of Hidimbi's Hatred
Anger boiled inside of Hidimbi's chest. She let the hot hatred consume her. Her heart was scorned, her pride bruised, and her mind set on revenge. She looked down at her twin sons. They lay cooing in their crib.
"You are Ghatokacha. You are Laghu," she named them. "You will become fierce rakshasas. You will eat the flesh of men. You will kill your father."
Hidimbi raised her sons in the forest of her youth. Ghatokacha grew to be the size of three men with the strength of an ox. Laghu became a fierce fighter with an unquenchable thirst for blood. Together, the trio littered the forest floor with the bones of lost and forsaken travelers.
One evening, Hidimbi called her sons to gather near her around the dinner fire. "Ghatokacha, my giant. Laghu, my warrior. My sons, you have impressed me with your skill at hunting and killing. It is now time to make your father pay for his sins against us." Hidimbi paced behind the fire. The flames cast eerie shadows across her ghoulish face. The light of the fire illuminated the anger and grief on her face. She was a terrifying sight to behold.
"Ghatokacha, you must hunt and capture a misguided traveler in our wood. It is best if you are to find a troupe. Kill all but one. Tell him that you are the son of Bhima. Let the survivor escape. He will spread the word of the giant demonic spawn of Bhima lurking in the forest. After hearing this, Bhima will come to us." Ghatokacha nodded in approval of his mother's orders.
"Laghu, we will use your cunning to trick Bhima. You will hide as Ghatokacha hunts for the travelers. We will convince Bhima that you were killed in infancy. Then, you will attack Bhima when he does not expect it." Hidimbi continued to scheme with her sons until they had developed a plan to entrap and kill Bhima.
Two nights after they had conspired together, a pair of merchants wandered into the forest. Ghatokacha quickly and savagely completed his task.
When the merchant's tale reached Bhima, he shuddered at the thought of his son's terrible deeds. He vowed to rid the world of the monster. As he made this vow, he thought of Hidimbi.
Author's Note: In this story, I wanted to reemphasize Hidimi's hatred for Bhima. She vows to raise their sons in the most horrific way possible. In the original story, Bhima and Hidimbi only have one son, Ghatokacha. In the Mahabharata, Ghatokacha is indeed a giant. There is no love lost between Bhima and Hididmi when he leaves her and their son. Bhima eventually does come back for his son, and uses him as a pawn in a war.
I thought that Bhima's reaction to his demon son was apt due to his character in this story of being "virtuous" and thinking himself a valiant warrior. He would not consider Ghatokacha his son. Rather, he would see it as his duty to defeat him.
In this story, I want to give power back to Hidimbi. She spites Bhima's virtue by raising blood-thirsty demon sons. In the coming story, her sons will battle against their father. In the end, both will lose in one way or another.
Again, I chose a moving background for this passage. I chose a forest because the majority of the scene takes place in a forest. It also provides a nice even pattern for the storybook as a whole. The stories alternate between a forest background and a flame background.
Bibliography: Wikipedia