[54][55] This third marriage boon is not, however, uniform across all the folk traditions. [3] In turn, the root Iravat is derived from Irā (इरा)—closely linked with Iḍā (इडा)—meaning "possessing food", "endowed with provisions" or, by extension, "comfortable" (as used in the Mahabharata and the Rig and Atharva vedic scriptures). She admits her feelings for Arjuna and they marry in Gandharva vivaha. [85] In shorter 10- to 12-day festivals, the kuttu and ritualisation of Aravan's kalappali are performed on the concluding night of the festival, as can be observed in Bangalore and in and around Chennai—at Sowcarpet, Alantur and Punamalli. [7] Others omit mention of the king of Chandragiri altogether, and omit reference to the Koovagam temple. what is not in the Bharata, is nowhere else, The curse on Parikshit & the forgiveness of rishi Shamika, Pandavas receive the gift of Akshaya Patra. In these scenes, he is often depicted bowing to Kali, while his head is about to be severed; or, as in one Sowcarpet painting, a self-decapitated Aravan holds both a sword and his own severed head, offering the latter to the goddess. So Krishna prescribes the human sacrifice of Aravan in order that "the greater sacrifice of the war can take place". He is revered as a deity in two southern Indian Hindu cults: the Kuttantavar cult (dedicated solely to Aravan), and the cult of Draupadi (Aravan's stepmother and Arjuna's wife). He proceeds to the Kurukshetra battlefield. It also records that the ritual marriage of the men to Kuttantavar and their widowhood occurred on the last day of the festival, unlike the present form of the festival, which has the marriage ceremony on the 14th day, and the widowhood ceremony on the 16th day. Babruvahana kills his father in the ensuing battle. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Sometimes a chicken is sacrificed on stage in a terukuttu performance to signify the sacrifice. Late on the 15th night, they dance with the flower-crown (karakam) of Aravan, which is believed to possess his power. Pandavas' Ashwamedha horse enters the kingdom of Manipura. [18] The editor of the first great critical edition of the Mahabharata commented: "It is useless to think of reconstructing a fluid text in a literally original shape, on the basis of an archetype and a stemma codicum. Music composed by Paamarthi. Thus addressed the son, of Sakuni, stupefied by folly, disregarded that, advice and covered with many swift arrows, the Kuru hero who resembled Sakra himself, in the feats he accomplished in battle. A third view harmonizes all the boons, holding that Aravan's body reconstituted after the sacrifice; he then fought heroically until being decapitated on the eighth day, observing the remainder of the war through the eyes of his severed head. The image is then paraded across the village in preparation for his kalappali and ritual re-enactment of his death on the eighth day of the war. Bhishma loved Pandavas. [102], In a lakon called Serat Gambiranom, written in macapat verse by Mangkunegara IV's court poet R. M. Ng. duties, said unto him these words, 'O son, thou hast sufficiently displayed thy adherence, to Kshatriya duties. However, the South Indian cults have a supplementary tradition of honouring Aravan's self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali to ensure her favour and the victory of the Pandavas in the war. On the other side, the Pandavas went through various ordeals and finally winning the war against the Kauravas. [91] However, East Javanese poets later started producing native metered kakawin, expanding on themes from the parvas ("books" or "chapters") of the Mahabharata, and freely importing these into Javanese settings. "The earliest evidence of the penetration of the Sanskrit epics into rural areas is found in the Sangsang copper plate inscription issued in the name of King Balitung in AD 907. It was ruled by a king named Chitravahana. [18][19] It is estimated that the Sanskrit text probably reached something of a "final form" by the early Gupta period (about the 4th century CE). [10], Aravan-head icons are either painted or unpainted portable ones for processions; they are housed together in the temples of his shrines. be freed from our curse.
The Aravaniss participate in similar Kuttantavar festivals, of smaller scale, in other villages like Tevanampattanam, Tiruvetkalam, Adivarahanattum—5 miles (8 km) north-west of Chidambaram—and Kotthatai (all in Tamil Nadu) and also in Pillaiyarkuppam, in Puducherry. [6], Aravan is always worshipped in temples in the form of his severed head. At the sight of Garuda—his perennial "eagle" adversary—Shesha uncoils in fear, leaving Aravan unprotected and leading ultimately to Alambusha beheading the weakened Aravan. [80], Early on the 16th day, the "soul" of Aravan is transferred back to his repainted head and the cuvami tirukkan tirattal ("opening of the god's holy eyes") ceremony is performed with painting of the pupils. ( Log Out / This rice is believed to make childless women conceive. Life is a benefit, (that should not be thrown away).' [21][22][23], Although the original Sanskrit version of the Mahabharata records Iravan's (Sanskrit name) death during the 18-day Mahabharata war, the Tamil versions discuss Aravan's (Tamil name) ritual self-sacrifice to Kali before the war. Yudhishthira. He is usually depicted with a moustache, pronounced eyes and large ears. He is one of the sons of Arjuna, a Pandava, begotten through Chitrangada, the princess of Manipur during the period of his (Arjuna's) exile at Manipura.
