THE LIVING ARCHIVE
About Hala
The plough gives Balarama the titles that describe him as the plough-bearer. It is separate from his musala, a pestle-like striking weapon. In some episodes he uses the two together, with the plough drawing an opponent within reach of the musala.
The episodes use an ordinary agricultural shape for actions beyond ordinary human possibility. A ploughshare enters a riverbank or catches the ground of a city, making the relation between an implement and the earth central to the imagery.
More About Hala
Balarama’s plough is both an agricultural emblem and a weapon in his narratives.
