Bhima

Yudhishthira is tormented: brahmanas have followed him into exile, but he has nothing to give them. He cannot abandon them, yet he cannot sustain them. He goes to his priest Dhoumya and asks what the right course of action is.

Having received the Sun's boon, Yudhishthira arises from the water and returns to his family. He cooks the forest fare himself — and it multiplies, becoming inexhaustible. He feeds the brahmanas first, then his brothers, then eats the remainder with Draupadi. Blessed and provisioned, the Pandavas set out for Kamyaka forest.

Sanjaya finds Vidura seated with Yudhishthira and the Pandavas in the Kamyaka forest and delivers Dhritarashtra's plea. Vidura takes leave of the Pandavas and returns to Hastinapura, where Dhritarashtra embraces him, asks forgiveness, and the two brothers are reconciled.

Maitreya arrives, is honored by Dhritarashtra, and turns to Duryodhana with a plea for peace — recounting Bhima's feats against rakshasas and Jarasandha. Duryodhana ignores him, smiling and drawing patterns on the ground with his feet. Maitreya's curse follows: Bhima will smash Duryodhana's thigh in the coming war.

Vidura recounts how the exiled Pandavas entered the Kamyaka forest at midnight, when rakshasas roam. They are confronted by Kirmira, brother of Baka and friend of Hidimba, who vows to avenge them both. Bhima fights him with a tree, then with his bare hands, and kills the rakshasa, freeing the forest of his terror.

Draupadi approaches Krishna and begins to recount everything — the poisoning of Bhima, the burning of the lac house, the killing of Hidimba and Baka, her own svayamvara. She censures the Pandavas for tolerating her molestation, names each of her five sons, and declares that her grief over Karna's laughter will never be pacified.

Krishna finishes his long narration and prepares to leave the Pandavas in the Kamyaka forest. He takes Subhadra and Abhimanyu onto his chariot and departs for Dvaraka, followed by Dhrishtadyumna, Dhrishtaketu, and the Kekayas taking their own leave. But the brahmanas and vaishyas who have been living with the Pandavas refuse to abandon Yudhishthira, no matter how many times he urges them to go.

Exiled from their kingdom, Yudhishthira tells his brothers they must find a place to live for twelve years. Arjuna proposes the lake of Dvaitavana — a beautiful, pure place frequented by virtuous men. Yudhishthira agrees, and the Pandavas travel there with a host of brahmanas, arriving at the end of the hot season to establish their new home.

While living in exile along the Sarasvati, the Pandavas receive a visit from the ancient rishi Markandeya. When Yudhishthira notices the sage smiling, he asks why — and receives a discourse on dharma that spans the ages, from Rama to the elephants of the forest.

Seated in the forest with her husbands, Draupadi watches them suffer in silence while Duryodhana celebrates in the city. She turns to Yudhishthira and begins to speak — not to console, but to question why a king who can destroy his enemies feels no anger at seeing his brothers and his wife reduced to rags and mud.

Dhritarashtra finishes his lament. Sanjaya confirms everything the king said is true — then recounts the causes of the Pandavas' wrath: Draupadi brought into the assembly hall, Duhshasana's and Karna's terrible words, Arjuna's encounter with Sthanu in the hunter's disguise, and Bhima's vow to smash Duryodhana's thighs. The Parthas, he concludes, are invincible even to the gods.

Blind King Dhritarashtra turns his anger on Karna, whose harsh words brought Draupadi to the assembly hall. He laments that his son Duryodhana ignores his counsel while heeding evil advisers — and that when Arjuna, Bhima, and Krishna are angered, nothing will remain of his sons.

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that after the Pandavas' defeat at dice, Krishna and their allies visited them in Kamyaka forest. Krishna vowed to kill Duryodhana and his allies, but Yudhishthira insisted on keeping his thirteen-year vow. The assembled warriors then pledged to Draupadi that her oppressors would be destroyed when the time came.

Dhritarashtra, sighing deeply, summons Sanjaya and confesses his terror: the Pandavas, allied with the Vrishnis and Panchalas, will destroy his sons in battle. He describes their invincible strength and laments that he was too obedient to Duryodhana to listen to his well-wishers.

