Yudhistira’s quiz with a serpent to save Bhima

In the sixth year of the Pandavas’ exile, Arjuna returns from the abode of the gods and is reunited with his brothers and wife. Four years then pass in relative luxury, as the Pandavas are received hospitably by various kings. In the eleventh year of their exile, they return to the Kamyaka forest, the one closest to Hastinapura.

In a freak event during this period, in which the Pandavas are wondering whether to go incognito a year before required, Bhima is captured by a boa constrictor. Yes, a serpent takes hold of the strongest man on the planet! But this is no simple animal attack, which is anyway true for all animal-human interactions in the Mahabharata. Bhima asks the serpent how the impossible has happened, how a man with the strength of ten thousand elephants finds himself stuck inside the folds of a boa. And, of course, the serpent is able to converse humanely with Bhima.

We learn that the serpent is none other than Nahusha, the primary king in ancient times, the son of Ayu (though more recognisable as the father of Yayati, the king who borrowed youth from his sons and lived for a 1,000 years). Nahusha was at one point as powerful as Indra, and had in fact replaced Indra in heaven. Then, he got a bit cocky, and asked to be carried in palanquins that were lifted by the brahmins of the time. This enraged rishi Agastya, who cursed Nahusha to become a serpent.

As Bhima’s ancestor, Nahusha is unsure about eating him, though he is also not favourable to the idea of letting the Pandava prince go. Now, each time Bhima is in any danger, the omens are quick to tell Yudhistira of the situation. Here, too, a bawling jackal and his own anxiety indicate a mishap, and Yudhistira, accompanied by sage Dhoumya, goes to the place where Bhima had reportedly gone to. There, finding his younger brother constricted by a boa, he comprehends the situation immediately and folds his hands before the serpent.

There will be a Q&A session before Bhima is released (what else is Yudhistira good at?). The serpent asks the eldest Pandava what being a brahmin is, and the standard answer of equating the word with a set of qualities is presented. Yet, the uniqueness of this Q&A is that Nahusha asks the next question: what about being a brahmin from birth? Yudhistira rejects the idea, and his answer is illuminating: “All men are equal in speech, intercourse, birth and death.”

This is shocking coming from the Pandavas, especially if we remember how Arjuna and Bhima had earlier refused to fight with Karna, citing that he was from a lower caste. But then, Yudhistira is saying the right thing because he wants to free Bhima from Nahusha’s grasp. We are probably seeing a concept that is equally valid in our times, that it is possible to know the right way and knowingly not practice it.

Tanuj Solanki

Twitter@tanujsolanki

The writer is reading the unabridged Mahabharata