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There is no better way for me to begin Ghatotkacha's story than by talking about how his parents, Hidimbi and Bhima, first met. After narrowly escaping a burning house (courtesy of the Kauravas), the Pandavas and their mother, Kunti, went into hiding within the forest. Soon after, they fell asleep under a tree.
Not too far away, there lived a rakshasa named Hidimba. He was a ferocious beast notorious for his cannibalism. He loved to gorge on the flesh of unsuspecting visitors to the forest. On this day that the Pandavas were sleeping nearby, Hidimba was especially hungry, having not had visitors to this area of the forest for a while. Delighted by smelling the flesh of the Pandavas, Hidimba turned to his younger sister, Hidimbi.
"Dear sister! Do you smell that fine human flesh? They will make a fine meal. Go there and lure them back here to me. We will tear their bodies and eat them to fill our empty stomachs!"
Hidimbi was reluctant to kill the humans, but fearful of her brother's wrath, she disguised herself as a beautiful young maiden and went to the tree where the Pandavas were sleeping. When she arrived, however, she was struck by the beauty of the Pandavas. Her eyes rested on Bhima, the mightiest of the Pandavas, and she immediately fell in love with him.
Hidimbi realized that she could not kill these people, as she now wanted, more than anything, for Bhima to be her husband. In a soft voice, she woke Bhima up and warned him about her rakshasa brother. "Oh celestial being," she said, "I am actually a rakshasi, and I can carry you and your family on my back and take you to a place far away. I am in love with you, and I wish for you to be my husband."
Bhima replied, "Fair rakshasi, you need not be frightened. I am the mighty Bhima, and I will kill your rakshasa brother so he cannot do any more evil. I will not run away like a coward. I will stay here and fight him." With that, he prepared to fight the rakshasa.
After waiting for a while, Hidimba grew impatient and followed the smell of the Pandavas' flesh. Seeing his sister still speaking to Bhima in a friendly manner, Hidimba felt betrayed and lunged at her. Bhima blocked Hidimba and dragged him to a clearing in the forest, and for the next several hours, a fierce battle ensued between Hidimba and Bhima.
Hearing the roars of their battle, the Pandavas and Kunti awoke to the sight of the beautiful Hidimbi. Kunti asked, "Who are you, oh beautiful maiden?"
Hidimbi revealed that she was a rakshasi and explained why Bhima was fighting her brother. "I am in love with your son. I would love more than anything if he were my husband."
By this time, Bhima had killed Hidimba. Upon returning to his family, he sought to send Hidimbi away, saying, "A rakshasi capable of altering her appearance cannot be trusted."
At these words, tears welled up in Hidimbi's eyes. She wished she had never been born as a rakshasi. If only she were human! Only then, perhaps, would Bhima accept her love for him.
Kunti, however, took Bhima aside and reminded him of Hidimbi's virtue. If it weren't for her warning of Hidimba's desire to eat them, the Pandavas would have all been slaughtered in their sleep. Bhima then realized the error of his thinking and agreed to marry Hidimbi, praising her moral righteousness. Hidimbi was overjoyed!
Bhima and Hidimbi
Soon after, Hidimbi gave birth to a son named Ghatotkacha, named such because of his bald head shaped like a pot. Bhima had to leave with his family and bid farewell to Hidimbi, who promised to take good care of their son.
Growing up, Ghatotkacha was a humble and respectful son. He was very loyal to his mother and obeyed her every command. At one point, Hidimbi wished to perform a human sacrifice to the Goddess Kali, the destroyer of evil. She asked Ghatotkacha to fetch a human for the sacrifice.
Ghatotkacha came across a Brahmin with his wife and children and asked which of them wanted to be his mother's sacrifice. The Brahmins were fearful of Ghatotkacha's appearance, assuming he would hurt them if they refused, and the Brahmin's son offered himself as sacrifice. On this day, Bhima happened to be walking in the forest and came upon the scene.
Not recognizing Ghatotkacha, Bhima asked, "Mighty rakshasa, what business do you have sacrificing this young boy for evil deeds? If you want a human sacrifice, you can have me. But first, you must defeat me in a fight."
Ghatotkacha did not recognize Bhima either, and wanting to obey his mother's orders, agreed to fight. The two men were well-matched, and their battle continued for a very long time, causing much destruction to the forest and leaving both of them badly wounded.
During the heat of their battle, Hidimbi finally found them while looking for Ghatotkacha and screamed for them to stop. "My dear husband!" she cried. "Why are you fighting your own son? Ghatotkacha, this is your father, Bhima!"
At these words, Ghatotkacha fell at Bhima's feet. Bhima was shocked, and then smiled, saying, "I have never fought with someone as mighty and powerful as you, my son."
Ghatotkacha replied, "Father, you will forever have my loyalty. Whenever you summon me, I will be there at your command."
Bhima smiled to hear these words. He then turned to both of them to explain to them the wrongness of human sacrifice. "We must respect all innocent life, regardless of their differences from us."
Ghatotkacha thus learned the error of his ways and learned to appreciate all people, both humans and rakshasas. He soon became a ruler of the rakshasas and led by example in promoting righteousness and respect for everyone!
This concludes the birth of Ghatotkacha. In the next story, we will explore some of Ghatotkacha's exceptional powers and how he used them for good, to help a princess escape a forced marriage so she could marry the man she loved. Let us now move forward to Ghatotkacha's Mayabazaar!
Author's note:
For this page of my Storybook project, I recall the birth of Ghatotkacha, but with a greater emphasis on the virtuous qualities of both Ghatotkacha and Hidimbi to counter the notion that all demons are evil. In this story, I urge you to pay close attention to the morals of each of the characters. Do we only find evil demons and good humans, or are these distinctions muddled? Even the characters of the Mahabharata often fall for these rules about good and evil and make assumptions about who is worthy of life and who must be killed. Some characters, however, act solely out of love and respect for all persons, as you will see in the character of Hidimbi, a rakshasi. It is only fitting that Ghatotkacha is raised by Hidimbi, who sees humans and demons without bias and wishes a good life even for those who are different from her. Thus Hidimbi defies the rule that all demons are evil: she falls in love with the mighty Bhima and seeks to save him and his family from her brother, Hidimba. She then strives to raise their son, Ghatotkacha with as much love as possible. Later, Ghatotkacha meets his father Bhima and remains devoted to him along with the other Pandavas, promising to support them whenever they may need him. Thus, we witness Ghatotkacha's virtue right from the beginning, as he is fiercely loyal and protective of those he loves, obeying the command of his parents and always desiring to better himself for the good of all people.
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