Character Sketch of Paravasu

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Paravasu appears as a learned Brahmin in Girish Karnad’s play The Fire and the Rain. He holds the position of the chief priest. He conducts a seven-year-long fire sacrifice. He performs this sacrifice to bring rain to a land that suffers from drought. He carries a great responsibility. He follows his duty with seriousness.

Paravasu does not return home during the long sacrifice. He leaves his wife alone. He avoids his family for the sake of religious service. He controls his emotions. He chooses ritual over relationships. He believes duty stands above personal life.

Paravasu kills his own father by mistake. He believes his father plans to stop the sacrifice. He throws a stone in fear. He hides the truth after the murder. He blames his younger brother Arvasu. He uses deceit to escape punishment. He saves his reputation through a lie.

Paravasu lives with guilt. He does not confess his crime. He continues the sacrifice without telling the truth. He punishes Arvasu without proof. He loses his sense of justice. He allows pride to blind his judgment. He sacrifices family for status.

Paravasu shows emotional weakness. He fails to understand his wife’s loneliness. He abandons her in the name of religion. He becomes jealous of her friendship with another man. He burns her face in anger. He acts with cruelty. He destroys her without mercy.

Paravasu suffers from internal conflict. He knows he has done wrong. He cannot find peace. He walks between sacred duty and personal guilt. He loses control over his mind. He tries to hide his flaws behind ritual. He becomes a symbol of spiritual failure.

Paravasu shows how religious power can corrupt. He performs rituals without compassion. He values ceremony more than human life. He defends tradition but forgets morality. He obeys rules but breaks trust. He speaks truth but lives in lies.

Paravasu lives in fear of disgrace. He fears loss of honor. He tries to protect his image. He sacrifices others to remain pure. He destroys his brother’s future. He rejects Arvasu without reason. He fails as a brother. He fails as a son. He fails as a husband.

Paravasu represents the conflict between duty and truth. He shows how tradition can become dangerous. He proves that knowledge without wisdom leads to ruin. He shows the emptiness of rituals without humanity. He becomes a warning against spiritual pride.

Paravasu’s journey ends in darkness. He loses his dignity. He cannot escape his guilt. He becomes a broken man. He reflects the tragedy of failed idealism. He shows that without love, even sacred acts lose meaning. 

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