SECTION –XI
Kirmirabadha Parva)
"Dhritarashtra said, 'O Kshatta, I am
desirous to hear of the destruction of Kirmira! Do thou tell me how the
encounter took place between the Rakshasa and Bhimasena!'
"Vidura said, 'Listen to the story of that
feat of Bhimasena of super human achievements! I have often heard of it in
course of my conversation with the Pandavas (while I was with them) 'O foremost
of kings, defeated at dice the Pandavas departed from hence and travelling for
three days and nights they at length reached those woods that go by the name of
Kamyaka. O king, just after the dreadful hour of midnight when all nature is
asleep, when man-eating Rakshasas of terrible deeds begin to wander, the
ascetics and the cowherds and other rangers of the forest used to shun the
woods of Kamyaka and fly to a distance from fear of cannibals. And, O Bharata,
as the Pandavas were at this hour entering those woods a fearful Rakshasa of
flaming eyes appeared before them with a lighted brand, obstructing their path.
And with outstretched arms and terrible face, he stood obstructing the way on
which those perpetuators of the Kuru race were proceeding. With eight teeth
standing out, with eyes of coppery hue, and with the hair of his head blazing
and standing erect, the fiend looked like a mass of clouds reflecting the rays
of the sun or mingled with lightning flashes and graced with flocks of cranes
underneath on their wings. And uttering frightful yells and roaring like a mass
of clouds charged with rain, the fiend began to spread the illusion proper to
his species. Hearing that terrible roar, birds along with other creatures that
live on land or in water, began to drop down in all directions, uttering cries
of fear. And in consequence of the deer and the leopards and the buffaloes and
the bears flying about in all directions, it seemed as if the forest itself was
in motion. And swayed by the wind raised by the sighs of the Rakshasa, creepers
growing at a great distance seemed to embrace the trees with their arms of
coppery leaves. And at that moment, a violent wind began to blow, and the sky
became darkened with the dust that covered it. And as grief is the greatest
enemy of the object of the five senses, even so appeared before the Pandavas
that unknown foe of theirs. And beholding the Pandavas from a distance clad in
black deer-skins, the Rakshasa obstructed their passage through the forest even
like the Mainaka mountain. And at the sight of him never seen before the
lotus-eyed Krishna, agitated with fear, closed her eyes. And she whose braids
had been dishevelled by the hand of Dussasana, stationed in the midst of the
five Pandavas, looked like a stream chafing amid five hills. And seeing her
overwhelmed with fear the five Pandavas supported her as the five senses
influenced by desire adhere to the pleasures relating to their objects. And
Dhaumya of great (ascetic) energy, in the presence of the sons of Pandu,
destroyed the fearful illusion that had been spread by the Rakshasa, by
applying various mantras, calculated to destroy the Rakshasa. And beholding his
illusion dispelled, the mighty Rakshasa of crooked ways, capable of assuming
any form at will, expanded his eyes in wrath and seemed like death himself.
Then king Yudhishthira, endued with great wisdom, addressed him saying, 'Who
art thou, and whose (son)? Tell us what we should do for thee.' The Rakshasa
thus addressed, answered Yudhishthira the just, saying, 'I am the brother of
Vaka, the celebrated Kirmira. I live at ease in these deserted woods of
Kamyaka, daily procuring my food by vanquishing men in fight. Who are ye that
have come near me in the shape of my food? Defeating ye all in fight, I will
eat ye with pleasure.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'O Bharata, hearing
these words of the wretch, Yudhishthira announced his own name and lineage,
saying, 'I am king Yudhishthira the just, the son of Pandu, of whom thou mayst
have heard. Deprived of my kingdom, I have with my brothers Bhimasena and
Arjuna and the others, in course of my wanderings, come into this terrible forest
which is thy dominion, desirous of passing my period of exile here!'
"Vidura continued, 'Kirmira said unto
Yudhishthira, 'By good luck it is that fate hath accomplished today my
long-accomplished desire! With weapons upraised have I been continually ranging
the entire earth with the object of slaying Bhima. But Bhima I had found not.
By good luck it is that slayer of my brother, whom I had been seeking so long,
hath come before me! It was he who in the disguise of a Brahmana slew my dear
brother Vaka in the Vetrakiya forest by virtue of his science. He hath truly no
strength of arms! It is also this one of wicked soul who formerly slew my dear
friend Hidimva, living in this forest and ravished his sister! And that fool
hath now come into this deep forest of mine, when the night is half spent, even
at the time when we wander about! Today I will wreak my long-cherished
vengeance upon him, and I will today gratify (the manes of) Vaka with his blood
in plenty! By slaying this enemy of the Rakshasas, I shall today be freed from
the debt I owe to my friend and my brother, and thereby attain supreme
happiness! If Bhimasena was let free formerly by Vaka, today, I will devour him
in thy sight, O Yudhishthira! And even as Agastya ate up and digested the
mighty Asura (Vatapi) I will eat up and digest this Bhima!'
