Bhīma and Hanumān: The Two Sons of Vāyu

In the Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata (Chapters 146 to 155), Bhīma goes alone through the Gandhamādana forest to find Saugandika lotuses for Draupadī. On the way he meets Hanumān. Both are sons of the deva of the wind, Vāyu. Hanumān tests Bhīma, tells him the Rāma account, shows his great form, teaches him the dharma of the four yugas, and gives him a vara (a boon) for the coming war.

The path through Kadalīkhaṇḍa

Bhīma was walking alone through the forest of Gandhamādana. He was following the divine wind that had carried a Saugandika lotus to Draupadī. The path led through a thick region called the kadalīkhaṇḍa, a grove of banana trees. It was a place of wonderful beauty and sweet smell, deep in the northern forests near the slopes of the Himālaya. The forest was alive with flowers and with divine scents and sounds. Bhīma walked on with a powerful stride, his strength showing in every step. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 149)

In the middle of the path he found a huge, old monkey lying across the way and blocking it completely. The monkey’s tail lay stretched over the path. Bhīma called out and asked the monkey to move. The monkey slowly raised his head. He said that he was old and sick and could not move. He asked Bhīma to step over his tail. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 149)

Bhīma cannot lift the tail

Bhīma had the strength of ten thousand elephants and could tear whole mountains from the ground. He bent down and took hold of the tail to move it aside. It would not move. He tried harder and used all his strength. The tail stayed fixed as if rooted in the earth. Bhīma’s face turned red with effort, sweat ran from him, and he strained with every bit of his great power. Nothing happened. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 149)

Bhīma let go of the tail, stepped back, and stood humbled. He spoke to the monkey with true respect. He said that no ordinary being has a tail that a son of Vāyu cannot move, and he asked the monkey to say who he was.

Hanumān shows who he is

The old monkey rose. His form grew larger and his true glory could be seen. He said he was Hanumān, son of Vāyu and the great servant of Śrī Rāma. He had crossed the ocean in one leap, burned Laṅkā, and helped in the war that destroyed Rāvaṇa. Bhīma knew at once that Hanumān was his own elder brother, for both were born of Vāyu, the deva of the wind. Bhīma bowed to his elder brother with full respect and joy. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 150)

The two brothers embraced. Hanumān’s kindness and delight could be seen. He told Bhīma that he had been waiting for this meeting.

Hanumān tells the Rāma account

Bhīma asked, and Hanumān gave a short telling of the Rāmāyaṇa. He told of Rāma’s birth, his exile to the forest, Rāvaṇa’s carrying off of Sītā, the search, the meeting with Sugrīva, the crossing of the ocean, the burning of Laṅkā, the great war, Rāvaṇa’s defeat, and Rāma’s return to Ayodhyā. He spoke with such love and deep feeling that the air of the kadalīkhaṇḍa was filled with devotion. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 150)

Bhīma asks to see the form that crossed the ocean

Bhīma asked Hanumān to show him the huge form in which he had crossed the ocean from Mount Mahendra to Laṅkā. That form filled the sky, and its weight shook the waves of the ocean. At first Hanumān gently said no. He said that what was fitting in the Tretā Yuga, with its greater forms and greater bodily powers, did not suit the Dvāpara Yuga. The size and powers of beings are set to fit their yuga. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 150)

Bhīma asked again, with love and not with pride. Hanumān gave way and made his body grow. The great form of the monkey grew and grew until it filled the width of the forest and rose above the treetops, shining with divine light. Bhīma shaded his eyes, overcome by the glow. He said with wonder that he had now seen all he needed to see. Hanumān then drew himself back to his usual form.

The dharma of the four yugas

Hanumān then gave Bhīma a full teaching on the nature and dharma of the four yugas. It spoke of how cosmic time, the qualities of beings, and the right form of spiritual practice are linked in each age. It covered these ages:

Kṛta Yuga. Dharma stands on all four feet. There is no disease, no desire, and no need for effort. Beings reach liberation simply through the quality of their own nature. Bhagavān Vishṇu appears white. Tapas is the main means.
Tretā Yuga. Dharma stands on three feet. Yajña (fire ritual) and set rites become needed. Bhagavān Vishṇu appears red. The stress moves to ritual action.
Dvāpara Yuga. Dharma stands on two feet. The Vedas have grown many and are studied in parts. Bhagavān Vishṇu appears yellow. This is the age of Bhīma and the Pāṇḍavas.
Kali Yuga. Dharma stands on one foot. Tamas (darkness) and adharma rule. Life is short and knowledge is broken into pieces. The world moves toward its dissolution. Bhagavān Vishṇu appears dark, or black.

Hanumān made clear that in the present Dvāpara, which stands at the edge of Kali, the dharma of strength and bravery still has its place. The next age will bring a different order. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 149 to 151)

The vara

Hanumān then gave Bhīma a vara. He gave it freely, out of brotherly love and in view of the part the Pāṇḍavas’ war would play in the order of the worlds. In the great battle to come, Hanumān would sit on the flag of Arjuna’s chariot. His presence there would give the flag a mighty roar. Whenever Bhīma gave his battle-cry on the field, Hanumān’s roar would join it. It would sound through all the worlds and fill the enemy with fear beyond nature. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 152)

This vara was kept in the war at Kurukshetra. The Kapidhvaja, the monkey-flag on Arjuna’s chariot, was Hanumān himself, riding with the Pāṇḍavas through the great war.

Sources

Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 146 to 155 (the whole episode)
Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 149 (the path through Kadalīkhaṇḍa; the tail)
Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 150 (Hanumān’s identity; the Rāma account; the great form)
Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapters 149 to 151 (the dharma of the four yugas)
Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 152 (the vara)