Return of Bhīma

vaiśampāyana uvāca
tataste kauravāḥ sarve vinā bhīmaṁ ca pāṇḍavāḥ
vṛttakrīḍāvihārāstu pratasthurgajasāhvayam

Vaiśampāyana said: Here Pāṇḍavas and Kurus, after their sports and pleasure, returned to Hāstinapura without Bhīma.

rathairgajaistathā cāśvairyānaiścānyainekaśaḥ
bruvanto bhīmasenastu yāto hyagrata eva naḥ
tato duryodhanaḥ pāpastatrāpaśyan vṛkodaram
bhrātṛbhiḥ sahito hṛṣṭāṁ nagaraṁ praviveśa ha

Some on horses, some on elephants and some preferring cars and other conveyances. They said: Bhīma must have gone before us. Wicked Duryodhana was glad not to see Bhīma and we entered the city with his brothers in joy.

yudhiṣṭhirastu dharmātmā hyavidan pāpāmātmani
svenānumānena paraṁ sādhuṁ samanupaśyati

Virtuous minded Yudhiṣṭhira himself being unacquainted with the vice and wickedness considered others to be as honest as he himself was.

so ̍ bhyupetya tadā pārtho mātaraṁ bhrātṛvatsalaḥ
abhivādyābravīt kuntīmamba bhīma ihāgataḥ

Pārtha Yudhiṣṭhira, full of filial love, went to his mother Kuntī and making obeisances to her, he said: Has Bhīma come here?

kva gato bhavitā mātarneha paśyāmi taṁ śubhe
udyānāni vanaṁ caiva vicitāni samantataḥ
tadarthaṁ na ca taṁ vīraṁ dṛṣṭavanto vṛkodaram
manyamānastataḥ sarve yāto naḥ pūrvameva saḥ

O good mother! I do not see him here. Where he has gone? We sought for him long in the gardens and woods, but we did not find Vṛkodara anywhere. We thought in our mind that he had preceded us.

āgatāḥ sma mahābhāge vyākulenāntarātmanā
ihāgamya kva nu gatastvayā vā preṣitaḥ kva nu

O illustrious lady, we have come here, our hearts being in great anxiety. Coming here we can not see him here. Where he has gone? Have you sent him anywhere?

kathayasva mahābāhuṁ bhīmasenaṁ yaśasvini
na hi me śudhyate bhāvastaṁ vīraṁ prati śobhane

O illustrious lady! O great one! Tell me, I am full of doubts respecting mighty hero Bhīma.

yataḥ prasuptaṁ manye ̍ haṁ neti hatastu saḥ
ityuktā ca tataḥ kuntī dharmarājena dhīmatā
hā heti kṛtvā sambhrāntā pratyuvāca yudhiṣṭhiram
na putra bhīmaṁ paśyāmi na māmabhyetyasāviti

He was asleep and has not come, I believe Bhīma is killed.
Having been thus addressed by intelligent Yudhiṣṭhira, Kuntī cried out: Alas! Alas!
Then she said to Yudhiṣṭhira in alarm: O son! I have not seen Bhīma, he has not come to me.

śīghramanveṣaṇe yatnaṁ kuru tasyānujaiḥ saha
ityuktvā tanayaṁ jyeṣṭhaṁ hṛdayena vidūyatā
kṣattāramānāyya tadā kuntī vacanamabravīt
kva gato bhagavan kṣattarthīmaseno na dṛśyate

Go soon with your brothers and make a careful search for him!Having said this with sorrowful heart to her eldest son, Kuntī summoned Kṣatta - Vidura and spoke to him thus: O illustrious Kṣatta! I do not see Bhīmasena! Where is he gone?

udyānānnirgatāḥ sarve bhrātaro bhrātabhiḥ saha
tatraikastu mahābāhurbhīmo nābhyeti māmiha

Others with all their brothers have returned from the gardens, only my mighty armed Bhīma has not come.

na ca prīṇayate cakṣuḥ sadā duryodhanasya saḥ
krūro ̍ sau durmatiḥ kṣudro rājyalubdho ̍ napatrapaḥ

