The Final Chapter

As I, the great Bhima, lie on my snowy death bed I wish to tell you one last story.

As I lie here at the foot of the mountain I wished to scale, fighting for my last breath, all I can think of is the souls I took in battle and how they fought for their lives as my army and I overtook their lands. Oh how the hundred Kaurava brothers must have felt as they clung on to their breath in their final moments. A truly terrible feeling! In these moments what I can think of is how we all come onto this earth to live our short lives then return back to the dirt.

The circumstances of my death send chills down my spine as I did not deserve to perish. Myself, Draupadi, Sahadeva, and Arjuna set out to climb the snow covered mountains of the Himalayas but one by one we slipped and fell. As I fell, I asked Yudhisthira, "Why have I fallen? Never have I committed any evil!"

"You have reaped the fruits of your actions in this world, Bhima," replied Yudhisthira. "You lived a selfish life! You ate without thinking of others, and you did not go out of your way to make the lives of those around you better! Oh Bhima, have you not ultimately created the death bed on which you now lie?"

I was shocked. How could someone speak like this to me! I was the great Bhima who had conquered so much! As the breaths became more difficult to attain, I spent some time really thinking about what Yudhisthira had told me. Had I been this selfish? I had. The majority of my actions were for personal gain and I did not often think about how my actions would negatively impact others. I spent my time on this dirt ravaging and full of anger and not thinking about others. Now that I lie here gasping for breath, all I can think of is what I did not accomplish!

Basic decency.

I implore the readers of this journal to not waste time being selfish but rather spend the short time they have on this planet to be of service to others. Help them and look out for their rights and their needs. There is no bravery in caring for yourself only and not being altrusitic. My biggest regret is not giving my time and energy to building communities rather than destroying them and helping those who needed it most. Although I did some good in this world such as helping Yudhishthira establish a mighty kingdom that would be passed down for generations, I could have done even more! When all is said and done, and you find yourself in a situation like I am in now, all that haunts you is what you did NOT do for others that you could have. Let go of your pride and ego and help others build something that they can benefit from. Yes, I loved my family but did I love them too much? I am now coming to learn that it is more brave to love those who have wronged you!

For it is our duty to be of assistance as I am now learning. Time is not of abundance but caring can be! There is no monetary value in helping others as there is to helping yourself and this is often tough to accept. But oh what a lesson it is!

As I sign off one last time, slowly being drowned in the flurry of the snow, I beg those reading this journal to look around you and see what it is that needs help. Is it a friend? A tree that needs watering? A malnourished animal wandering the streets? Whatever it may be, go help. Be of assistance and do your best to not harm others. I pray that you don't one day find yourself in my situation, lying on my death bed, full of regrets.

Author's Note: As I bid farewell to this storybook and Bhima, I wanted to touch on some big picture topics such as altruism and regret. Bhima certainly lived an eventful life but he finds himself full of sorrow for what he could not do to help others in his lifetime. Many times we spend our lives only looking out for ourselves but forget to see how blessed we really are. There are people around us that could use our help and it is imperative that we look out for these individuals. As I reflect on this storybook, there are many real-life applications of Bhima's journey. His story teaches us about ambition and success but can also teach us about compassion and caring. If even the great Bhima can perish, who are we to think we are greater than life? The story of Bhima has certainly humbled me and I hope that the readers of this storybook can derive some very important lessons from this great figure.