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How Duryodhana Poisoned Bhima – Stories from Adi Parva

Duryodhana-poisoned-bhima

Duryodhana’s hatred for the Pandavas hadn’t occurred overnight. Soon after the Pandavas came to Hastinapura after Pandu’s death, they became popular with everyone for their good manners and helpful nature. This caused envy and jealousy in Duryodhana, who until then, considered himself a favorite. He poisoned Bhima and tried many other ways to get rid of the Pandavas (but failed).

When Bhishma hired Drona to train the Pandavas and Kauravas, things escalated. The Pandavas were much more talented, which irked Duryodhana. He became friends with Karna, who disliked a younger Arjuna for his archery. Over the months and years, Duryodhana tried various means to kill the Pandavas, though none of these succeeded. 

One of the initial attempts was the kalakuta poison he fed Bhima by mixing it with his food. Bhima, who loved food, consumed it and fell into a deep sleep. Duryodhana, with help from Karna, Dushasana, and Shakuni, rolled Bhima’s body into a bag and dropped it into River Ganga. He tied rocks to the bag to prevent Bhima from escaping in case Bhima somehow managed to survive despite being poisoned.

The bag sank to the bottom of the river where the nagas lived. Young nagas were playing around. They saw the bag and attacked it. When the young nagas saw Bhima, they bit him at random places. The venom released into his body clashed with the kalakuta. This resulted in Bhima waking up from a deep sleep. He moved around, crushing the young snakes under him. 

The older nagas, Vasuki, Aryaka, and others, arrived at the site. They recognized Bhima as the great-grandson of Aryaka (Kunti’s father’s grandfather) and guessed what had happened. The elders collected the deadliest poison and made Bhima drink it. He then slept for seven days under their care. When Bhima woke up on the eighth day, he felt as energetic as ever. The nagas were relieved that their plan worked. They made Bhima immune to all kinds of poison so that he would be safe from such attacks in the future. 

Bhima took their blessings and went back to his worried mother and brothers. He informed them about Duryodhana’s evil actions. The news reached Vidura as well. However, Vidura and Kunti told the brothers to keep it a secret. In fact, the Pandavas escaped many such attempts and kept them a secret since they knew they weren’t likely to get enough support from the elders in Hastinapura.

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