Arjuna has departed for Indra's world to obtain divine weapons, and the Pandavas sit grieving in Kamyaka forest. Bhima can bear it no longer — he argues that they should abandon the exile, kill Dhritarashtra's sons in battle, and reclaim the kingdom now. Yudhishthira must find a way to hold his brother back without breaking his own word.

When Damayanti enters the svayamvara arena, she finds five identical men — the four gods disguised as Nala and Nala himself — and cannot tell which is her chosen husband. She prays to the gods, asking them to reveal their true forms, and they grant her request, allowing her to see Nala's mortal signs and place the garland around his shoulders.

After wandering for three days and nights, Damayanti enters a beautiful forest populated by ascetics. She introduces herself as the daughter of King Bhima and wife of King Nala, and asks if they have seen her husband. The ascetics prophesy that she will soon find Nala, freed from his sins and in fortunate circumstances — and then they miraculously disappear along with their hermitage, leaving Damayanti astounded.

Having slain the killer of animals, Damayanti enters a deserted and dreadful forest, alone and searching for her husband Nala who abandoned her. She roams the forest, lamenting and calling out to Nala, addressing the mountain and the forest creatures, pleading for any sign of her husband. She finishes her lament to the mountain and then leaves for the northern direction, continuing her search.

Sudeva approaches Damayanti and tells her who he is — her brother's friend, sent by King Bhima. He tells her that her family is alive and well. Damayanti recognizes him and weeps, asking about everyone she loves. But their conversation is seen, and the king's mother comes to demand the truth.

King Bhima has lost track of his daughter Damayanti and her husband Nala, who vanished into the forest after Nala lost his kingdom. He sends brahmanas in every direction with an extraordinary reward — a thousand cows and a village — for anyone who can find them, dead or alive.

Damayanti has heard Parnada's report and knows what she must do — but she cannot let her father Bhima know. She goes to her mother in secret and reveals her plan: send the brahmana Sudeva to Ayodhya to bring Nala back, while keeping the king in the dark.

After the night passes, Nala adorns himself and goes with Damayanti to meet her father, King Bhima. The reunion is formal and joyful — Nala pays his respects, Bhima welcomes him like a son — and the entire city of Kundina erupts in celebration, decorated with flags, garlands, and flowers, as the gods are worshipped in every temple.

With Bhima’s permission and a small army, Nala returns to Nishadha and confronts his brother Pushkara. He offers a single stake: all his new wealth, Damayanti, and his life — against the kingdom. Pushkara, certain of victory, laughs and accepts the dice game.

Janamejaya asks how his ancestors lived in the forest after Arjuna left. Vaishampayana describes the Pandavas' joyless existence — they perform sacrifices, collect forest fare for brahmanas, and live anxious and unhappy, like jewels fallen from a broken string.

In Kamyaka forest, Draupadi tells the Pandavas that the world feels empty without Arjuna. One by one, each brother speaks — remembering his feats, his strength, the horses he won, the bride he abducted — and confesses that without him, the forest has lost all charm.

Yudhishthira resolves to leave Kamyaka forest and begin the pilgrimage to the sacred tirthas. Before they can depart, Vyasa, Narada, and Parvata appear — three of the most powerful sages in existence — and give them instructions that go beyond mere travel: purify your minds, control your bodies, and go with friendship in your hearts. The Pandavas receive their blessings and, at the auspicious moment, set out eastward with their servants and chariots.

The Vrishnis welcome the Pandavas at Prabhasa, and Balarama sees Yudhishthira — a king who followed dharma — miserable in the forest while Duryodhana prospers. The sight creates a moral paradox he cannot resolve, and he turns to Krishna with a speech that catalogues every injustice and ends with a question the earth itself seems unwilling to answer.

Krishna assures Yudhishthira that his allies will stand with him against Duryodhana — but warns that Yudhishthira will never accept a kingdom won by anyone else's strength. Yudhishthira responds by affirming that he must protect his truth more than his kingdom, and that when the time comes, Krishna himself will vanquish Duryodhana in battle.

Lomasha, their guide through the wilderness, becomes confused — and Yudhishthira immediately reads the danger. He orders everyone to guard Draupadi, maintain absolute cleanliness, and then gives Bhima a direct command: protect her. Finally, he goes to the twins Nakula and Sahadeva, embraces them, and tells them not to be afraid.

