Bheem is Poisoned

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "Then Dhritraashtra said - "O Vidur, The funeral ceremony of both, Paandu and Maadree should be celebrated in royal manner. Cattle, gems, clothes etc should be given in alms for the peace of the soul. Kuntee should perform the rites for Maadree as she pleases. Her body should be covered in such a way that neither the Sun, nor the wind can touch it. Do not lament for Paandu because he was a very worthy King."

Then Vidur Jee, with consultation of Bheeshm, made arrangements for their last rites in a royal manner. Hundreds of people began to distribute gems among the crowd on this occasion. People from all walks of life were following them wailing. When the King had been give bath and had worn new clothes, he seemed as if he was a living body and was only sleeping on a costly bed. As the fire was set to the pyre, Kaushalyaa (Paandu's mother)*, Kuntee, Vidur, Bheeshm, and other wailed for him. They consoled Paandu's bereaved sons. The Paandav started sleeping on the floor with their friends. Seeing this many others also renounced their beds. They mourned them for 12 days.

* I don't know how Paandu's mother's name is given here as Kaushalyaa, in KMG's version of MBH. Everybody knows that his mother's name was Ambaalikaa.

Then Bheeshma and Kuntee offered Pind Daan. All became clean and returned to Hastinaapur, but still they grieved for the departed King. Seeing this, one day, Vyaas Jee said to his mother Satyavatee - "O Mother, Our days of happiness have gone by and the days of sorrow are coming. Sin will begin to increase day by day, so go now to forest and pass your days there in contemplation. Do not witness the annihilation of your race in your old age."

Hearing this she went to Ambikaa and said to her - "Because of the deeds of your grandsons, this Bharat dynasty will perish, so if you permit, I would go to forest with Kaushalyaa who is grieving for her son." She took the permission of Bheeshm also and came to the forest with her two daughters-in-law. She got engaged in Tapasyaa and left her body for Heaven.

Paandu's son were growing in princely manner in their father's house. Whenever they played with their cousins, Dhritraashtra's sons, they showed their superiority in all manners - in education, in games, in consuming food etc. Bheem used to beat all his cousins. Sometimes he caught 10 of them and drowned them in water till they were nearly dead. He did all this in his childishness not by malice. Seeing all this Duryodhan, the eldest son of Dhritraashtra, started being jealous with him, and that wicked started sinning towards Paandav through his ignorance and ambition - "This Bheem is very powerful, I have to destroy him by any means. He alone is enough to fight with all of us. First I will throw him in Gangaa, then I will arrest Yudhishthir and Arjun and then I will reign solely." Thus he was looking for some time when he could do this.

Once on a beautiful place Pramaankoti on the banks of Gangaa, he built a palace and organized some water games there. So all princes went there for sports. Arriving at the palace, they dismissed their servants and entered the palace. They soon started playing and feeding each other.  The wicked Duryodhan mixed poison in food to kill Bheem. He fed that food to Bheem with affection, then all started playing in water. After playing in water when all became tired, they came out of the water and lay down on the ground. Bheem also lay down. The cool air helped spreading the poison in his body and he got unconscious. Seeing this Duryodhan tied him with the chords of shrubs and threw him into the waters. He sank down in the water until he reached Naag Kingdom. There thousands of Naag bit him with their poison. The vegetable poison was neutralized with the Naag's poison. The Naag had bitten him all over his body except his chest, because its skin as very tough and they could not pierce it.

As Bheem gained his consciousness, he pressed Naag under him. One of them escaped and informed his King Vaasuki that one man had drowned probably after drinking poison, and surprisingly he got his consciousness after they bit him. Hearing this Vaasuki went there and saw Bheem there. Now there was one snake named Aryak who was the grandfather of the father of Kuntee. The King embraced him and asked Aryak how to please him - by giving him gems, money etc.

Aryak said - "If you are pleased with him, there is no need of giving him money, money is nothing for him. Please permit him to drink Raskund and thus acquire immeasurable strength. Each Kund (vessel) contains the strength of 1,000 elephants. Let this prince drink it as much as he can." Vaasuki permitted him to give him this. Bheem drank 8 such Kund and then he lay down on an excellent bed prepared by serpents."

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "After the sports all princes returned to Hastinaapur, without Bheem. All princes were talking on the way, "Perhaps Bheem has gone before us." Duryodhan was happy to note that Bheem was not there. As all came home, Yudhishthir asked Kuntee - "Has Bheem come back? I looked for him at all places but did not find him. I am doubtful about him. He was sleeping and now he is not here, I think he is no more." Kuntee got worried about him, so she said to him - "No, Bheem has not come here. Go back and find him soon."

Then she called Vidur and said to him - "Vidur, All have come back, but Bheemsen has not come back, where has he gone? Kaurav are crooked-minded. Duryodhan doesn't like him. I am afraid for him from Duryodhan's side." Vidur Jee said - "Don't be so much worried about him. You take care of others. The great sage said that "They will live long." so he will come back soon." Vidur Jee went to his home and Kuntee still worried about Bheem continued to live in her palace.

Bheem woke up on 8th day with great strength because of drinking Ras. The Naag told him that he would have the strength of 10,000 elephants in his body because of the Ras he drank, and no one would be able to defeat him in fight. Then they asked him to take bath in holy water and go back to his palace. Bheem took bath in the holy water, wore white clothes and flower garland of white color, and ate rice and sugar pudding, Naag gave to him. He took their blessings and came back home. He described the whole event to Yudhishthir. Yudhishthir said - "Never tell this to anyone and protect one another with great care." So from that day they started taking care of each other and Vidur also started taking care of them continually.

After some time Duryodhan again mixed fresh poison in Bheem's food, but Yuyutsu (Dhritraashtra's son from his Vaishya's wife) who was a friend of Paandav, informed Bheem about this. Still Bheem swallowed it and it didn't affect him. When Duryodhan failed in his attempts to kill Bheem in this way; Duryodhan, Shakuni and Karn planned to kill Paandav by other ways. Paandav knew about them and they escaped by Vidur's advice.

Dhritraashtra noticed that his sons were roaming idle, so he appointed Gautam (Kripaa) as their Guru and sent them there. Thus they started getting trained under his guidance.