He is always in evil look of Duryodhana. Kurus are all wicked, narrow minded, covetous for sovereighny and impudent.

nihanyādapi taṁ vīraṁ jātamanyuḥ suyodhanaḥ
tena me vyākulaṁ cittaṁ hṛdayaṁ dahyatīva ca

They might have killed him in anger. Therefore, my mind is affected with anxiety and my heart burns.

vidura uvāca
maivaṁ vadasva kalyāṇi śoṣasaṁrakṣaṇaṁ kuru
pratyādiṣṭo hi duṣṭātmā śeṣe ̍ pi praharet tava

Vidura said: O blessed lady! Do not say so! Protect others your sons from Kurus. It abused. wicked minded Duryodhana, might kill the rest of your sons.

dīrghāyuṣastava sutā yathovāca mahāmuniḥ
āgamiṣyati te putraḥ prītiṁ cotpādayiṣyati

Great Ṛṣi say that your sons would be long living, therefore, Bhīma will surely return and gladden your heart.

vaiśampāyana uvāca
evamuktvā yayau vidvān viduraḥ svaṁ niveśanam
kuntī cintāparā bhūtvā sahāsīnā sutairgṛhe

Vaiśampāyana said: having said this, learned Vidura went back to his house. Kuntī with her sons lived in her house in gret anxiety.

tato ̍ ṣṭame tu divase pratyabudhyata pāṇḍavaḥ
tasmiṁstadā rase jīrṇe so ̍ prameyabalo balī

Pāṇḍava Bhīma awoke from his sleep on the 8th day and he felt himself strong beyound the measure by digesting that Ambrosia.

taṁ dṛṣṭvā pratibudhyantaṁ pāṇḍavaṁ te bhujaṅgamāḥ
sāntyāmāsuravyagrā vacanaṁ cedamabruvan

Seeing Pāṇḍava Bhīma awake, snakes consoled and cheered him and spoke to him thus:

yat te pīto mahābāho raso ̍ yaṁ vīryasambhṛtaḥ
tasmānnāgāyutabalo raṇe ̍ dhṛṣyo bhaviṣyasi

O mighty armed hero! The strengḥth giving Rasa - Ambrosia, which you drank, will give you the strength of 10,000 elephants and you will be invincible in battle.

gacchādya tvaṁ svagṛhaṁ snāto divyairimairjalaiḥ
bhrātaraste ̍ nutapyanti tvaṁ vinā kurupuṅgava

O best of Kuru race! Bathe in this sacred and auspicious water and return home. Your brothers are disconsolate for your absence.

tataḥ snāto maḥabāhuḥ śuciḥ śulkāmbasrajaḥ
tato nāgasya bhavane kṛtakautukamaṅgalaḥ
oṣadhībhirviṣaghnībhiḥ surabhīrviśeṣataḥ
bhuktavān paramānnaṁ ca nāgairdattaṁ mahābalaḥ

Thereupon mighty armed hero became purified by the bath and decked himself with garments and white flowery garlands. He ate Paramānna offered by powerful Nāgas. Then, being adored and blessed by Nāga hero, Pāṇḍava Bhīma, decked with various celestial ornaments, rose from the nether regions.

pūjito bhujagairvīraṁ āśībhiścābhinanditaḥ
divyābharaṇasaṁchanno nāgānāmantrya pāṇḍavaḥ
udatiṣṭhat prahṛṣṭātmā nāgalokādariṁdamaḥ
utkṣiptaḥ sa tu nāgena jalājjalaruhekṣaṇaḥ
tasminneva varoddeśe sthāpitaḥ kurunandanaḥ
te cāntardadhire nāgāḥ pāṇḍavasyaiva paśyataḥ

That chastiser of foes - Bhīma, rose from the abode of Nāgas in delightful heart. Lotus eyed hero, beigh upraised by Nāgas from the water, was pleased in the self same gardens, were he had been sporting. They then vanished in his own sight.

tata utthāya kauntayo bhīmaseno mahābalaḥ
ājagāma maḥabāhurmāturantikamañjasā

Powerful Bhīma, Kaunteya, being thus arisen, ran to his mother with all speed.

