanga Pitha.jpg|thumb|355x355px|Jagannatha triad worshipped by the poet, Erabanga, Odisha]]
Dasa translated the Ramayana to Odia. It is also known asJagamohana Ramayana or Dandi Ramayana. More than a translation, the work is a transcreation, as it deviates in many ways from the original. In some parts he goes against the original text and in some parts follows the original text closely and yet in some other parts he creates entirely new narratives.<ref name="St-Pierre Kar 2007 p. 171"/><ref name="Paniker Sahitya Akademi 1997 p. 401">{{cite book | last=Paniker | first=K.A. | author2=Sahitya Akademi | title=Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections | publisher=Sahitya Akademi | year=1997 | isbn=978-81-260-0365-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KYLpvaKJIMEC&pg=PA401 | access-date=2019-08-27 | page=401}}</ref>

He also broke new grounds by translating the Bhagabat Gita into Odia. Before this the philosophical and theological texts were not translated into Odia. Even in Odia Mahabharata by [[Sarala Das]]a, the portion containing Bhagabata Gita was omitted by the author. Balarama Dasa was subsequently persecuted by the priestly class for his translation of Bhagabata Gita.<ref name="St-Pierre Kar 2007 p. 171"/>he Bhavishya Malika text was written by Panchsakhas and Balrama Das Ji was also one of them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Who are the authors of the sacred scripture Bhaviṣya Mālikā? |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Balarama_Dasa&veaction=edit&wvprov=sticky-header |website=Bhavishya Malika.}}</ref>
His other works are as below.<ref name="Dalal 2014 p. 260"/><ref name="Mukherjee 1998 p. 35"/><ref name="ReportOdisha.com 2015">{{cite web | title="Panchasakha"-Sri Balaram Das | website=ReportOdisha.com | date=2015-10-28 | url=https://reportodisha.com/panchasakha-sri-balaram-das/ | access-date=2019-08-27}}</ref>

He has also contributed to the religious texts of Bhavishya Malika,<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bhavishya Malika Predictions 2025 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/astrology/zodiacs-astrology/bhavishya-mallika-predictions-2025-what-does-bhavishya-malika-predicts-for-the-future/articleshow/117256848.cms |work=The Times Of India |pages=1}}</ref> which are known to have been written by the Panchasakhas<ref>{{Cite web |title=PanchaSakhaā - Five Saints and Sada Goswāmi - Six Lords |url=https://garoiashram.org/english/panchasakha.html |website=Sri Gobardhana Pitha Garoi Asshram}}</ref> in the [[Odia language|Odiya language]].

{{columns-list|* ''[[Jagamohana Ramayana]]'' (Dandi Ramayana)
* ''[[Lakshmi Purana]]''
* ''[[Bedanta Sara Gupta Gita]]''
* ''[[Gupta Gita]]''
* ''[[Amarakosa Gita]]''
* ''[[Srimad Bhagabad Gita (Odia)]]''
* ''[[Bata Abakasa]]''
* ''[[Panasa Chori]]''
* ''[[Kamala Lochana Chautisa]]''
* ''[[Birata Gita]]''
* ''[[Baula Adhyaya]]''
* ''[[Kanta Koili]]''
* ''[[Mruguni Stuti]]''
* ''[[Chhatisa Gupta Gita]]''
* ''[[Saptanga Jogasara Gita]]''
* ''[[Bhaba Samudra]]''
* ''[[Garuda Gita]]''
* ''[[Ananta Gita]]''
* ''[[Arjjuna Gita]]''
* ''[[Srabana Sara Gita]]''
* ''[[Diptisara Gita]]''
* ''[[Uddhaba Gita]]''
* ''[[Bedha Parikrama]]''
* ''[[Linga Purana]]''
* ''[[Kurala Purana]]''
* ''[[Brahma Purana]]''|colwidth=27em}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Odissi music}}
{{Jagannath}}
{{Odia literature}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dasa, Jagannatha}}
[[Category:Indian male poets]]
[[Category:Odia-language poets]]
[[Category:Poets from Odisha]]
[[Category:Odia people]]
[[Category:16th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:Devotees of Jagannath]]
[[Category:Odissi music composers]]
[[Category:Shudra Hindu saints]]
[[Category:Odia Hindu saints]]
[[Category:15th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:1472 births]]
[[Category:1556 deaths]]
[[Category:Vaishnava saints]]
[[Category:15th-century Hindu religious leaders]]

Balarama Dasa - Revision history

Xtromirit at 07:32, 3 November 2025