Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.2.13

garbha-sańkarshanāt tam vai

prāhuh sańkarshanam bhuvi

rāmeti loka-ramanād

balabhadram balocchrayāt

SYNONYMS

garbha-sańkarshanāt — because He will be taken from the womb of Devakī to that of Rohinī; tam — Him (Rohinī-nandana, the son of Rohinī); vai — indeed; prāhuh — people will call; sańkarshanam — by the name Sańkarshana; bhuvi — in the world; rāma iti — He will also be called Rāma; loka-ramanāt — because of His special mercy in enabling people in general to become devotees; balabhadram — He will also be called Balabhadra; bala-ucchrayāt — because of extensive bodily strength.

TRANSLATION

The son of Rohinī will also be celebrated as Sańkarshana because of being sent from the womb of Devakī to the womb of Rohinī. He will be called Rāma because of His ability to please all the inhabitants of Gokula, and He will be known as Balabhadra because of His extensive physical strength.

PURPORT

These are some of the reasons why Balarāma is known as Sańkarshana, Balarāma or sometimes Rāma. In the mahā-mantra — Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — people sometimes object when Rāma is accepted as Balarāma. But although devotees of Lord Rāma may object, they should know that there is no difference between Balarāma and Lord Rāma. Here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam clearly states that Balarāma is also known as Rāma (rāmeti). Therefore, it is not artificial for us to speak of Lord Balarāma as Lord Rāma. Jayadeva Gosvāmī also speaks of three Rāmas: Paraśurāma, Raghupati Rāma and Balarāma. All of them are Rāmas.

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