In Jainism,
Balabhadra or
Baladeva are among the sixty-three illustrious beings called
śalākāpuruṣas that are said to grace every half cycle of time. According to Jain cosmology,
śalākāpuruṣa are born on this earth in every
Dukhama-sukhamā ara. They comprise twenty-four
tīrthaṅkaras, twelve
chakravartins, nine
balabhadra, nine
narayana, and nine
pratinarayana. Their life stories are said to be most inspiring. According to the Jain
puranas, the
Balabhadras lead an ideal Jain life.