Kiratham - Erattakulangara Rama Warrier(1725 to 1775) BACK
This story from Mahbharatha can be staged as a short or a long play a per convenience.
During their Vanavasa, Yudhishtira sends Arjuna to do tapas to Lord Shiva for the purpose of acquiring Pasupata Astra, a powerful weapon required in case of war with the Kauravas. The story starts with Arjuna's journey to the north and he comes to a place by the Himalayas where many rishis are doing tapas.
He wears a mantle made of tree barks, puts holy ash on his body and stands on one leg and starts tapas. The tapas becomes very strong. Ladies from the heaven try to disturb his tapas by distracting, singing and dancing in front of him, but he is not at all shaken. They go back defeated.
Parvathi tells Shiva that he should do something to his devotee. So both of them wear the dress of hunters and approach Arjuna. A boar comes running to attack Arjuna. Both Arjuna and Shiva shoot arrows at the boar at the same time. Now the question arises to whom the boar belongs. They talk and then they start fighting. Parvathi does not like this and interferes. Arjuna is angry and shouts at Parvathi at which all his arrows disappear. He tries to beat Shiva with his bow. The bow also disappears. But Arjuna's courage is not diminished. He calls for wrestling. Shiva beats Arjuna in wrestling but each time he comes back to continue the bout. Then Shiva throws him down a valley.
Poor Arjuna faints. Shiva and Parvathi come there and revive him and disappear. Arjuna awakes and starts praying and offering flowers to Shiva. He observes the flowers falling of the hunters head. He understands that the hunter was the real Shiva. Then Parvathi and Shiva bless him, gives back his bow and arrows and also presents him with the divine Pasupata Astra and disappear after blessing him. Arjuna happily returns to join the Pandavas.
Arjuna is Pacha vesha. Shiva and Parvathi first come as Katalas (Shiva in Black Beard), but in the last scene they are Minuku.