Hidimba Sends His Sister to Kill the Sleeping Pandavas
A rakshasa named Hidimba, hungry for human flesh, catches the scent of the sleeping Pandavas in his forest. Anticipating a feast, he orders his sister to go and kill the men, promising they will eat their fill together. The rakshasi obeys and goes to their location, setting a deadly trap.
Not far from where the Pandavas and their mother Kunti slept, exhausted from their flight, a rakshasa named Hidimba lived in a shala tree. He was cruel, addicted to human flesh, and terrible to look at — malformed, with yellow eyes and great strength. Thirsty and hungry, he scanned his territory and saw them. He scratched the dry, unkempt hair on his head with his fingers, yawning repeatedly with his large mouth.
The smell of humans, his favorite food, filled the air. After a long time, he would feast. The anticipation made his tongue moist with saliva. His eight sharp-pointed teeth were impatient, having had nothing to bite. He told his sister, “I will dip them into these bodies and the delicious flesh. I will attack the human throats and arteries. I will drink copious quantities of the warm, fresh and foaming blood.”
He gave her an order. “Go and find out who are sleeping in the forest. The strong smell of humans alone pleases me. Kill those men and bring them to me. They are asleep in our territory and you need not fear. We will both eat a lot of flesh from these humans the way we like it. Quickly do what I tell you.”
Hearing her brother’s words, the rakshasi quickly went to where the Pandavas were. She saw Kunti and four of the brothers asleep. But one of them, the invincible Bhimasena, was awake.