tato ̍ bhivādya jananīṁ jyeṣṭhaṁ bhrātarameva ca
kanīyasaḥ samāghrāya śiraḥsvarivimardanaḥ

Saluting her and his eldest brother, that chastiser of foes smelt the heads of his younger brothers.

taiścāpi sampariṣvaktaḥ saha mātrā nararṣabhaiḥ
anyonyatasauhārdād diṣṭyā diṣṭyeti cābruvan

He was embraced by his mother and by everyone of those best of men. In filial love for one another they then exclaimed: What a joy! What a joy!

tatastat sarvamācaṣṭa duryodhanaviceṣṭitam
bhrātṝṇāṁ bhīmasenaśca mahābalaparākramaḥ

Everything about the villainy of Duryodhana was told to his brothers by the greatly powerful Bhīma.

nāgaloke ca yad vṛttaṁ guṇadoṣamaśeṣataḥ
tacca sarvamaśeṣeṇa kathayāmāsa pāṇḍavaḥ

Pāṇḍava Bhīma told them in detail all about lucky and unlucky incidents that befell him in the region of Nāgas.

tato yuddhiṣṭhiro rājā bhīmāha vaco ̍ rthavat
tūṣṇīṁ bhava na te jalpyamidaṁ kāryaṁ kathaṁcana

Thereupon, king Yudhiṣṭhira spoke to Bhīma these words of gret import. Do not speak it out to anyone in any way.

evamuktvā mahābāhurdharmarājo yudhiṣṭiraḥ
bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ sarvairapramatto ̍ bhavat tadā

O Kaunteyas! You should protect one another with great care from this day onwards!
Having said this, mighty armed Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira,

sārathiṁ cāsya dayitamapahastena jaghnivān
dharmātmā vidurasteṣāṁ pārthānāṁ pradadau matim

With all his brothers, became very vigilant from that day and virtuous minded Vidura gave Pārthas - Pāṇḍavas good counsels.

bhojane bhīmasenasya punah prākṣepayad viṣam
kālakūṭaṁ navaṁ tīkṣṇaṁ sambhṛtaṁ lomaharṣaṇam

Some time after, Duryodhana again mixed with Bhīma ̍ s food poison which was fresh, virulent, fearful, hair stirring and deadly.

vaiśyāputrastadācaṣṭa pārthānāṁ hitakāmyayā
taccāpi bhuktvājarayadavikāraṁ vṛkodaraḥ

Son of Vaiśya woman Yuyutsu, their cousin, being desirous of doing good to Pārthas, informed them about it, but Vṛkodara Bhīma ate it and digested it.

vikāraṁ na hyajanayat sutīkṣṇamapi tad viṣam
bhīmasaṁhanane bhīme ajīryata vṛkodare

Through that poison was greatly virulent, through it was intended for killing Bhīma, it produced no effect on Bhīma. He digested it.

evaṁ duryodhanaḥ karṇaḥ śakuniścāpi saubalaḥ
anekairabhyupāyaistāñjaghāṁsanti sma pāṇḍavān

Thereupon, Duryodhana, Karṇa and Śakuni, son of Subala, adopted numerous other means to kill Pāṇḍava Bhīma.

pāṇḍavāścāpi tat sarvaṁ pratyajānannamarṣitāḥ
udbhāvanamakurvanto vidurasya mate sthitāḥ

Pāṇḍavas, though they were aware of all this, did not expressed any indignation. As advised by Vidura,

kumārān krīḍamānāṁstān dṛṣṭvā rājātidurmadān
guruṁ śikṣārthamanviṣya gautamaṁ tān nyavedayat
śarastambe samudbhūtaṁ vedaśāstrārthapāragam
adhijagmuśca kuravo dhanurvedaṁ kṛpāt tu te

King Dhṛtarāṣṭra searched for Kṛpācārya, born in the race of Gautama, who was originated from arrows for giving education to the Kumāras, who were engaged in playing and were impertinent. Accepting him as a Guru, they handed over Kumāras of Kuru race to him for education purposes. Thus they started studying Dhanurveda - archery.