बालाकि

{ bālākiḥ, bālāki }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

BĀLĀKI   A hermit. He is called Gārgya also as he is a son of Garga. He acquired much knowledge and so he became arrogant. Because of this some called him Dṛptabālāki. Once the hermit went to the King of Kāśī and told him that he would impart to him the knowledge of Brahma. The king replied that he would give thousand cows in return. Bālāki declared that the sun-god was Brahmā. The king said that he had known it. Everything that Bālāki said had been known to the king earlier. So, in the end Bālāki had to become the disciple of the King. Then the King took him to a man who was sleeping. The King called the sleeping man. But he did not wake up. The King woke him up and then asked the hermit, where he had gone when he was sleeping. Bālāki could not say where men go when they are sleeping and where they return from when they wake up. The king said “In our sleep we attain ‘Sārūpya’ (assimilation to god). But we are not aware of it. Though we get eternal bliss we do not know it. If we can get eternal bliss when we keep awake that is ‘Ātmajñāna’ (knowledge of Supreme Soul). As the flames emanate from fire, and as the spider weaves its net and sits in its centre, the soul creates everything, controls everything and pervades everything.” [Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad] .

प्राचीन चरित्रकोश

बालाकि n.  भृगुकुल का एक गोत्रकार ।
बालाकि II. n.  गार्ग्य बालाकि नामक ऋषि का नामांतर (गार्ग्य बालाकि देखिये) । इसे दृप्त बालाकि नामांतर भी प्राप्त है [श.ब्रा.१४.५.१] । इसके नाम के लिए ‘बालाक्या’ पाठभेद भी उपलब्ध है (काश्यपीबालाक्या माठरीपुत्र देखिये) ।

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

बालाकि  m.  m. metron. fr. बलाका, [ŚBr.] ( cf. g. बाह्व्-आदि).

The Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary

बालाकिः [bālākiḥ]  N. N. of an ancient sage; दृप्तबालाकिर्हानूचानो गार्ग्य आस [Bṛi. Up.]