Mythology has been a focal point for Telugu verse plays and Mahabharatam forms a treasure trove of themes for this. While most playwrights opt for episodes of dramatic quotient from the epic, Chilakamarthy Lakshminarasimham wove a fictional episode making Lord Krishna and his alter ego Arjuna at war with each other for his popular verse play Gayopakhayanam . The very concept of an armed clash between those two lead characters who are otherwise soulmates is dramatic enough to warrant excitement. Added to Chilakamarthy’s masterly craft in composition of metrical verse, its fictional theme has been a rage in Telugu pouranic theatre to such an extent that it apparently sold about one lakh copies in the early half of previous century, and there was no theatre group worth the name in Andhra that did not essay it on stage. This classic play was a big draw a Kalabharati, Visakhapatnam.
The play in essence celebrates the virtue that it is the bounden duty of the king or the valiant to protect those who seek refuge, even if it comes to battling with a friend, mentor or a staunch devotee.
The plot goes thus; Gaya, a Gandharva king spits while flying in the air. His spittle lands in the hands of Lord Krishna who was offering oblations to the Sun God. An enraged Krishna vows to exterminate the offender before sundown.
Then Gaya, a devotee of the Lord, runs for refuge in all three worlds, in vain. Finally on the advice of sage Narada, he goes to Arjuna and first seeks his protection before he reveals the impending peril. Though terribly upset at the prospect of clashing swords with his mentor, yet compelled to keep his word, Arjuna stands by Gaya. In the terrible battle that ensues, both Krishna and Arjuna spare no weapon. When it comes to final showdown they are about to unleash the ultimate power against each other, the Gods intervene and pacify them. Lord Krishna reveals all this was of his making, with a view to test the efficacy of Arjuna’s martial prowess before going to the great war at Kurukshetra.
Anguish of a mind caught between unwavering commitment to one’s word and loyalty to a friendfound fine expression in the portrayal of Arjuna by B Vijayasai. B Vijaya Saradhi as Krishna delivered good performance. Veteran BA Naidu’s portrayal of Dharmaraja stood out for its nuanced presentation and Rongali Ramulu (Narada), B Tavitiraju Achari (Gayudu) , T Dali Naidu, G Apparao and others did well. Ella Apparao (harmonium( and Noor Saheb (tabla) lent good orchestral support. Sri Sai Kala Niketan presented it in its monthly schedule.