Indeed, Yudhishthira of mighty energy said unto me while commissioning me for this task even these words,--'Thou shouldst not, O Dhananjaya, slay those kings (who may encounter thee in battle). Thus the battleground is set for a clash between the forces of Arjuna and Babruvahana. When the day of full moon in the month of Chaitra comes, thou shalt, O great king, repair to that sacrifice of king Yudhishthira the just, for it takes place on that day. The post will support Aravan's head and body later in the festival. She meets Arjuna during his exile. [99][100] Though officially Irawan and Titisari are the hero and heroine of the lakon, in reality they are mere spectators, not the movers, in the play. In Peruntevanar's narrative, just before the Mahabharata war, Duryodhana—the leader of the Kauravas and opponent of the Pandavas—learns from the Pandava's expert astrologer, Sahadeva, that the day of the new moon, indeed the very next day, would be the most auspicious time for a kalappali. 331–32. Arjuna: An ace archer and third of the Pandava brothers. Vrishketu admired Babruvahana's skill in war. The 1964 Telugu film was written and directed by Samudrala Raghavacharya and starred N. T. Rama Rao, S. Varalakshmi and Chalam. He just fell down into swoon. Hiltebeitel argues that the Kuttantavar cult might represent the original Tamil tradition regarding Aravan,[63] however it is no longer the only tradition that venerates Aravan. The adjusted amount cannot be calculated precisely owing to the difference in ticket rates and theatrical system India had from 1950s to mid 1990s. At last, Arjuna fell down into a deep swoon. Indeed, O, mighty-armed one go forth but try to establish. He amongst you who will, say unto me that he has been vanquished by.
Aravan's head is fixed on the post, with his large epaulettes and chest plate fixed to his body, which is made of straw and surrounded by a garland. Now comes the reason why Arjuna felled into a deep swoon against his son. "[92], The stories of Iravan, usually spelled Irawan in Java, along with others from the Javanese version of the Mahabharata, are told in traditional Javanese theatre (wayang), as well as shadow-puppet plays known as wayang kulit. [35][36] In this sixth book of the epic, Arjuna, the third Pandava brother, is exiled from Indraprastha (the capital city of the Pandava kingdom) to go on a 12-year pilgrimage as a penance for violating the terms of his marriage to Draupadi, the Pandava brothers' common wife. This third boon provides for Aravan to be married before the sacrifice, entitling him to the right of cremation and funerary offerings (bachelors were buried).
wonder. The Mahabharata portrays Iravan as dying a heroic death in the 18-day Kurukshetra War (Mahabharata war), the epic's main subject. No, he was neither killed nor defeated by anyone. Separate Javanese traditions present a dramatic marriage of Irawan to Titisari, daughter of Krishna, and a death resulting from a case of mistaken identity. son Bhishma has been slain by Dhananjaya. Ganga curses Arjuna that he will die at the hands of his own son. Chitrangada was well-versed in warfare and acquired the skills to protect the people of her land. A second boon is indeed found in Villiputuralvar's 14th-century version of the Mahabharata. Babruvahana kills his father in the ensuing battle. Aravan Kalappali tells the story of Aravan's pre-battle self-sacrifice to the goddess Kali to win her support, guaranteeing victory for the Pandavas (Arjuna and his brothers) in the Mahabharata war. Bhishma has not reborn as Babruvahana. [1], The film won two awards at the 1976–77 Karnataka State Film Awards — Best Actor (Rajkumar) and Best Sound Recording (S. P. Ramanathan). Arjuna is slain by his son Babhruvahana, who was born out of the Pandava’s marriage to Chitrangada, the princess of Manipur. Neither Arjuna was defeated nor killed in this battle. He dwelt there in a palace of great splendour, surrounded with wealth and signs of power. Until 1996, Erode district was called Periyar district. Formerly, O ruler of Earth, I heard this said by the Vasus while they were in the company of Ganga, O thou of great intelligence. Alambusha's body, however, reconstitutes itself.