A very important information is provided by the poem Paripadal 13. It refers to three manifestations of Vāsudēva viz Ananta Vāsudēva, Ādi-varāha and Balarāma in one body with three heads. There are some four headed images of Viṣhṇu in which the fourth head at the back shows a grim face and such four headed images are called Kapila.There are some Viṣhṇu images with three heads; the central one that of Viṣhṇu, the right is that of Lion and the left is that of Varāha. Three headed images are called Vaikuṇṭas. Do they represent the combined form of Vāsudēva, Balarāma and Varāha? Lion is no doubt the symbol of strength. The reference to three faced Viṣhṇu occurs in the poem Paripadal especially in line 37 “Mū uruvākiya talai piri oruvanai” i.e “You have one form with three heads”. (This line has also a variant readings which uses the word talai viri instead of talai piri . Though the meaning is the same in both, the later reading suggests that his head spread into three!) “Mū uruvākiya talai viri oruvanai”
There is of course no ambiguity about the three heads. Does this three headed Vāsudeva of Paripadal refers to the Vaikuṇṭas form? (See Foot notes in UV Swaminathaiyer 1956 edition. P.150 for the variant reading). [According to Wikipaedia “Vaikuṇṭa is also the Name of a three headed image of Lord Viṣhṇu where one head is a Lion’s head (Narasimha - one (the central) is human and the third is the head of a boar (Varāha).”] A little discussion is needed here. The poem under discussion speaking about the three manifestation of Viṣhṇu says: 1) Thou art Viṣhṇu (Vāsudēva) wearing the garland of 'tulasi' sleeping on the spread of thousand hooded Ādiśeṣha (Serpent) on the milky ocean. 2) Tou art the wielder of ‘sharp plough as a weapon’, with which Thou ploughs like a field with great shout and strength, the valour and might of thou enemies who oppose thee with a powerful army and thunderous yell,. (The plough is the weapon of Balarāma and so the poet uses the word ploughs to suggest the man-lion Narasimha incarnation in which he pierced with nails the heart of the demon Hiranyakasipu and tore his body . So the face under reference does point to Balarāma ) and 3) Thou art the one with the spout with which you rescued the earth from its troubles and wore a golden crown (Varāha). And finally it says that thou art the one supreme form – Paravāsudeva – that spreads your head into three (as above) The second reference in the poem is “Nāñjilon”, the wielder of plough undoubtedly points to Balarāma as a lion. The Poem certainly refers to a three headed form of Viṣhṇu who had the face of Balarāma (lion), Varāha, and Vāsudeva Viṣhṇu. Thus this rare reference in an earlyTamil poem is interesting. There is an important tradition in Central India, mainly at Khajuraho, where the Three faced Image of Viṣhṇu known as Vaikuṇṭa was popular. The famous Lakshmaṇa tample of Khajuraho enshrines one of the finest image of Vaikuṇṭa. Dr. Devangana Desai who has studied the Khajuraho monuments informed this writer that she has listed four numbers of three faced images altogether at Khajuraho, in addition to one four faced Image which may be called Kapila. The tradition of invoking three faced Viṣhṇu –Vaikuṇṭa was thus a very popular cult in northern India. It was however not popular in South Indian Temples. But its worship was certainly known in early periods in Tamil country is thus attested by this reference to the three faced Viṣhṇu in Paripāḍal. However as mentioned, one face is that of Viṣhṇu, the other referred to as of Balarāma destroyer of enemies, and the third as that of Varāha who lifted the Earth. In the north Indian images one face is that of Lion and the other is of Varāha besides the central one of Viṣhṇu. So one may wonder whether there was a tradition of portarying Balarāma with a lion’s face. There is an important text in Sanskrit called "Rudra Yāmala ", which seems to have been popular in Bengal in early times. The Rudra Yāmala is oriented towards worship of Bhairava and Bhairavi, and is in the form of a dialogue between Ānanda Bhairava and Ānanda Bhairavi, but it seems to answer some very intricate points about Hindu culture. There are a number of chapters in it dealing with the worship of Kṛṣhṇa. This is a an esoteric text as it gives yantras, mantras, yogas, seed chants etc in mystic language. but the meaning is clear. Early Kṛṣhṇaism This seems to give a clue to early Kṛṣhṇaism. First of all it speaks of Kṛṣhṇa and his worship from a different angle, namely pure Yoga. So it is called Kṛṣhṇa Sādhana. Kṛṣhṇa is considered the primordial power in man and with this are two allied Śaktis “Rākinī” ānd “Rādhā”. Rādhā and Rākinī are sometimes spoken of as one. Kṛṣhṇa worship according to it is personal and not external. Among many 'bhavas' of mental identities about Kṛṣhṇa mentioned in this text one is called "Balarāma bhāva", that is Kṛṣhṇa and Balrāma are considered identical. Balarāma worship in this process is integrated with Kṛṣhṇa. So one reaches knowledge jñāna. One who is immersed in 'Kṛṣhṇa conciousness' becomes “Kṛṣhṇa Caitanya”. The text also mentions Narasiṁha mantra with Kṛṣhṇa mantra and speaks of 'Balarāma bhāva'. The face of lion is associated with Balarāma as well. However the Modern Vaishnava system of Tamilnad is based on the commentaries written on the poems of Nammāḻvār. It is important to note the famous Vaishnava ācārya Rāmānuja is considered an incarnation of Balarāma. However what is surprising is that the worship of Balarāma is completely discarded. The modern Tamil Vaishnavites thinks that Balarāma should not be worshipped. This is only ignorance of the tradition. It is known that Bengal and Tamil nadu had intimate contact in early times. I have shown that as early as 7th cent there were Bengali settlers in Tamilnadu on the banks of Kaveri in Tanjore district The worship of Balarāma and Kṛṣhṇa as reflected in Bengali "Rudra Yāmala" tradition, is also known in Tamilnad and that Balarāma wordhip was most popular in early period from Oxus in Central Asia to Bengal in the east and Tamilnad in the south which deserves to be appreciated