Bhim

Bhim
  • In the Mahabharata, Bhim was the second of the Pandav brothers, son of Kunti by Vayu, the wind-god.
  • He was known for his extraordinary strength, immense courage and enormous appetite.
  • After the death of Pandu and Maadri in the forest, Kunti returned to Hastinapur with the Pandav princes. Young Bhim used to be a terror to the Kauravs. So they decided to get rid of them. At the pretext of playing games on the bank of the river, the Pandavs were invited by Duryodhan and his brothers. After eating, everybody fell asleep. Especially Bhim, who slept like a stone, because Duryodhan had secretly mixed poison in his food. Duryodhan and his brothers tied the hands and feet of Bhim and threw him into the river. Bhim fell deep into the water and reached the Naglok, where the serpents bit him. This neutralized the poison already in his body. He then met Vasuki, the king of serpents. Vasuki gave Bhim a divine drink, which gave him the strength of a thousand elephants. Bhim stayed for eight days in Naglok, to let the drink assimilate, and then he returned home to console his family, who were anxious at his absence. After escaping from Varnavat, where Duryodhan had tried to burn them alive, the Pandavs spent a few days in the forest. Here Bhim killed the demon Hidimb. Hidimba, the sister of Hidimb, fell in love with Bhim. On Kunti's assent, Hidimba and Bhim were married. But Kunti had laid one condition. Bhim could stay with Hidimba during the day, but during the night Bhim had to return to the Pandavs. Bhim and Hidimba had one son called Ghatotkach. The Pandavs then went to a city called Ekchakra, Here Bhim killed a demon named Bak, who was terrorizing the people.
  • Bhim was married to Draupadi along with the other Pandavs. He had a son named Sutsom by Draupadi. When Yudhishthir had gambled away their kingdom, he was furious at their insult by the Kauravs. He took two solemn oaths in public - one to break Duryodhan's thigh when he lecherously ex-posed it to Draupadi and the other to kill Dushasan and drink his blood, because Dushasan had pulled Draupadi by the hair and dragged her to the court and had tried to undress her in public. During their exile in the forest, Bhim was the protector of the Pandavs against all the demons and nightly creatures of the forest. In the thirteenth year of exile, when all the Pandavs took up employment in the court of king Virat, Bhim disguised himself as a cook.
  • In the Mahabharat war, Bhim fought bravely and ferociously. He struck terror everywhere. He killed Duhshasan and the rest of the brothers of Duryodhan. After he had killed Dushasan, he drank Duhshasan's blood and thus fulfilled one of his oaths. On the last day of the battle, he fought Duryodhan. Both were equally strong, and the fight lasted long. Finally, at Krishna's suggestion, Bhim hit Duryodhan below the belt and broke his thigh and thus caused his death. One final task performed by Bhim just after the war was finished was to catch Ashvatthama, the son of Dron, who had killed all of Draupadi's sons, while they were asleep. He was just about to kill him, when Krishna stopped him and asked him to take the gem that was on Ashvatthama's forehead instead.

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