The group has resolved to travel together, but Mount Gandhamadana looms ahead — a barrier that cannot be crossed by strength alone. Lomasha, the sage guiding them, reveals the only way through: not with chariots or even Bhima's arms, but with austerities.

Having resolved their course, the Pandavas arrive at the prosperous kingdom of Subahu, lord of the kunindas. They are welcomed, hosted, and then — leaving their servants and retinue behind — they set out on foot toward the Himalayas, driven by the single hope of seeing Arjuna.

Draupadi is exhausted and miserable, but her longing to see Arjuna is undimmed. Yudhishthira suffers the same ache. The group is divided on whether to press forward or turn back — until Bhima speaks, declaring that none of them will be left behind, and that he will carry Draupadi and the twins over the mountains himself if he must.

Bhima longs to see Arjuna, who has been on Mount Gandhamadana performing austerities. The group resolves to follow him — but the mountain is no ordinary place. It is guarded by yakshas and rakshasas, and only those who have mastered themselves can survive the journey.

A divine thousand-petaled lotus drifts down before Draupadi, who desires more. To please her, Bhima charges up Mount Gandhamadana alone — tearing through forests, killing attacking animals, and roaring like a storm. His roaring awakens something far older and more powerful than he expects.

Bhima asks the ape to reveal his true identity. The ape speaks: he was born from Kesari and Vayu, the wind god — the same wind that gave Bhima his own strength. He is Hanuman, the monkey who served Rama, who leaped across the ocean to find Sita, who burned Lanka and returned. He tells Bhima that he asked Rama for a single boon: to live as long as Rama's deeds were sung on earth. Rama agreed. And so Hanuman is still here.

Bhima, striding through a fragrant forest in search of a lake, finds his path blocked by an ancient ape lying across the road. The ape asks him to simply move his tail aside. Bhima smiles contemptuously, takes the tail in one hand — and cannot budge it. He tries both hands, strains until his body sweats and his face contorts, but the tail does not move.

Bhima asks Hanuman about the ages of the world. Hanuman answers — describing how dharma decays across Krita, Treta, Dvapara, and Kali yugas, how Narayana's complexion changes with each age, and how beings deteriorate as the yugas progress. Then he tells Bhima to leave, advising him not to dwell on useless knowledge.

Bhima, awestruck by his brother's power, asks why Hanuman did not simply kill Ravana himself and end the war before it began. Hanuman's answer is not about ability — it is about glory, and whose story this was meant to be.

Bhima asks to see the form Hanuman took when he leapt across the ocean to find Sita. Hanuman obliges — and grows into a mountain-sized being with copper eyes and sharp teeth, covering the plantain grove and darkening the directions, leaving even the mighty Bhima overwhelmed.

Having explained his restraint with Ravana, Hanuman does not stop. He turns to Bhima and delivers a long discourse on dharma, the duties of a kshatriya king, and the art of governance — a lesson from an elder brother who has seen more than he has ever said.

Driven by Draupadi's words and his own restless strength, Bhima pushes through forests and mountains toward Gandhamadana. He crosses a river teeming with golden lotuses and enters the Sougandhika forest — a place so radiant it seems to fulfill every desire he carries.

Bhima, wandering through the wilderness during the Pandavas' exile, discovers a celestial pond filled with extraordinary lotuses. Overcome with delight, he advances to gather them — but hundreds of thousands of armed rakshasa guards, the Krodhavashas, stand between him and the water. When they see him coming, they question each other, then demand to know who he is and why he has come.

The defeated rakshasas flee to Kailasa and report Bhima's strength and valour to Kubera, expecting punishment. Instead, Kubera laughs and tells them to let Bhima take as many lotuses as he wishes for Draupadi — he knows the reason. The rakshasas return, their anger controlled, to find Bhima sporting happily alone in the pond.

Bhima enters Kubera's pleasure garden and begins taking the fragrant sougandhika lotuses for Draupadi. The rakshasas guarding the pond warn him that even gods must seek permission before sporting there. Bhima refuses to beg, plunges into the water, and when the rakshasas attack, he meets them with his club — slaying hundreds and routing the rest.

When the Pandava party finally reaches the sougandhika pond, they find Bhima standing on its banks with his club raised, surrounded by the bodies of the yakshas he has already slain. Yudhishthira embraces him — then warns him never to do such a thing again.

