Hanuman: The Encounter of Brothers
Bhima meets his divine brother
One day, a divine lotus carried by the wind captivates Draupadi, and she asks Bhima to find more. Following its fragrance, Bhima ventures deep into the mountains where no mortal should tread. In his path lies an enormous old monkey, tail stretched across the trail, who refuses to move. When the proud Bhima demands the monkey clear the way, the creature issues a challenge: simply move my tail aside. To his shock, Bhima cannot budge it even with all his strength. The monkey then reveals himself as Hanuman, the legendary hero of the Ramayana and Bhima's half-brother - both being sons of Vayu, the wind god. Hanuman blesses Bhima and promises to aid him in the great war to come. This encounter humbles the mighty Bhima and connects the Mahabharata to the earlier epic.
Hanuman: The Encounter of Brothers
During their years of forest exile, the Pandavas traveled through many remote regions. One day, while they camped in a mountain valley, a gentle wind carried an extraordinary flower and dropped it at Draupadi's feet.
The flower was unlike anything she had seen - a lotus of heavenly beauty, golden in color with a thousand petals, filling the air with an intoxicating fragrance. Draupadi was enchanted.
"Bhima," she said to her strongest husband, "see this divine flower! Surely there must be more where this came from. Please find the place where these lotuses grow and bring me as many as you can."
The Journey into Forbidden Lands
Bhima was always eager to please Draupadi, especially after the humiliation she had suffered in Hastinapura. He set out immediately, following the direction the wind had carried the flower.
The path led him higher and higher into the Himalayas, into territories where the air grew thin and ordinary mortals could not survive. But Bhima was no ordinary mortal - he was the son of Vayu, the wind god, and his lungs could breathe where others would perish.
He crashed through dense forests, scattering animals before him. He climbed steep cliffs with his bare hands. He forded rushing mountain streams that would have drowned lesser men. Nothing could stop Bhima when he had set his mind to a task.
The Obstacle in the Path
After traveling a great distance, Bhima entered a remote mountain valley. There, blocking the narrow trail, lay an enormous monkey.
The creature was ancient - its fur gray with age, its body massive despite the years. Its tail stretched across the entire path, long as a python, thick as a tree trunk. The monkey lay with its eyes closed, appearing to sleep.
Bhima was in no mood for delays. "Hey! Monkey!" he shouted. "Move aside! I am Bhima, son of Kunti and Pandu, and I must pass!"