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Essay on Naga and Deva
In Hinduism, ordinarily, the god Balarama has two arms, while, in the triadic framework, he has four; this god is most often sheltered under the hood of the naga, which does not appear on the first Vrsni stele. By contrast, the iconography of Krishna on the triads is the same as that on his individual statues and it is the iconography of Krishna, which determines the figure of his "brother." Obligatory symmetry within this type of representation explains the unusual iconography of Balarama: if Vasudeva- Krishna cannot be a naga king, Balarama cannot either, and if Vasudeva-Krishna has four arms, his brother must also have four.
The iconography of the one influences the iconography of the other--so much so, that except for their attributes, the divinities appear to be interchangeable. Here the effect is of the same kind as that produced in the Sasthi triads. On several occasions in the HV, the brothers clearly share a single identity, divinities divided for the good of the three worlds, but who, from the time of their earliest childhood, were always one. Splitting the figure in this way while accentuating the goddess who is the source of symmetry expresses something more than a fraternal bond. Finally, the comparison of the triads to these individual representations of the divinities accentuates certain characteristics; in addition to the complementarity of the three figures, a benevolent attitude stands out as a characteristic of the triads.
Independent contemporaneous statues of Balarama are nearly all based on the model of the alcohol-drinking naga. The two-armed god has the body of a serpent and holds a cup in his left hand while raising his right hand over his shoulder. This seems to refer to a precise gesture and these sculptures create an impression of movement. This image corresponds to certain descriptions of the HV, among others those in 70.18, in which he is presented in the guise of a drunken god.....
