BHIMASENA

Bheemasena was an important male character in the epic Mahabharata. Kunti’s second son Bheema excluding Karna was born by the grace of Vayudeva. Bheema was the strongest among the Pandavas. Duryodhana, eldest of Kauravas treated Bhima as his strongest opponent in all walks of life and strated developing hatredness since childhood. Duryodhana wanted to kill Bheema  but couldn’t do it in a straight fight because of Bheema’s strength. Therefore Duryodhana hatched many plans to see the end of his arch rival but failed.

Duryodhana got delicious sweets specially prepared for Bheema. The sweets were mixed with deadly poison. After eating the sweets Bheema laid down on the ground to take rest. Duryodhana arranged for poisonous snakes and set them on Bheema. After biting Bheema the snakes lost their teeth. Bheema turned on one side and crushed all the snakes.  Duryodhana tied Bheema’s hands and feet and pushed him into a deep pool. Bheema got himself released from the knots and went down to Nagaloka.  Bheema was well received by the king of snakes  in Nagaloka .  The king of snakes gave him nectar to drink which made Bheema matchless in strength.

Duryodhana’s second plan to keep the Pandavas away and kill them in a grand palace which was built of lac and wax of highly inflammable material. The palace looked very beautiful. Vidura got the news of Duryodhana’s secret plot. Vidura secretly got a tunnel dug from the palace to a forest on the banks of Ganga. When the palace was set on fire the Pandava’s got into the tunnel and escaped to the forest called ‘Hidambi Vana’. The people were afraid to enter this forest because of the Rakshasa (demon) Hidamaba. This demon got the smell of human blood and sent his sister Hidambi to bring those humans to him. When Hidambi saw the handsome Bheema she fell in love with him and asked him to marry her. When sister Hadambi didn’t return Hidamba himself came to them. There was a fierce fight between Hidamba and Bheema. Finally Bheema killed Hidamba. Kunti and Yudishtira gave their consent for the marriage of Hidambi and Bheema. The couple got a son Ghatodkacha who valiantly faught in the Kurukshetra war killing many Kauravas.

Bheema killed another demon Bakasura who wanted a cart full of food and a human being every day form a nearby village. Kunti sent Bheema with a cart full of food to save the villagers. Bheema heartily ate all the food and killed Bakasura.

In the Kurukshetra war, Bheema defeated Duryodhana by breaking his thigh fulfilled his vow which was given to Draupadi.

Bheema as a boy was amazing and as an adult, he was matchless in his bodily strength.