Hiḍimba Vadha

After they escaped from the burning lākshāgṛha (the house of lac), the Pāṇḍavas walked into a dark forest ruled by the rākshasa Hiḍimba. He sent his sister Hiḍimbā to lure the strangers to him, but she fell in love with Bhīma. When Hiḍimba came to kill them himself, Bhīma killed him in single combat. Hiḍimbā then married Bhīma with Kuntī’s blessing. Their son was Ghaṭotkaca, who became one of the mightiest warriors of the Mahābhārata.

The forest and Hiḍimba’s command

The tired Pāṇḍavas crossed the Gaṅgā and went deep into the forest, where they stopped. Bhīma stood guard while the others slept. The rākshasa Hiḍimba, who ruled that forest, smelled human flesh from his seat in a tall tree. He sent his sister Hiḍimbā to bring the strangers to him to be eaten (Ādi Parva, Chapter 154).

Hiḍimbā’s change of form

Hiḍimbā came to the Pāṇḍavas in her rākshasī form. She saw Bhīma keeping watch in the moonlight and was at once overcome with love for him. She could not bring herself to hand him over to her brother. Instead she took a beautiful human form and stood before Bhīma. She told him who she was, what her brother had ordered, and what she herself wanted, which was to take him as her husband.

Bhīma was amused but not afraid. He told her to wait. He could not leave his sleeping brothers and his mother for any reason (Ādi Parva, Chapters 154 and 155).

Hiḍimba is killed

Hiḍimba saw that his sister had not come back, and he came down in a rage. He shouted at Hiḍimbā for betraying him and rushed at Bhīma to kill him himself. Bhīma told him not to wake the sleeping family and said that the quarrel would be settled between the two of them. Then Bhīma sprang forward, and the fight began.

The fight between Bhīma and Hiḍimba was fierce. The rākshasa used his māyā (power of illusion) to change forms, tried to strike from the air and roared terribly. But Bhīma’s strength had no equal. He seized Hiḍimba, threw him to the ground and killed him (Ādi Parva, Chapters 155 and 156).

The marriage

The noise of the fight woke the other Pāṇḍavas. Hiḍimbā now came before Kuntī and the brothers in her beautiful human form. She told them of her love for Bhīma and asked to be accepted as his wife. She promised to serve and protect the whole family in the forest.

Yudhishṭhira agreed on one condition. Bhīma could spend his days with Hiḍimbā and go wherever she wished, but he must come back to his brothers before sunset each day. Kuntī gave her blessing, and the marriage was made holy (Ādi Parva, Chapter 156).

The birth of Ghaṭotkaca

Hiḍimbā and Bhīma spent time in the forests and mountains. A son was born to them who was remarkable in every way. The child came into the world fully formed and at once grew to a warrior’s size. He had no hair on his head, and from this he was given the name Ghaṭotkaca. The word ghaṭa means pot, and it refers to his smooth bald head.

Ghaṭotkaca bowed with deep respect to his father Bhīma, to his uncles and to Kuntī. He was a rākshasa by birth and had all the powers of that people: he could fly, make māyā and make his form larger.

Before he left with Hiḍimbā, Ghaṭotkaca promised himself to the Pāṇḍavas. He would come whenever they called him in a time of need (Ādi Parva, Chapter 157).

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapters 154–157 (Chapter 154: the forest and Hiḍimbā; 154–155: Hiḍimbā’s change of form; 155–156: Hiḍimba killed; 156: the marriage; 157: the birth of Ghaṭotkaca)