18: The Birth of Yudisthira and Bheema
We left Pandu and Kunti in the forest debating the means to have children. Kunti revealed to him Durvasa muni’s mantra that would enable her to bear the children of gods. She asked Pandu which devata he wished her to summon.
Pandu was a wise king who knew the importance of dharmis disposition, especially in a ruler. He asked Kunti to summon Dharmaraja so that they could bear a son who would never swerve from the path of dharma.
Kunti did so and Dharmaraja appeared, pulled by the mantra’s power. Soon, she was pregnant with Dharmaraja’s child, who was formally Pandu’s accepted son and heir as per prevailing norms.
When it was time for the brith of the child, an akashvani rang out and echoed across the Shatasrunga.
“This child will be the foremost among dharmaatmas. He shall be a truth teller and he will be known for his valour as well.”
Kunti and Pandu were very happy to hear that thier child would have all the right qualities that would make hima good human and a good monarch.
Next, Pandu urged Kunti to call for Vayu devata- the wind god. He pointed out that a kshatriya needed to be strong and powerful, strenght being his greatest asset. Who better to father a strong, mighty son than Vayu?
Kunti agreed and she summoned Vayu devata. When he appeared, the god asked Kunti what she wished for and she told him that she sought a son from him, mighty as he himself was. “I wish for a son who shall break teh pride of enemies,” she said.
Vayu devata agreed and soon Kunti was pregnant with her second child.
When Bheema was born, the akashvani declared that this child would be the greatest among strong ones.
Bheema was born at Shatasringa on the same day as Duryodhana in Pandu’s capital city, Hastinapur.
When Bheema was just a 10 day old infant, one day Kunti had him on her lap. She was sitting in the forest near the ashram, lost in thought when she suddenly heard the growl of a ferocious animal nearby. Startled, she jumped to her feet and the little infant Bheema rolled off her lap and fell down the cliff face. Kunti was wild with horror and grief when she realized what had happened.
She rushed down to the rocks upon which her baby had fallen, weeping and wailing. But when she got there, she was met with a wonderour sight. The infant was lying there quite unharmed, gurgling happily and waving his plump arms about. But the giant slab of rock upon which he had fallen had not fared so well. It was lying around the baby shattered into a thousand pieces from the force of Vayu’s son impacting upon it.
