Bhima in Nepal
Updated On: 15 October, 2023 07:21 AM IST | Mumbai | Devdutt Pattanaik
Bhima has a rakshasa wife called Hidimbi. And from that union is born the mighty Ghatotkacha
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Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik
Bhima is the strongest man on earth as per the great Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. In folklore, he is considered Bhairava, a fierce form of Shiva, because he disembowels Dushasana and drinks his blood and uses his blood to wash Draupadi’s hair. In this folk imagery, Draupadi becomes the goddess and Bhima, her guardian. No one shall look upon her with eyes of desire.
As per the epic, Arjuna wins Draupadi as a trophy in an archery competition. His mother, Kunti, asks him to share his wife with his two elder and two younger brothers. Each brother stays with Draupadi for one year, before she moves to the other brother. So, they get turns once in five years. Of these husbands, Draupadi loves Arjuna the most. But when she is in distress, no one comes to her rescue other than Bhima. Bhima is willing to defy even Yudhishtira’s word to make her happy. He is the one who takes the oath to break Duryodhan’s thigh and drink Dusshan’s blood to avenge Draupadi’s humiliation. He is the one who crushes Kichaka to pulp when he sexually harasses her in Virata’s palace—an act that leads to the Pandavas being exposed during their year in hiding. It is he who travels to the edge of the earth to fetch golden lotuses for his beloved wife.
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