Parāvasu
Parāvasu was one of two sons of the ṛshi Raibhya. The other was Arvāvasu. In the Mahābhārata, Vana Parva (Chapters 135–138), Parāvasu is the one who acts wrongly in the story of Yavakrīta.
The killing in the forest
Parāvasu and his brother Arvāvasu went to help at a great yajña (fire ritual) held far from their forest home. Parāvasu went home through the dark forest at night. He saw a moving shape wearing a deer-skin. He took it for a wild animal and killed it. In the morning he found that he had killed his own father Raibhya. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 137)
The false charge against Arvāvasu
The killing was a terrible mistake. What made it worse was what Parāvasu did next. Instead of telling the truth, he went to the yajña and falsely accused his brother Arvāvasu of killing their father. Arvāvasu was innocent. He was driven out of the yajña in public shame as the killer of his father.
The truth comes out
The matter was settled through the selfless conduct of Arvāvasu. Through his tapas (austerity), he received a vara (a boon) to bring the dead back to life. Raibhya was restored to life, and the truth came out. Parāvasu’s lie could hide the truth from other people, but it could not stand against the result of Arvāvasu’s righteousness.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 135–138