Kalakeyavadham (Killing Kalakeya)

 

Kalakeyavadham (The Slaying of Kalakeya) is a Kathakali play (Aattakatha) written by Kottayathu Thampuran. Based on the Mahabharatha's Aranya Parva, the play describes the events surrounding the Pandava prince Arjuna's visit to his father Indra's abode, the heaven, after attaining the divine arrow (Pasupatha Astram) from Lord Siva.  

 

 

Synopsis: 

 

Scene 1:

Indra, after hearing the news that his son Arjuna has obtained the divine arrow (Pasupatha Astram) from Lord Siva, wants to meet Arjuna, and orders his charioteer Mathali to bring Arjuna into his abode, the heaven. To bring Arjuna, Mathali lays out Indra's chariot and sets off to the earth. 

 

Scene 2:

Seeing the proud Arjuna, Mathali starts praising him highly, by calling out several stories of Arjuna's bravery. Hearing all these acclaims Arjuna says that he feels ashamed!. These verses which begin with "Salajjoham" ("Highly ashamed I'm") is famous for sublime movements and graceful postures.   Mathali then expresses his master's, Lord Indra's, wish to take him to the heaven, and Arjuna sets off to the heaven with Mathali. 

 

 

Scene 3:

Arjuna reaches the heaven. Indra receives him with all honors and bless him for all success. Arjuna expresses his delight on seeing his father. 

 

Scene 4:

Arjuna then visits Indrani, and obtains the blessings from her. 

After that Arjuna sets off to explore the heaven. This specific choreography is known as 'Swarga Varnana' ( portraying the heaven).

 

Arjuna, then understands that Vajrabahu and Vajrakethu, two daemons, are in heaven and decides to challenge them. 

 

Scene 5:

Vajrabahu and Vajrakethu, two daemons, reach heaven and they try to kidnap heavenly ladies. Arjuna challenges and defeats them and set the heavenly ladies free. 

 

Scene 6:

Urvasi, one of the most beautiful among the heavenly beauties, a celestial maiden in Indra's court, gets attracted towards Arjuna, the supreme warrior. She shares her innate desires to her friend and decides to approach Arjuna.

 

Scene 7:

The glamorous Urvasi, elegant in her beautiful decorations, sweet in nature same time hard on inside, reaches next to Arjuna. She expresses her desires to Arjuna, Arjuna is unimpressed, and rather feels apathetic towards her. He says it is silly and brainless for a heavenly girl to have such desires for a human. As Arjuna rejects her advances, Urvasi gets despair and frustrated, then curses Arjuna to spend the life of a eunuch.
The brave Arjuna becomes highly dejected, but his father Indra consoles him, saying that Urvasi's curse will come to his help one day.