APIFantasy | Myth and Folklore Anthology

Indian/Hindu Mythology - Mahabharata: Parts 13-15

Death of Pandu

King Pandu went hunting, and a sage and his wife also decided to go the forest but were disguised as deer. Pandu, unaware of their disguise, shot at the male deer (not knowing it was the sage). The sage cursed him soon after. This curse made him heartbroken, so he retreated to the forest with his wives, entrusting his kingdom to Bhishma and Vidura. From then on, he lived a life of abstinence.

Kunti noticed Pandu's desire to have children, but the sage's curse prevented him from making his wish come truth. She told him of the mantra she received from Durvasa. He urged Kunti and Madri to use the mantra, resulting in the birth of the five Pandavas. King Pandu lived in the forest with his children and wives for many years to come.

When springtime approached, Pandu and Madri forgot about the existence of the curse and became intimate with one another. However, due to the sage's curse, Pandu died. Madri, unable to contain her sorrow, ended her life, thinking she was responsible for King Pandu's death. She entrusted Kunti to be the mother to her orphaned children.

The forest sages took Kunti and the Pandavas to Hastinapura to entrust them to Bhishma. The whole kingdom became sad when they heard of Pandu's death. Vyasa said to Satyavati, "The past has gone by pleasantly, but the future has many sorrows in store. The world has passed its youth like a happy dream and it is now entering on disillusionment, sin, sorrow and suffering. Time is inexorable. Youneed not wait to see the miseries and misfortunes that will befall this race. It will be good for you to leave the city and spend the rest of your days in a hermitage in the forest."

And so, Satyavati agreed with Vyassa and went into the forest with Ambika and Ambalika, where  they ascended to higher levels of bliss and spared themselves the sorrow of their children.

✷

Bhima

In Hastinapura, Pandu's five sons and Dhritarashtra's hundred sons grew up. Bhima exceeded all of these men in physical skills and used it to bully Duryodhana and the other Kauravas. Being a great swimmer, he would take hold of them and jump into a pool of water, nearly drowning them. Whenever they attempted to climb a tree, he would kick the trunk and shape them down like ripe fruits. The bodies of Dhritarashtra's sons would be covered with bruises because of his harmful practical jokes. And so, the sons of Dhritarashtra formed a deep hatred for Bhima since infancy.

When they grew up,  Kripacharya taught them archery and other physical skills as it was only right for a prince to learn. Duryodhana became incredibly jealous towards Bhima, resulting in committing improper acts. However, beneath that jealousy, he was worried about his father who was blind. After Pandu's death, Yudhishthira would become king. Duryodhana began to think that he could prevent Yudhishthira's ascension to the throne by killing Bhima because he thought the power of the Pandavas would decline with his death.

Duryodhana and his brothers planned to throw Bhima into the Ganges, imprison Arjuna and Yudhishthira, and take control of the kingdom to rule. Duryodhana took his brothers and the Pandavas for a swim in the Ganges, and after they engaged in sports, they retreated to sleep in their tents. Bhima had exerted himself more than the others because his food had been poisoned. When he went to lay down by the bank of the river, Duryodhana bound him and threw him in the river. Unbeknownst to Bhima, he had sharp spikes planted so he could fall on top of them and die instantly. However, there weren't any spikes where he fell.

Poisonous water snakes began to bite him, counteracting the poison of the food. Duryodhana believed Bhima died so he returned to the city with great exuberance. When Yudhishthira asked where Bhima was, Duryodhana said he passed him on the way in. Later that night, he asked his mother if Bhima had returned home and she said that he did not. Yudhishthira began to suspect that Duryodhana did something to Bhima, so he went with his brothers to search for Bhima. After searching for a long time, they couldn't find him. They returned filled with sadness, but sometime later Bhima awoke and returned home. Yudhishthira and Kunti welcomed him, and the poison in his system had made him stronger than before.