''Sri Krishnarjuna Yuddhamu'' () is a 1963 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film, produced and directed by K. V. Reddy under the Jayanthi Pictures banner.Naati 101 Chitralu, S. V. Rama Rao, Kinnera Publications, Hyderabad, 2006, pp: 193-4. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and B. Saroja Devi, with music composed by

Pendyala Nageswara Rao Pendyala Nageswara Rao (6 March 1917 – 31 August 1984), known mononymously by his surname Pendyala, was an Indian composer, multi-instrumentalist, conductor, music producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema along with Tam ...

. The film was based on the Telugu play '' Gayopakhyanam'' written by Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham in 1890. It was later dubbed into

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

and into Tamil.

Plot

The film begins at Dwaraka, where

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

walks on to

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

and speaks about his sibling

Subhadra Subhadra (, ) is a character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is a princess from the Yadava clan and the sister of Krishna and Balarama. Subhadra married Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers and had a son named Abhimanyu. Sub ...

's nuptial. Thus, Krishna states the bridegroom is his equally gifted

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

. Hearing it, Narada is blissful and endorses the Parijatham flower to Krishna. He bestows it to his consort

Rukmini Rukmini (, ) is a Devi, Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna. She is described as the chief of Krishna's wives in Dvārakā. Rukmini is revered as the avatar of Lakshmi and is venerated primarily in Warkari, and Haridasa tradition, and ...

, which irks vainglory Satyabhama, and Krishna pacifies her. On his back,

Gandhara Gandhara () was an ancient Indo-Aryan people, Indo-Aryan civilization in present-day northwest Pakistan and northeast Afghanistan. The core of the region of Gandhara was the Peshawar valley, Peshawar (Pushkalawati) and Swat valleys extending ...

King Gaya acquaints Narada, who is proceeding to

Brahma Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...

for a boon to be ''classic history.'' However,

Balarama Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana. The fir ...

fixes Subhadra's alliance with his ardent disciple

Duryodhana Duryodhana (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ̪ʊɾjoːd̪ʱən̪ᵊ ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He is the eldest of the Kaurava, Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gan ...

, though she disdains it. Krishna comforts & promises to knit her with Arjuna and schematically makes a comic game via Narada. During that time, Arjuna is making an around-the-Earth trip for one year and is conscious of the status quo. Accordingly, under the oversight of Krishna, Arjuna sets foot in Dwaraka in the guise of a saint. Balarama warmly welcomes him, assigns Subhadra for his ministrations, and the two write a romantic poem. Meanwhile, Balarama forwards bridal coordination with

Kaurava ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his ...

. Ergo, Krishna hastens, covetously conducts Arjuna & Subhadra's splice, and conveys them to Indraprastha. Balarama inflames it, but Krishna soothes him and moves to honor the groom's family. At this, Krishnarjuna visits

Khandava Forest The Khandava Forest or Khandava Vana (Sanskrit: खाण्डव वन, ) or Khandavaprastha (; ) is a forest mentioned in the epic ''Mahabharata, Mahābhārata.'' It lay to the west of Yamuna river. The Pandava, Pandavas are described to have ...

and comes across

Agni Agni ( ) is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of fire. As the Guardians of the directions#Aṣṭa-Dikpāla ("Guardians of Eight Directions"), guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. ...

, who is a victim of indigestion. A concrete treatment is burning down Khandava, but he is hindered by

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

since his best friend Takshaka is residing therein. Agni bestows the divine weapons

Sudarshana Chakra The Sudarshana Chakra (, ) is a divine discus, attributed to Vishnu in the Hindu scriptures. The Sudarshana Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds the Panchajanya (conch), the Kaumodak ...

& Gandiva on them, and they triumph in the battle. Midway, upon going home, Krishna fulfills the ritual to

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

. At that point, Gaya wins the boon, flies in his aircraft, and inadvertently spits a betel leaf, which falls into Krishna's hands. It infuriates Krishna, and he pledges to slay him when fear-struck Gaya hunts for cover, which is refused even by Brahma & Siva. Now, Narada gambits and frames Gaya to head to Arjuna. Unbeknownst, he too vows to shield Gaya, who crumbles, aware of the actuality, but stands firm. Krishna grieves for being aware of Arjuna's oath. So, he sends Akrura as an emissary to Arjuna. Subhadra also takes off for negotiations but to no avail. Exploiting it, Duryodhana &

Karna Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later ...

ruse firstly they approach

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

to support, which they deny. Next, they reach Krishna, who, too, expels them, announcing it is only a battle between Krishnarjuna. Accordingly, they take the field and encounter it. After almighty rows, war erupts, which causes severe catastrophe and is barred by Siva. At last, Krishna pardoned Gaya, proclaiming that he had made the play to test Arjuna's skills for the upcoming

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War (), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu Indian epic poetry, epic poem ''Mahabharata'', arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the thr ...

. Finally, the movie ends happily with Siva blessing Gaya: ''Whoever listens to his story Gayopakhyanam flourishes fearlessly irrespective of any danger.''

Cast

Production

The film was based on the popular Telugu play '' Gayopakhyanam'' written by Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham in 1890. K. V. Reddy also produced the film under the Jayanthi Pictures banner. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao as

and Akkineni Nageswara Rao as

. Initially, Nageswara Rao was not keen on acting in a mythological film alongside Rama Rao. However, he accepted the role due to his respect towards K. V. Reddy for having directed '' Donga Ramudu'' (1955)'','' the maiden venture of his own production house Annapurna Pictures.

Soundtrack

Music composed by

. Lyrics were written by Pingali.

Reception

''Sri Krishnarjuna Yuddhamu'' became a commercial success. It was later dubbed into Kannada and Tamil.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Works based on the Mahabharata , state=collapsed 1960s Indian films 1960s Telugu-language films 1963 films Films based on the Mahabharata Films directed by K. V. Reddy Films scored by Pendyala (composer) Hindu mythological films Indian black-and-white films Indian epic films Indian films based on plays