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Mahābhārata The History of the Great India
<< 48 The Deadly Fight >>
 |  | Having thus spoken, the man-eater grasped his own arms and with terrible fury rushed upon Bhimasena, the slayer of enemies. As the demon rushed, swinging his deadly fist, Bhima, of frightening prowess, swiftly caught and held the Raksasa's arm and laughed at him. As the Raksasa struggled in Bhima's mighty grasp, Bhima dragged him eight bow-lengths from that spot as easily as a lion drags a petty animal.
| | | Held in the mighty grip of Pandu's son, the furious Raksasa wrapped his arms around Bhimasena and screamed out in a terrifying voice. Again powerful Bhima dragged him on the ground and said, "I don't want this noise to wake up my sleeping brothers."
| | | Bhima wanted to fight, and the two of them attacked and dragged one another with sheer power. Both the Raksasa and Bhima demonstrated extraordinary prowess, breaking giant trees and tearing apart the toughest jungle vines as furiously as two maddened bull elephants that have grown mighty for sixty years.
| | | Awakened by the great sound of the battle, the Pandavas and their mother opened their eyes and saw the lady Hidimba standing before them.
| | | Seeing the superhuman beauty of Hidimba, the tiger-like Pandavas and their mother, Prtha, were astonished. Studying her carefully, and amazed by her gorgeous features, Kunti spoke to her in words that were gentle, sweet, and comforting.
| | | "You are as bright as a child of the gods. Who is your guardian, and who are you, fair lady? Where do you come from, shapely woman, and what duty brought you here? Whether you are a venerable deity of this forest or an Apsara goddess, please explain everything to me. How is it that you are standing here before us?"
| | | Hidimba said, "The forest you are seeing, as vast and luminous as the blue rain-bearing clouds, is the residence of the Raksasa Hidimba, and it is my abode as well. You may know me to be the sister of that Raksasa lord. Noble lady, my brother wanted to kill all of you, and therefore he sent me here. I came here on the order of that cruel and wicked demon, but then I saw your powerful son, whose skin is like gold. Cupid moves in the heart of all beings, good woman, and he has put me under the control of your son. I chose your mighty son as my husband, and I tried to take him away, but he would not be controlled by me. Then, knowing that I had been gone for a long time, that man-eater Hidimba came himself to kill all of your sons. But your intelligent son, who is my beloved, with his strength, stamina, and skill smashed my wicked brother and dragged him away [so the fight would not disturb you]. Look, you can see them there, roaring and tearing at each other, man against Raksasa, both of them full of power and courage."
| | | Hearing her words [and suddenly realizing that their brother Bhima was engaged in mortal combat], Yudhisthira, Arjuna, Nakula, and mighty Sahadeva all jumped to their feet and saw the two fighters clasping and dragging each other like two furious lions in a savage fight for victory. Bhima and Hidimba raised a dust cloud like the smoke of a forest fire. Covered with earth and dust, they seemed like two mountains, and they shone like two great slopes covered with mountain dew.
| | | As Arjuna watched his brother struggling with the Raksasa, he laughed and whispered to him, "Bhima, don't be afraid, mighty-armed one. We were exhausted and sleeping soundly, and we didn't know you were fighting with such a ferocious enemy. I'm here to help you, Partha. I shall fight with the Raksasa, and Nakula and Sahadeva will protect Mother."
| | | Bhima said, "Just stay on the sideline and watch. And don't be confused by this exercise. There's no way he's going to live, now that he's come within the reach of my arms."
| | | Arjuna said, "Bhima, why let this sinful Raksasa live so long? We have to leave soon. We can't stay here, O tamer of foes. End this fight before the western horizon turns red and the twilight begins, for in that eerie hour the Raksasas gain tremendous power. Hurry up, Bhima. Don't play with him! Kill this horrible Raksasa before he works up his magical powers."
| | | Thus addressed by Arjuna, Bhima hoisted aloft the body of the ferocious Raksasa and whirled it around more than a hundred times.
| | | Bhimasena said, "With useless meat you maintained your useless life and grew strong, but with a useless brain. You deserve a useless death! So now you will be useless no more!"
| | | Arjuna said, "If you consider the Raksasa a burden for you in this fight, then I can help you, but he must be killed instantly. Or I alone shall kill him, Bhima. You have done a good job and you are tired, so it's the right time for you to rest."
| | | Hearing these words from Arjuna, Bhimasena fumed with indignation and pulverized the demon against the hard ground, slaughtering him like a sacrificial animal. As Bhima dealt him death blows, the Raksasa blasted the air with horrible screams that filled the entire forest, echoing like a moist and booming kettledrum. The powerful and beloved son of Pandu then grasped the Raksasa's body firmly in his hands and broke it in half, delighting his anxious brothers.
| | | Seeing Hidimba dead, the Pandavas became wildly enthusiastic, and they honored Bhimasena, tiger among men, who always tamed his foe. Having praised and honored the great soul Bhima, of awesome prowess, Arjuna again spoke to him.
| | | "Bless you! I think, my lord, there's a city not far from this forest. Let us go there quickly so that Duryodhana does not discover us here."
| | | Everyone agreed, saying, "So be it."
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