A fragrant sougandhika lotus drifts on the wind and lands before Draupadi. She shows it to Bhima and asks him to bring more if he finds them. By the time Yudhishthira notices the omens of battle gathering around them, Bhima is already gone — headed north-east, into the territory of the yakshas.

While Bhima is away hunting, the rakshasa Jatasura — who has been living among the Pandavas disguised as a brahmana — assumes his true form, seizes their weapons, and abducts Yudhishthira, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Draupadi. But Sahadeva manages to extricate himself and runs to summon Bhima.

Bhima arrives to find his brothers and Draupadi being abducted by the rakshasa Jatasura. He explains that he had suspected the creature earlier but spared him because the time was not ripe. Now it is. The two engage in a ferocious duel — hurling trees, then rocks, then wrestling — until Bhima seizes Jatasura, dashes him to the ground, and severs his head.

Yudhishthira has slowed the rakshasa Jatasura, but Sahadeva sees the creature is confused and urges his brother to let them fight. He declares that a kshatriya should either triumph or die in battle — and vows that if the rakshasa is still alive at sunset, Sahadeva will no longer call himself a kshatriya.

Four years of forest exile have passed. Yudhishthira remembers Arjuna's promise to return in the fifth year to the white-topped mountain peak. He assembles his brothers and Draupadi, announces the plan to go to Gandhamadana to meet Arjuna, and consults the brahmanas and ascetics, who approve the journey and bless it.

Yudhishthira sets out north with his brothers, Draupadi, the brahmanas, Lomasha, and the rakshasas including Hidimba's son. They travel partly on foot and partly carried by the rakshasas, crossing mountains and difficult terrain, until on the seventeenth day they reach the sacred hermitage of the rajarshi Vrishaparva near Gandhamadana.

After leaving Vrishaparva, the Pandavas proceed on foot through a region teeming with animals, reaching Mount Shveta on the fourth day and then Mount Malyavan. They climb higher into Gandhamadana, a mountain so beautiful it resembles the pleasure garden of the gods, filled with every kind of tree, flower, bird, and pond.

Seeing the beautiful region of Gandhamadana, Yudhishthira addresses Bhima in affectionate words, pointing out the trees, birds, elephants, lakes, waterfalls, minerals, gandharvas, kimpurushas, and the river Ganga. He expresses delight at having traversed a path no human has followed. They then see the hermitage of rajarshi Arshtishena and go to the sage.

Yudhishthira and his brothers, wandering in exile on Gandhamadana mountain, come before an ascetic sage who already knows them. The sage questions Yudhishthira’s adherence to dharma, describes the wonders and dangers of the mountain, and warns him not to venture beyond a certain point — or the rakshasas will kill him.

The Pandavas settle on the slopes of the Himalayas, living on hermit food, fruits, deer meat, and honey. For five years they listen to Lomasha's words, witness marvels, and receive visits from hermits and charanas — a stable period of exile before the mountain's dangers stir.

Bhima ascends the mountain, sees Vaishravana's jeweled abode, and terrifies all beings by blowing his conch, twanging his bow, and slapping his arms. Yakshas, rakshasas, and gandharvas rush at him. A fierce battle follows — and only one rakshasa, Maniman, dares to stay and fight.

A giant serpent is carried away by a suparna, shaking the mountain. A wind brings five-coloured blossoms near the river. Draupadi sees them and tells Bhima she wants to see the mountain top — protected by his strength. Her words madden him into action.

The Pandavas, having established themselves on Mount Gandhamadana, are waiting for Arjuna to return from obtaining divine weapons from Indra. They live on the mountain, performing austerities, rituals, and yoga, while constantly thinking of Arjuna and counting every day and night as a year in his absence. A month passes in melancholy; the Pandavas remain in grief-stricken waiting, their happiness absent since Arjuna left Kamyaka forest.

While the Pandavas are thinking of Arjuna, Indra's chariot driven by Matali suddenly appears in the sky, carrying Arjuna. He descends, pays respects to Dhoumya, Yudhishthira, Bhima, and Draupadi, is worshipped by Nakula and Sahadeva, and the Pandavas honor Matali before he departs. Arjuna presents the gifts from Indra, recounts his acquisition of weapons from Indra, Vayu, and Shiva, and his entry into heaven, then happily goes to sleep with his brothers.

