MATCHBOX

The Pandava boys started their new life in the palace of Hastinapur along with their one hundred cousins, the Kauravas. The good-natured Pandava brothers soon became the favourites in the palace. Their gentle behaviour, their kindness, their respectfulness and humble attitude not only pleased the Kuru elders, but also made them popular among the people of Hastinapur. It became quite clear that the throne of Hastinapur would soon belong to Yudhishthira. He was not only the eldest of the brothers, but also the son of Pandu, the rightful king of Hastinapur. Dhritarashtra was nothing but a caretaker. But this did not please the Kaurava brothers, especially Duryodhan, whose ambition was to ascend the throne of Hastinapur as the next Kuru king. Being the son of the present King Dhritarashtra, he believed he was the rightful heir to the throne. A grave injustice had been done to his father when his younger brother Pandu was made the king of Hastinapur, for Dhritarashtra had proven his mettle after Pandu had passed. This logic reinforced his justification to claim the throne even more.

Bheem was the other cause for the Kaurava brothers’ annoyance. Being the strongest and the most powerful of the lot, Bheem would always bully the Kauravas, even if in good humour. He

would challenge them to wrestle with him and proceed to thrash and toss them like feather pillows. Sometimes, the Kauravas would climb right up to the highest branches of a tree to escape Bheem. However, Bheem would hold the trunk of the tree and shake it so vigorously that they would drop like ripe fruits. Duryodhan knew that they had to do something about Bheem, else he had the capacity to decimate all the Kaurava brothers. So he came up with a devious plan to get rid of Bheem.

One day, he and Dushasana invited the Pandavas to a picnic by the riverside. ‘It’s so hot these days. Let’s go to our riverside resort and have a nice picnic. We can swim, play and eat the delicious meals prepared by the royal cooks,’ he said. The Pandavas happily agreed.

Soon, the cousins went to their grand riverside palace. The Pandavas played in the gardens, swam in the cool river and had a wonderful time. However, the Kauravas had a rough time—Bheem sometimes flung them in the water, held them underwater as they gasped for air on occasion, and sometimes created huge waves in the water which tossed the brothers out of their rafts. The angry brothers went to Duryodhan and complained. Duryodhan replied, ‘Bheem will be out of our way forever. You just wait and watch.’

After enjoying all the fun and frolic, the boys would enjoy a grand feast. The royal cooks would prepare umpteen delicious dishes for the princes. The princes were hungry, and they enjoyed every bit that was served to them. Bheem was a glutton and could finish a feast meant for twenty men in one go. Soon, he finished all the food the chefs had prepared for them. Just as he was scraping off the last morsel from his plate, Duryodhan said to him, ‘Brother Bheem, you must still be hungry. How could this insufficient food satisfy your appetite? I have made some special arrangements for you and asked our private cook to make some extra food for you. Come with me. I will serve you myself.’

Being quite naïve, Bheem didn’t suspect anything at all and was, in fact, elated. He went with Duryodhan to a secluded spot behind the resort, where Dushasana brought him plates full of delicious food. Little did Bheem know that the dishes had been laced with a deadly poison that could kill a person in seconds. Any other man would have died after a single bite. Astonishingly, nothing happened to Bheem. He finished all the poisoned food given to him and it seemed to have no effect. Duryodhan and Dushasana realized that the poison would take some time to work on a person as hefty as Bheem. So they said, ‘That was a grand feast! Perfect time for an afternoon siesta. Why don’t you take a little rest under this tree?’

Bheem yawned and agreed to take a quick nap. He lay down in the shade of the banyan tree by the river bank. Duryodhan was relieved that the poison has started to take effect. Soon, Bheem sunk into a deep coma, while Duryodhan and Dushasana watched from a distance. When they were sure that Bheem was not waking up anytime soon, they tied his hands and feet together using strong ropes. Then they dragged him down the bank and threw him into the river. Bheem sank like a heavy rock.

Duryodhan and Dushasana went back to their brothers who were getting ready to leave. Yudhishthira was looking for Bheem. Duryodhan said, ‘Bheem has already left for the palace. The son of Vayu challenged that he would beat our chariots and reach there well before us. Now let’s go and try to prove him wrong.’ They all leapt into their chariots and left for Hastinapur.

In the Land of the Nagas

As Bheem sank into the deep waters, the river currents took him via the underwater channels, through the crevasses in the river floor, down to the land of the Nagas or the celestial serpents. As his body rolled into the river bank, it crushed some of the serpents there. In anger, they struck Bheem several times with their deadly, venomous fangs. The serpent venom acted as an antidote to the poison in Bheem’s body and soon he woke up from his coma. Bheem flexed his muscles to break the ropes tied to his arms and legs and stood up. The snake bites made him furious and he went on a rampage. He thrashed the Nagas, trampled them, and beat them to the ground. The serpents had no option but to flee. They went to their king, Vasuki, and complained, ‘O King Vasuki, a human being has arrived in our lands. He is huge and strong. He is beating us up, and if this continues for long, none of us would survive. Please do something.’

The Nagas had the power to change their forms whenever they wished. Vasuki and his deputy, Arka, assumed human forms and went to meet Bheem near the river bank. When Arka saw Bheem, he recognized him to be his distant grandson. Once upon a time, Arka lived as a human being and had a regular human family. Kunti happened to be his niece. Arka introduced himself and embraced Bheem. Vasuki was also pleased to meet the great Kuru prince and invited him to his palace.

Vasuki said, ‘Arka, we must treat our esteemed guest to our famous elixir. We must offer him a drink of our rasa.’ Rasa was a delicious and intoxicating drink that gave the Nagas their super strength. Arka said, ‘Yes of course! Come with me, my dear grandson. Let me treat you to some rasa.’

The Nagas served Bheem a big pot full of rasa, and he drank it up in one long swig. They served him another pot, and he drank it all too. Plied with unending pots of rasa, Bheem drank eight pots of the intoxicating drink and he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. Vasuki took him to a beautiful room in his palace, where he lay down on the luxurious bed and went to sleep right away, not to wake up for eight long days.

Meanwhile, in Hastinapur, Kunti and the Pandavas were extremely worried for Bheem. As soon as they arrived at the palace from the resort and found that Bheem was missing, they knew Duryodhan had lied. Still, they waited for some time with the hope that he might turn up. But he didn’t. Kunti was afraid that Duryodhan had done something evil to her son. Without any proof, she couldn’t question him either. She went to Vidura and said, ‘Vidura, I think something bad has happened to Bheem. He never goes anywhere without informing us. I am afraid Duryodhan has harmed him.’

Vidura tried to console her: ‘Don’t worry, Kunti, no harm can come to Bheem. He is the strongest of the brothers, and Duryodhan wouldn’t dare to do anything to him. Besides, Vyasa himself has prophesied that your sons will enjoy a long life. I am sure, Bheem will be back soon.’ Vidura was right. On the ninth day, Bheem returned to the palace. When he woke up from his sleep, the rasa had given him immense strength and he felt invigorated. He thanked Vasuki and Arka, and asked for permission to go back home, which was heartily granted.

Excerpted with permission from ‘Dwapar Katha’ by Sudipta Bhawmik from HarperCollins Publishers