In some traditions, Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, is counted as the ninth avatar. He is a symbol of strength and is known for his agricultural skills, representing the role of the plow in human sustenance.
He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana. Balarama is the celebrated tiller, one of the embodiments of agriculture along with livestock with whom Krishna is associated with. The plough is Balarama's weapon. In the Bhagavata Purana, he uses it to fight asuras, dig a way for Yamuna River to bring it closer to Vrindavan, and he also availed it to drag the entire capital of Hastinapura into the Ganga river.
In Hindu tradition, Balarama is depicted as a farmer's patron deity, signifying the one who is "harbinger of knowledge", of agricultural tools and prosperity.He is almost always shown and described with Krishna, such as in the act of stealing butter, playing childhood pranks, complaining to Yashoda that his baby brother Krishna had eaten dirt, playing in cow sheds, studying together at the school of guru Sandipani, and fighting malevolent beasts sent by Kamsa to kill the two brothers.
Balarama is depicted as light-skinned, in contrast to his brother, Krishna, who is dark-skinned; Krishna in Sanskrit means dark. His ayudha or weapons are the plough hala and the mace gadā. The plough is usually called Balachita. He is known for his strength, the reason for his name; Bala means strength in Sanskrit.
In the Jagannath tradition, one particularly popular in eastern and central regions of India, he is more often called Balabhadra. Balarama is one in the triad, wherein Balarama is shown together with his brother Jagannath (Krishna) and sister Subhadra (Subhadra). Jagannath is identifiable from his circular eyes compared to an oval of Shubhadra and almond-shaped eyes of the abstract icon for Balarama. Further, Balarama's face is white, Jagannath's icon is dark, and Subhadra icon is yellow.
Balarama Stotram - https://youtu.be/AvFdlTy4a08?si=zEm5LqwW9IzdzuJ7
गोलोकधामाधिपतिः परेश्वरः
परेषु मां पातु पवित्रकीर्तनः ।
भूमण्डलं सर्षपवद्विलक्ष्यते
यन्मूर्ध्नि मां पातु स भूमिमण्डले ॥
सेनासु मां रक्षतु सीरपाणिः
युद्धे सदा रक्षतु मां हली च ।
दुर्गेषु चाव्यान्मुसली सदा मां
वनेषु सङ्कर्षण आदिदेवः ॥
कलिन्दजावेगहरो जलेषु
नीलाम्बरो रक्षतु मां सदाग्नौ ।
वायौ च रामोऽवतु खे बलश्च
महार्णवेऽनन्तवपुः सदा माम् ॥
श्रीवासुदेवोऽवतु पर्वतेषु
सहस्रशीर्षा च महाविवादे ।
रोगेषु मां रक्षतु रौहिणेयो
मां कामपालोऽवतु वा विपत्सु ॥
कामात्सदा रक्षतु धेनुकारिः
क्रोधात्सदा मां द्विविदप्रहारी ।
लोभात्सदा रक्षतु बल्वलारिः
मोहात्सदा मां किल मागधारिः ॥
प्रातः सदा रक्षतु वृष्णिधुर्यः
प्राह्णे सदा मां मथुरापुरेन्द्रः ।
मध्यन्दिने गोपसखः प्रपातु
स्वराट् पराह्णेऽवतु मां सदैव ॥
सायं फणीन्द्रोऽवतु मां सदैव
परात्परो रक्षतु मां प्रदोषे ।
पूर्णे निशीथे च दुरन्तवीर्यः
प्रत्यूषकालेऽवतु मां सदैव ॥
विदिक्षु मां रक्षतु रेवतीपतिः
दिक्षु प्रलम्बारिरधो यदूद्वहः ।
ऊर्ध्वं सदा मां बलभद्र आरा-
-त्तथा समन्ताद्बलदेव एव हि ॥
अन्तः सदाव्यात्पुरुषोत्तमो बहि-
-र्नागेन्द्रलीलोऽवतु मां महाबलः ।
सदान्तरात्मा च वसन् हरिः स्वयं
प्रपातु पूर्णः परमेश्वरो महान् ॥
देवासुराणां भयनाशनं च
हुताशनं पापचयेन्धनानाम् ।
विनाशनं विघ्नघटस्य विद्धि
सिद्धासनं वर्मवरं बलस्य ॥
इति श्रीगर्गसंहितायां बलभद्रखण्डे बलरामकवचम् ।