After ten years of exile — four of them on Gandhamadana mountain with Arjuna returned — Bhima sees that Duryodhana has stolen their happiness while they wait. In private, he urges Yudhishthira to end the peaceful forest life, spend a year incognito, and then attack. Yudhishthira listens, then circumambulates Kubera's abode — and prepares to leave.

Having resolved to leave, Yudhishthira bids farewell to the houses, rivers, lakes, and rakshasas of Gandhamadana — and vows to return after victory. Ghatotkacha carries the Pandavas and their brahmanas across mountains and waterfalls as they depart, guided by Lomasha and instructed by the sage Arshtishena.

The twelfth year of exile arrives, and the Pandavas leave the forest for the desert. They find Lake Dvaitavana on the banks of the Sarasvati — a place loved by yakshas, gandharvas, and great sages, the sacrificial ground of the gods themselves. The residents of the region come to them with offerings, and the Pandavas establish their hermitage there.

After a month in Badari, the Pandavas set out for the land of King Subahu of the Kiratas, crossing the lands of the Chinas, Tukharas, Daradas, Darvans, and Kunindas — territories full of jewels. They cross the difficult Himalayan terrain and are welcomed by Subahu himself, who comes out to greet them.

Deep in a mountain cavern, Bhima encounters a serpent with the terrible form of death itself. The creature, driven by hunger, seizes him — and Bhima, the strongest of the Pandavas, finds his soul pained through depression and delusion as the serpent's coils tighten around him. It is Yudhishthira who must free him.

Coiled by the serpent Nahusha and unable to move, Bhima accepts his fate without anger — but his mind turns not to his own death, but to the sorrow it will bring his brothers and his mother, who will lose their protector in this wilderness.

Yudhishthira sees terrible omens — a blazing sky, a howling she-jackal, a deformed quail vomiting blood — and his own body trembles with foreboding. When he asks where Bhima is, Draupadi tells him his brother has been gone a long time. He follows the trail of broken trees to a mountainous cavern, where he finds Bhima immobile in a serpent's grasp.

The serpent who has seized Bhima declares that he has been hungry for a long time — but before devouring his descendant, he tells the story of how he, the great king Nahusha, fell from Indra's throne and became a snake, cursed by a sage for his arrogance.

Nahusha will not release Bhima until Yudhishthira answers his question: who is a brahmana, and what should he know? Yudhishthira's answer cuts to the heart of dharma — defining a brahmana not by birth, but by conduct.

A serpent seizes Bhima and will not let him go. When Yudhishthira comes looking for his brother, the serpent speaks — and reveals that he is no ordinary creature, but the former king Nahusha, Yudhishthira's own ancestor, fallen from the lordship of the three worlds into this crawling form.

Nahusha discards his serpent body and ascends to heaven. Yudhishthira returns to the hermitage with Bhima and Dhoumya, and tells the assembled brahmanas, his brothers, and Draupadi everything that happened. They are astounded — and overjoyed.

Yudhishthira asks the serpent how someone so wise could have fallen so low. The serpent answers: prosperity. He was Nahusha, once king of heaven itself — until he forced the great sage Agastya to carry his palanquin. Now he waits for the one who will free him.

The Pandavas have settled in the Kamyaka forest, surrounded by sages, when a brahmana announces that Krishna and the ancient sage Markandeya are coming to see them. Krishna arrives on his chariot with Satyabhama, embraces Arjuna repeatedly, and hears the full account of their forest exile.

Seated among the Pandavas, Krishna praises Yudhishthira's dharma and endurance of the assembly hall humiliation, reports that Draupadi's sons are safe and training under Abhimanyu in the Vrishni city, offers the Dasharha army led by Halayudha, and advises Yudhishthira to complete his exile before returning to Nagapura.

While Krishna and Yudhishthira converse, the ancient sage Markandeya arrives — aged through thousands of years of austerities. The Pandavas and brahmanas worship him, and Krishna asks him to narrate sacred accounts of the past. Narada also arrives, approves the proposal, and Markandeya asks for time to prepare.

