Mahabharata 1.151: eka pañcāśadadhika śatatamo'dhyāyaḥ

1.151.1

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
tato rātryāṃ vyatītāyāmannamādāya pāṇḍavaḥ |
bhīmaseno yayau tatra yatrāsau puruṣādakaḥ || 1 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then, when the night passed away, Bhimasena, the son of Pandu, taking with him the Rakshasa's food set out for the place where the cannibal lived. The mighty son of Pandu, approaching the forest where the Rakshasa dwelt, began to eat himself the food he carried, calling loudly to the Rakshasa by name. The Rakshasa, inflamed with anger at Bhima's words, came out and approached the place where Bhima was.

1.151.2

āsādya tu vanaṃ tasya rakṣasaḥ pāṇḍavo balī |
ājuhāva tato nāmnā tadannamupayojayan || 2 ||

1.151.3

tataḥ sa rākṣasaḥ śrutvā bhīmasenasya tadvacaḥ |
ājagāma susaṃkruddho yatra bhīmo vyavasthitaḥ || 3 ||

1.151.4

mahākāyo mahāvego dārayanniva medinīm |
triśikhāṃ bhṛkuṭiṃ kṛtvā saṃdaśya daśanacchadam || 4 ||

"Of huge body and great strength, of red eyes, red beard, and red hair, he was terrible to behold, and he came, pressing deep the earth with his tread. The opening of his mouth, was from ear to ear and his ears themselves were straight as arrows. Of grim visage, he had a forehead furrowed into three lines. Beholding Bhima eating his food, the Rakshasa advanced, biting his nether lip and expanding his eyes in wrath. And addressing Bhima he said, 'Who is this fool, who desiring to go to the abode of Yama, eateth in my very sight the food intended for me?' Hearing these words, Bhima, O Bharata, smiled in derision and disregarding the Rakshasa, continued eating with averted face. Beholding this, the cannibal uttered a frightful yell and with both arms upraised ran at Bhima desiring to kill him, there and then. Even then disregarding the Rakshasa and casting only a single glance at him, Vrikodara, that slayer of hostile heroes continued to eat the Rakshasa's food. Filled with wrath at this, the Rakshasa struck, from behind with both his arms a heavy blow on the back of Vrikodara, the son of Kunti. But Bhima, though struck heavily by the mighty Rakshasa, with both his hands, did not even look up at the Rakshasa but continued to eat as before. Then the mighty Rakshasa, inflamed with wrath, tore up a tree and ran at Bhima for striking him again. Meanwhile the mighty Bhima, that bull among men had leisurely eaten up the whole of that food and washing himself stood cheerfully for fight. Then, O Bharata, possessed of great energy, Bhima, smiling in derision, caught with his left hand the tree hurled at him by the Rakshasa in wrath. Then that mighty Rakshasa, tearing up many more trees, hurled them at Bhima, and the Pandava also hurled as many at the Rakshasa. Then, O king, the combat with trees between that human being and the Rakshasa, became so terrible that the region around soon became destitute of trees. Then the Rakshasa, saying that he was none else than Vaka, sprang upon the Pandava and seized the mighty Bhima with his arms. That mighty hero also clasping with his own strong arms the strong-armed Rakshasa, and exerting himself actively, began to drag him violently. Dragged by Bhima and dragging Bhima also, the cannibal was overcome with great fatigue. The earth began to tremble in consequence of the strength they both exerted, and large trees that stood there broke in pieces. Then Bhima, beholding the cannibal overcome with fatigue, pressed him down on the earth with his knees and began to strike him with great force. Then placing one knee on the middle of the Rakshasa's back, Bhima seized his neck with his right hand and the cloth on his waist with his left, and bent him double with great force. The cannibal then roared frightfully. And, [paragraph continues] O monarch, he also began to vomit blood while he was being thus broken on Bhima's knee.'"