"Vidura continued, 'Thus addressed by the
Rakshasa, the virtuous Yudhishthira, steadfast in his pledges, said, 'It can
never be so,--and in anger rebuked the Rakshasa.' The mighty-armed Bhima then
tore up in haste a tree of the length of ten Vyasas and stripped it of its
leaves. And in the space of a moment the ever-victorious Arjuna stringed his
bow Gandiva possessing the force of the thunderbolt. And, O Bharata, making
Jishnu desist, Bhima approached that Rakshasa still roaring like the clouds and
said unto him, 'Stay! Stay!' And thus addressing the cannibal, and tightening
the cloth around his waist, and rubbing his palms, and biting his nether lip
with his teeth, and armed with the tree, the powerful Bhima rushed towards the
foe. And like unto Maghavat hurling his thunderbolt, Bhima made that tree,
resembling the mace of Yama himself descend with force on the head of the
cannibal. The Rakshasa, however, was seen to remain unmoved at that blow, and wavered
not in the conflict. On the other hand, he hurled his lighted brand, flaming
like lightning, at Bhima. But that foremost of warriors turned it off with his
left foot in such a way that it went back towards the Rakshasa. Then the fierce
Kirmira on his part, all on a sudden uprooting a tree darted to the encounter
like unto the mace bearing Yama himself. And that fight, so destructive of the
trees, looked like the encounter in days of yore between the brothers Vali and
Sugriva for the possession of the same woman. And the trees struck at the heads
of the combatants, were broken into shivers, like lotus-stalks thrown on the
temples of infuriate elephants. And in that great forest, innumerable trees,
crushed like unto reeds, lay scattered as rags. That encounter with trees
between that foremost of Rakshasas and that best of men, O thou bull of the
Bharata race, lasted but for a moment. Then taking up a crag, the angry
Rakshasa hurled it at Bhima standing before him, but the latter wavered not.
Then like unto Rahu going to devour the sun dispersing his rays with extended
arms, the Rakshasa with out-stretched arms darted towards Bhima, who had
remained firm under the blow inflicted with the crag. And tugging at and
grappling with each other in diverse ways they appeared like two infuriate
bulls struggling with each other. Or like unto two mighty tigers armed with
teeth and claws, the encounter between them waxed fierce and hard. And
remembering their (late) disgrace at the hands of Duryodhana, and proud of the
strength of his arms, and conscious also of Krishna looking at him, Vrikodara
began to swell in vigour. And fried with anger, Bhima seized the Rakshasa with
his arms, as one elephant in rut seizeth another. And the powerful Rakshasa
also in his turn seized his adversary, but Bhimasena that foremost of all men
endued with strength, threw the cannibal down with violence. The sounds that in
consequence of those mighty combatants pressing each other's hands, were
frightful and resembled the sounds of splintering bamboos. And hurling the
Rakshasa down, seized him by the waist, and began to whirl him about, even as
fierce hurricane shaketh a tree. And thus seized by the mighty Bhima, the
fatigued Rakshasa, became faint, and trembling all over, he still pressed the
(Pandava) with all his strength. And finding him fatigued, Vrikodara, twined
his own arms round the foe, even as one bindeth a beast with cord. And the
monster thereupon began to roar frightfully, as a trumpet out of order. And the
mighty Vrikodara for a long while whirled the Rakshasa till the latter appeared
to be insensible, and began to move convulsively. And finding the Rakshasa
exhausted, the son of Pandu without loss of time took him up in his arms, and
slew him like a beast. And placing his knee on the waist of that wretch of
Rakshasa, Vrikodara began to press the neck of the foe with his hands. Then
Bhima, dragging along the earth the bruised body of the Rakshasa with the
eye-lids about to close, said, 'O sinful wretch, thou wilt no more have to wipe
away the tears of Hidimva or Vaka, for thou too art about to go to the mansions
of Yama!' And saying this, that foremost of men, his heart filled with wrath,
beholding the Rakshasa destitute of clothing and ornaments, and insensible, and
undergoing convulsions, let him dead. And after that Rakshasa of hue like the
clouds had been slain, the son of that best of kings (Pandu) praised Bhima for
his many qualities, and placing Krishna in their front, set out for the Dwaita
woods."
Vidura said, 'It was thus, O lord of men, that
Kirmira was slain in combat by Bhima, in obedience, O Kaurava, to the commands
of Yudhishthira the just! And having rid the forest of its pest, the victorious
Yudhishthira the just, began to live in that dwelling of theirs, with Draupadi.
And those bulls of the Bharata race comforting Draupadi began to cheerfully
extol Bhima with glad hearts. And after the Rakshasa had been slain, borne down
by the might of Bhima's arms, those heroes entered into the peaceful forest
freed from its annoyance. Passing through the great forest I saw lying the body
of the wicked and fearless Rakshasa slain by Bhima's might. And, O Bharata,
there I heard of this achievement of Bhima from those Brahmanas who have
assembled round the Pandavas.'
Vaisampayana continued, 'Hearing the account of
the slaughter in combat of Kirmira, that foremost of Rakshasas, the king sighed
in sorrow and became absorbed in thought.'"
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