Dhritarashtra, hearing the brahmana's report, is overcome with grief and self-reproach. He describes each Pandava's suffering in detail — Yudhishthira sleeping on bare ground, Bhima's restrained rage, Arjuna's sleepless anger, the twins' wretchedness — and reflects on the inevitability of destiny and the futility of deeds. His words are secretly overheard by Duryodhana, Shakuni, and Karna, who become disturbed and unhappy.

A brahmana skilled in storytelling visits the Pandavas in their forest exile, then travels to Dhritarashtra's court. When the aged king asks for news, the brahmana describes what he has seen — the princes emaciated by wind and sun, Draupadi suffering as though unprotected despite her husbands' presence — and Dhritarashtra is flooded with compassion.

The gandharva king Chitrasena sees his forces routed by Arjuna's arrows and charges at him with a mace. Arjuna shatters the weapon mid-air. Chitrasena turns invisible and fights with maya (illusion). Arjuna counters with divine weapons, including the shabdabheda weapon that tracks sound. When Chitrasena is pierced and revealed, Arjuna recognizes his friend and withdraws — and the battle ends.

Duhshasana sends a messenger to Dvaitavana to invite the exiled Pandavas to Duryodhana's sacrifice. Yudhishthira politely declines, citing their oath of thirteen years. But Bhima's answer is different: they will come, he says, only when Duryodhana himself is offered as an oblation in the fire of war.

Kotikashya, the foremost of the Shibis, arrives at the hermitage and asks a question — but finds only Draupadi there, alone in the forest. With no one else to reply, she must speak for herself, revealing who she is, naming her five husbands, and explaining where they have gone.

Jayadratha dismisses Draupadi's warnings, insisting she cannot dissuade him with words alone. She declares she is not weak — that both Krishnas will follow her footsteps on a single chariot, that Indra himself cannot abduct her, and that she will see him bound and dragged by the sons of Pritha.

The Pandavas follow the fresh trail of Jayadratha's army, seeing the dust raised by the hooves of his horses. Dhoumya urges Bhima to attack. When they see Draupadi standing on Jayadratha's chariot, their rage flares — and they call out to the king of Sindhu to stop.

The Pandavas return from their hunt to find their hermitage empty and their maid weeping. A jackal howls on their left — an omen of disaster. When Indrasena questions the maid, she learns the truth: Jayadratha has abducted Draupadi while they were away, and the trail is still fresh.

Seeing his army destroyed, Jayadratha frees Draupadi and flees into the forest. Yudhishthira orders Nakula to pick her up, and Bhima wants to slaughter the remaining soldiers — but Arjuna stops him. Bhima vows to kill Jayadratha even if he escapes to the nether regions. Yudhishthira objects, citing Duhshala and Gandhari. But Draupadi, angry and unashamed, demands the wretch's death.

Jayadratha orders his allied kings to stand firm and attack. The warriors from Shibi, Sindhu, Trigarta, and Souvira face the five Pandavas — and are decimated. Bhima kills Kotikashya with a javelin. Arjuna slays twelve from Souvira with his arrows. Nakula cuts off an elephant's trunk and tusks with his sword. Headless torsos litter the battlefield, and the survivors are routed.

Jayadratha has fled only one krosha when Bhima and Arjuna catch up. Arjuna kills his horses from a distance with divine weapons, leaving the king of Sindhu stranded and terrified. Jayadratha tries to flee into the forest on foot, and Arjuna taunts him — but when Bhima rushes at him shouting for blood, it is Arjuna who holds him back.

Yudhishthira sits in the forest, weighed down by exile and loss, when the ancient sage Markandeya finds him. Instead of empty comfort, Markandeya offers a series of comparisons — Rama’s endurance in the wilderness, Indra’s victories won through allies, and the Pandavas’ own recent rescue of Draupadi from Jayadratha — to argue that Yudhishthira has no reason to despair.

Exhausted and thirsty in the forest, the Pandava brothers begin to reflect on their calamities. Bhima, Arjuna, and Sahadeva each state that their present suffering is the consequence of a moment when they failed to act — when they had the chance to kill Duryodhana, Karna, and Shakuni, and did not.

With Arjuna also dead by the lake, Yudhishthira sends Bhima. Bhima finds his four brothers lying dead and suspects yakshas or rakshasas. He resolves to fight — but decides to drink first, ignores the yaksha's warning, and collapses dead beside them.