Balarama Dasa

He was one of the 5 great poets in Odia literature, the Panchasakha named Sri Ananta Dasa, Sri Jagannatha Dasa, Sri Jasobanta Dasa and Sri Achyutananda Dasa during the Bhakti age of literature. He was the eldest of the Pancha sakha. He wrote the Jagamohana Ramayana also known as Dandi Ramayana.

Krupasiddha Matta Balarama Dasa
Statue of Balarama Dasa at Erabanga, his native place
Native name	ବଳରାମ ଦାସ
Born	c. 1472 Puri
Died	c. 1556
Occupation	Poet, Saint
Language	Odia
Genre	Mythology, philosophy, yoga Odissi music
Notable works	Jagamohana Ramayana, Lakshmi Purana

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 Karana community. Somanatha was a minister of Gajapati Prataparudra Deva's court and originally belonged to the village of Erabanga in Puri district. He was educated and was well versed in Sanskrit. Balarama naturally grew to be proficient in both Odia and Sanskrit. He became a devotee of Jagannatha. In his Middle Ages he came in contact with Chaitanya. 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.

 

Dasa translated the Ramayana to Odia. It is also known as Jagamohana 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.

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 Dasa, 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. His other works are as below.