Bheem

Bheem was the 2nd of the five Paandav (Paandu's sons). He was younger to Yudhishthir and elder to Arjun. He was the son of Pavan Dev and Kuntee. He was very mighty. When he was only a few days old, Kuntee was sitting outside carrying him in her lap that she saw a tiger coming towards her. She got frightened and got up suddenly to run from there forgetting then she had Bheem in her lap. Bheem fell on the rock. when she had got up, then she remembered about Bheem and again got frightened thinking that her son might have died by now, but he was playing on the rock and the rock had crushed under him. He was very mighty as well as he loved food also. It is known that he ate double the food what his all four brothers ate. He used Gadaa (mace) for fighting.

(1) Duryodhan was his greatest enemy. He always wanted to kill Bheem. Once taking advantage of his love for food, he fed him lots of Kheer in which by the advice of his Maamaa Shakuni he mixed some poison. After feeding him the Kheer when he got unconscious, Duryodhan and Dushaasan threw him in Gangaa River. He drowned in the river and continued to fall to the bottom. There he came out in Naag's region where many Naag were guarding their Lok. When he saw a man coming towards them, they bit him but surprisingly he did not die, rather he got conscious and started fighting with Naag.

Naag went to their king and reported him about Bheem. He also got surprised to hear this and asked them to bring him to him. Naag brought him to their King. The King asked him who he was and how he came there. Bheem told him that he was Kuntee's son and his cousin threw him in the river after feeding him poisonous Kheer. There was a Naag who was the grand maternal father of Kuntee, so he welcomed Bheem and asked the King to give him a gift. The King gave some Divine juice to Bheem to drink it saying that it would make him much mighty. He drank that juice which gave him the power of 10,000 elephants. After that they sent him to the surface.

(2) He was the one who, after they left Laakshaa Grih, carried his all the brothers and mother on his shoulders and back for some time. When they got tired and slept, he was the one who guarded them. Nearby lived a Raakshas Hidimb. When he smelled human being, he sent his sister Hidimbaa to bring them to him to eat; but as Hidimbaa saw Bheem, she got attracted to him and married him. Bheem killed her brother Hidimb. Bheem and Hidimbaa lived together for some time until they had a son - Ghatotkach. He was so mighty that one whole day is attributed to his name in MBH war.

(3) Leaving Bheem with Hidimbaa, his other brothers and Kuntee went away to Ekchakraa Nagaree and lived there in disguise of Braahman in a Braahman's house. One day Kuntee saw the whole Braahman family crying. She asked them the reason. Braahman told her that there lived a Raakshas named Bakaasur and the village had to send a human being along with a cart load food to him every week. The name of the human being was chosen by lottery. So this week his name has been chosen and now everybody in his family wants to go to that Raakshas.

Kuntee consoled them and told them not to cry, as there was no need for any one of them to go to him. She had five sons and one of them would go to him carrying his food. She chose only Bheem and when he went there he killed him. Thus he relieved the village from his atrocities.

(4) When Yudhishthir wanted to do Raajsooya Yagya and Krishn suggested that Jaraasandh was the only hurdle in it. He should be killed before doing Raajsooya Yagya. Then only Bheem was found suitable to kill him. Even Jaraasandh found him suitable to have a dual fight with him. He fought with him for 29 days before he killed him according to Krishn's directions.

(4) Bheem was the main reason of MBH war. When Yudhishthir did Raajsooya Yagya, he called everybody to attend it. Duryodhan also came there and expressed his wish to see Yudhishthir's Divine court built by Maya Daanav. When he was seeing it, once he fell in water thinking it dry land, once he hit his head with a wall thinking it a door. Seeing all this Bheem laughed loudly, and this laugh and the jealousy with their prosperity became the cause of inviting Paandav for playing Chausar in Hastinaapur.

When Paandav got defeated and it was only Bheem who took vow to kill Dhritraashtra's all sons, and he killed all of them by himself. And when Duryodhan said to Draupadee - "Come and sit on my thigh."; it was only Bheem who again vowed to break his thigh, and he did that. And when Dushaasan was dragging Draupadee by her loose hair and was trying to make her naked by pulling her Saaree off from her body, it was only he who took vow to drink blood of Dushaasan's chest and wash her hair with that blood. He fulfilled these vows also.

(5) During the war, when Yudhishthir did not agree to tell lie about Ashwatthaamaa, Bheem told that he would tell this lie and he announced that "Ashwatthaamaa has died."

(6) When Paandav were spending their one year of incognito in Viraat's kingdom, and Keechak misbehaved with Draupadee, it was only he whom Draupadee thought to be worthy to complain about him. So only he killed him and relieved Draupadee.