Bhima Seized by the Gigantic Serpent
Bhima discovers a gigantic serpent in a mountain cavern — a creature whose coils pile as high as a mountain, whose mouth is as wide as a cave, and whose eyes blaze copper-red. The hungry serpent grasps Bhima, and because of a boon it received, the moment it touches him, Bhima loses his senses entirely.
Inside the cavern, Bhima saw a gigantic serpent that made his body hair stand up. It had entered the mountain cave and had covered the entire cavern with its body. Its coils were piled as high as a mountain. Its colour was yellow like turmeric, and its colourful skin was speckled with circular marks like the sun and the moon. Its mouth was as wide as a cave and was adorned with four teeth. It constantly licked the corners of its mouth. Its eyes blazed and were copper-red in hue. Like destiny itself, like Yama (the god of death), it struck terror in all beings. Through the moist hissing of its breath, it seemed to be reprimanding.
The hungry serpent suddenly grasped Bhimasena and forcefully seized him with both its arms.
Because of the boon it had received, Bhimasena instantly lost his senses as soon as it touched him. The strength of Bhimasena's arms might have been more than that of others — his strength might have been able to withstand ten thousand elephants. But the energetic one was completely overcome by the serpent. Bhima trembled slowly, but he was completely unable to move. He was equal to ten thousand elephants. He had the shoulders of a lion. His arms were strong. But grasped, he lost his mettle. He was deluded because of the grant of the boon.
For some time, the brave one tried terribly hard to extricate himself. But he did not succeed at all. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 472