1.151.5

bhuñjānamannaṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā bhīmasenaṃ sa rākṣasaḥ |
vivṛtya nayane kruddha idaṃ vacanamabravīt || 5 ||

1.151.6

ko'yamannamidaṃ bhuṅkte madarthamupakalpitam |
paśyato mama durbuddhiryiyāsuryamasādanam || 6 ||

1.151.7

bhīmasenastu tacchrutvā prahasanniva bhārata |
rākṣasaṃ tamanādṛtya bhuṅkta eva parāṅmukhaḥ || 7 ||

1.151.8

tataḥ sa bhairavaṃ kṛtvā samudyamya karāvubhau |
abhyadravadbhīmasenaṃ jighāṃsuḥ puruṣādakaḥ || 8 ||

1.151.9

tathāpi paribhūyainaṃ nekṣamāṇo vṛkodaraḥ |
rākṣasaṃ bhuṅkta evānnaṃ pāṇḍavaḥ paravīrahā || 9 ||

1.151.10

amarṣeṇa tu saṃpūrṇaḥ kuntīputrasya rākṣasaḥ |
jaghāna pṛṣṭhaṃ pāṇibhyāmubhābhyāṃ pṛṣṭhataḥ sthitaḥ || 10 ||

1.151.11

tathā balavatā bhīmaḥ pāṇibhyāṃ bhṛśamāhataḥ |
naivāvalokayāmāsa rākṣasaṃ bhuṅkta eva saḥ || 11 ||

1.151.12

tataḥ sa bhūyaḥ saṃkruddho vṛkṣamādāya rākṣasaḥ |
tāḍayiṣyaṃstadā bhīmaṃ punarabhyadravadbalī || 12 ||

1.151.13

tato bhīmaḥ śanairbhuktvā tadannaṃ puruṣarṣabhaḥ |
vāryupaspṛśya saṃhṛṣṭastasthau yudhi mahābalaḥ || 13 ||

1.151.14

kṣiptaṃ kruddhena taṃ vṛkṣaṃ pratijagrāha vīryavān |
savyena pāṇinā bhīmaḥ prahasanniva bhārata || 14 ||

1.151.15

tataḥ sa punarudyamya vṛkṣānbahuvidhānbalī |
prāhiṇodbhīmasenāya tasmai bhīmaśca pāṇḍavaḥ || 15 ||

1.151.16

tadvṛkṣayuddhamabhavanmahīruhavināśanam |
ghorarūpaṃ mahārāja bakapāṇḍavayormahat || 16 ||

1.151.17

nāma viśrāvya tu bakaḥ samabhidrutya pāṇḍavam |
bhujābhyāṃ parijagrāha bhīmasenaṃ mahābalam || 17 ||

1.151.18

bhīmaseno'pi tadrakṣaḥ parirabhya mahābhujaḥ |
visphurantaṃ mahāvegaṃ vicakarṣa balādbalī || 18 ||

1.151.19

sa kṛṣyamāṇo bhīmena karṣamāṇaśca pāṇḍavam |
samayujyata tīvreṇa śrameṇa puruṣādakaḥ || 19 ||

1.151.20

tayorvegena mahatā pṛthivī samakampata |
pādapāṃśca mahākāyāṃścūrṇayāmāsatustadā || 20 ||

1.151.21

hīyamānaṃ tu tadrakṣaḥ samīkṣya bharatarṣabha |
niṣpiṣya bhūmau pāṇibhyāṃ samājaghne vṛkodaraḥ || 21 ||

1.151.22

tato'sya jānunā pṛṣṭhamavapīḍya balādiva |
bāhunā parijagrāha dakṣiṇena śirodharām || 22 ||

1.151.23

savyena ca kaṭīdeśe gṛhya vāsasi pāṇḍavaḥ |
tadrakṣo dviguṇaṃ cakre nadantaṃ bhairavānravān || 23 ||

1.151.24

tato'sya rudhiraṃ vaktrātprādurāsīdviśāṃ pate |
bhajyamānasya bhīmena tasya ghorasya rakṣasaḥ || 24 ||