Young Bhima

I will share with you here what has made me the most powerful man in all the lands- my spectacular upbringing!

Many of you have heard the harrowing tales of my conquests and immeasurable strength but do you know how it all began? Much of what you see now has been centuries in the making! So why don't we start at the beginning?

My story begins as a humble one. One of struggle and solitude. See my parents met in a foreign land where they had me and my siblings but then decided to leave that land and venture to a new world-one full of scary beasts and treacherous landscapes. I had to learn how to take care of my loved ones because I soon realized we were different. We were seen as outsiders in this new land and were looked down upon by those we sought to assimilate amongst. Now, how did I turn this seemingly disadvantageous upbringing on its head to become the strongest man in all of the lands? It is quite simple you see...

From a young age I surrounded myself with the toughest of creatures hoping to learn as much as I could from them- their habits and their way of life. One of my oldest friends still remains the serpent. See the serpent has much to teach us about the world. While everyone sees the serpent as a frightening, slithery creature who lives to hurt others, I see the serpent as greatly misunderstood. The serpent utilizes his small frame and lack of limbs to his advantage. By twisting and turning in quick repetitive patterns while expelling posion from his fangs, the serpent overwhelms his enemy and wears them down mentally and physically! The serpent is one of the most feared creatures in all of the land even though he is so physically small and slow compared to the other animals in the kingdom! By putting on a brave face and tough external shell, the serpent has risen to the top of the animal kingdom and strikes fear into any being that dares turn his way.

I lived with the serpents for many years when I was young. I now have the intelligence and cunning of 10,000 of my slithery friends!

From a very young age I was looked down upon by my cousins, the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana. They saw me as different from them and tried on several occasions to get rid of me. I recall a time when they poisoned me and threw me in a river but luckily I was saved by my good friend Nagas. Dealing with adversity year after year led me to develop quite a few self confidence issues that greatly affected how I interacted with those around me. I became closed off and began to live in my own head where I was the main character and loved. In my adolescence I learned that this way of life was not going to help me succeed so I decided to change. I figured if I became super strong than nobody would ever dare mess with Bhima so I spent decades building my physique and strength! As I built the great, strong man that stands before you today, I realized that the people I was attempting to impress only became angrier when I would succeed more! For example, the stronger I got the more angry Duryodhana and my opposition got at my success. In order to stay one step ahead of my enemies I needed to continue to get even stronger.

My message to all those reading this journal is to remember that investing in yourself is the greatest investment one can make! As the great Bhima who has now killed over one hundred Kaurava brothers in combat and has defeated countless foes on and off the battle field, I appreciate the adversity I underwent that molded me into the mighty being that stands before you!

Author's Note: I decided to narrate this story from the point of view of Bhima as a wise, older man looking back at his upbringing and the adversity he faced. We see Bhima in stories now as this strong, angry force that gets what he wants and is made of steel but there is so much under the surface. Bhima went through a lot to become who he is and that is a side I wanted to explore in this story. It is important that we as individuals not judge others based off of who they are on the surface but should implore ourselves to take a deeper look and understand what has made someone who they are. Adversity has molded nearly all of us and Bhima, although he may seem so mighty and living the perfect life, is no different. Many of the struggles Bhima faced growing up are ones that I also dealt with such as feelings of loneliness and being outcast because of the color of my skin. I wished to show here through this story that adversity and struggle are what make you a complete person and you should look at them as tools for growth. In the next story we will hear more about Bhima's adventures through his adolescence and adulthood! These stories will be told from an older, wiser Bhima looking back at his youthful days.

Bibliography-Indian Myth and Legend by Donald A. Mackenzie (1913). PDE Mahabharata, source