विज्ञातो ऽसि मया पूर्वं चेष्टञ् शस्त्रपरीक्षणे ॥
आस्था तु त्वयि मे नास्ति यतो ऽसि न हतस् तदा ॥
ब्रह्मरूपप्रतिच्छन्नो न नो वदसि चाप्रियम् ॥
प्रियेषु चरमाणं त्वां न चैवाप्रियकारिणम् ॥
अतिथिं ब्रह्मरूपं च कथं हन्याम् अनागसम् ॥
राक्षसं मन्यमानो ऽपि यो हन्यान् नरकं व्रजेत् ॥
अपक्वस्य च कालेन वधस् तव न विद्यते ॥
नूनम् अद्यासि संपक्वो यथा ते मतिर् ईदृशी ॥
दत्ता कृष्णापहरणे कालेनाद्भुतकर्मणा ॥
बडिशो ऽयं त्वया ग्रस्तः कालसूत्रेण लम्बितः ॥
मत्स्यो ऽम्भसीव स्यूतास्यः कथं मे ऽद्य गमिष्यसि ॥
यं चासि प्रस्थितो देशं मनः पूर्वं गतं च ते ॥
न तं गन्तासि गन्तासि मार्गं बकहिडिम्बयोः ॥
एवम् उक्तस् तु भीमेन राक्षसः कालचोदितः ॥
भीत उत्सृज्य तान् सर्वान् युद्धाय समुपस्थितः ॥
अब्रवीच् च पुनर् भीमं रोषात् प्रस्फुरिताधरः ॥
न मे मूढा दिशः पाप त्वदर्थं मे विलम्बनम् ॥
श्रुता मे राक्षसा ये ये त्वया विनिहता रणे ॥
तेषाम् अद्य करिष्यामि तवास्रेणोदकक्रियाम् ॥
एवम् उक्तस् ततो भीमः सृक्किणी परिसंलिहन् ॥
स्मयमान इव क्रोधात् साक्षात् कालान्तकोपमः ॥
बाहुसंरम्भम् एवेच्छन्न् अभिदुद्राव राक्षसम् ॥
राक्षसो ऽपि तदा भीमं युद्धार्थिनम् अवस्थितम् ॥
अभिदुद्राव संरब्धो बलो वज्रधरं यथा ॥
वर्तमाने तदा ताभ्यां बाहुयुद्धे सुदारुणे ॥
माद्रीपुत्राव् अभिक्रुद्धाव् उभाव् अप्य् अभ्यधावताम् ॥
न्यवारयत् तौ प्रहसन् कुन्तीपुत्रो वृकोदरः ॥
शक्तो ऽहं राक्षसस्येति प्रेक्षध्वम् इति चाब्रवीत् ॥
आत्मना भ्रातृभिश् चाहं धर्मेण सुकृतेन च ॥
इष्टेन च शपे राजन् सूदयिष्यामि राक्षसम् ॥
vijñāto 'si mayā pūrvaṃ ceṣṭañ śastraparīkṣaṇe ||
āsthā tu tvayi me nāsti yato 'si na hatas tadā ||
brahmarūpapraticchanno na no vadasi cāpriyam ||
priyeṣu caramāṇaṃ tvāṃ na caivāpriyakāriṇam ||
atithiṃ brahmarūpaṃ ca kathaṃ hanyām anāgasam ||
rākṣasaṃ manyamāno 'pi yo hanyān narakaṃ vrajet ||
apakvasya ca kālena vadhas tava na vidyate ||
nūnam adyāsi saṃpakvo yathā te matir īdṛśī ||
dattā kṛṣṇāpaharaṇe kālenādbhutakarmaṇā ||
baḍiśo 'yaṃ tvayā grastaḥ kālasūtreṇa lambitaḥ ||
matsyo 'mbhasīva syūtāsyaḥ kathaṃ me 'dya gamiṣyasi ||
yaṃ cāsi prasthito deśaṃ manaḥ pūrvaṃ gataṃ ca te ||
na taṃ gantāsi gantāsi mārgaṃ bakahiḍimbayoḥ ||
evam uktas tu bhīmena rākṣasaḥ kālacoditaḥ ||
bhīta utsṛjya tān sarvān yuddhāya samupasthitaḥ ||
abravīc ca punar bhīmaṃ roṣāt prasphuritādharaḥ ||
na me mūḍhā diśaḥ pāpa tvadarthaṃ me vilambanam ||
śrutā me rākṣasā ye ye tvayā vinihatā raṇe ||
teṣām adya kariṣyāmi tavāsreṇodakakriyām ||
evam uktas tato bhīmaḥ sṛkkiṇī parisaṃlihan ||
smayamāna iva krodhāt sākṣāt kālāntakopamaḥ ||
bāhusaṃrambham evecchann abhidudrāva rākṣasam ||
rākṣaso 'pi tadā bhīmaṃ yuddhārthinam avasthitam ||
abhidudrāva saṃrabdho balo vajradharaṃ yathā ||
vartamāne tadā tābhyāṃ bāhuyuddhe sudāruṇe ||
mādrīputrāv abhikruddhāv ubhāv apy abhyadhāvatām ||
nyavārayat tau prahasan kuntīputro vṛkodaraḥ ||
śakto 'haṃ rākṣasasyeti prekṣadhvam iti cābravīt ||
ātmanā bhrātṛbhiś cāhaṃ dharmeṇa sukṛtena ca ||
iṣṭena ca śape rājan sūdayiṣyāmi rākṣasam ||
Bhima said: 'I recognized you before, when you were examining our weapons. But I had no certainty, and so I did not kill you then: you were concealed in the guise of a brahmin, spoke nothing unpleasant to us, moved among those dear to us, and did no harm. How could I kill a blameless guest in the form of a brahmin? Even if I had thought you a rakshasa, whoever kills such a one would go to hell. The time of your death had not yet come while you were unripe. Today you are ripe: wondrous Time has put into you the thought of abducting Draupadi. You have swallowed the hook hung on the thread of Time, like a fish in the water with its mouth sewn shut; how will you escape me today? To the land you set out for, and where your mind had gone before you, you will not reach; you will go the road of Baka and Hidimba.' Hearing this, the rakshasa, driven by Time, took fright, released everyone, and stood ready for battle. Again, with lips trembling from rage, he said to Bhima: 'I have not lost my way, sinner; I delayed for your sake. I have heard of the rakshasas you have slain in battle. Today, with your blood, I shall perform the water-rite for them.' Then Bhima, licking the corners of his mouth and seeming almost to smile in his fury, like Death itself at the end of time, rushed at the rakshasa, eager to grapple with him hand to hand. The rakshasa too rushed furiously at Bhima, who stood ready for battle, as Bala rushed at the wielder of the thunderbolt. When the terrible hand-to-hand struggle between them was underway, the two sons of Madri, enraged, both ran forward; but Vrikodara, laughing, held them back: "I am capable against this rakshasa myself. Watch." And he swore by himself, by his brothers, by dharma, by good deeds, and by sacrifice: "I will destroy this rakshasa."'
5e74967c5f42 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:09:16 PM UTC
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Bhima shows that his strength was not blind: earlier he held back his hand out of respect for the brahmanical form and the law of the guest. Now that the deception has been exposed by his deeds, punishment becomes dharma.