Storytelling: Bhima the Mighty

After escaping from people that wanted them dead, Bhima and his family continued away from the city into a nearby mountain range. They traveled far away to be sure they were safe. The trip had exhausted the mother of the Panadva brothers. She told them that she needed rest. They found a cave and she asked Bhima to fetch her some water. He left the cave to find water for her and shortly after he left his mom and brothers fell asleep. He did not have to venture far to find the water. He returned soon and saw his family sleeping so he watched over them. They would be glad he did so because not far away was the demon Hidimba. He despised humans and sent his sister to lure the family to him so he could kill them. When she found the family she saw Bhima and immediately fell in love. She was so captivated by his looks that she knew she could not lead them back to her brother so that he could kill them. She decided to warn him instead of listening to her brother. Hidimba was getting impatient so he decided to go find them. He arrived to find his sister talking to Bhima and he was furious. He vowed to slay Bhima where he stood. What he did not know however was that Bhima had amazing strength and was incredibly fast. Bhima looked his foe in the eye and knew a fight was about to ensue. Hidimba dashed forward with incredible speed but he was not fast enough. Bhima quickly dodged and punched him in the stomach. That sent him flying backwards into a tree. Bhima ran towards him and started to throw punches so hard that the tree broke in half. Bhima drew his sword as the demon started to get up and Bhima preceded to behead the evil demon. The sister was sad so she decided to bury her dead brother. Soon after the battle the family left the forest and the demon’s sister behind. They entered the outskirts of Dubai looking for shelter but they ended up finding trouble.

They ran into a gang leader demanding a new citizen tax on them. Not having any money, Bhima and his family refused to pay Baka. Baka then told them to leave town or he and his gang would end their lives. Bhima was furious with the gang leader. He was enraged that someone would threaten his family. He drew his swords and prepared to defend his family. The gang members surrounded Bhima but he jumped over the men and then ran towards the leader. More men stepped in front of his path and Bhima barreled through them then with a swift strike he cleaved the gang leader in two. After seeing their leader fall to the ground in two pieces the gang members ran away terrified. At that moment he saw a giant mushroom cloud of sand rise over the desert. He decided to investigate while his family found a place to stay. 

The Indian Heroes:
Mahabharata - The Princes of Elephant City
Author: C. A. Kincaid
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Author's Notes-

I used the story about Bhima fighting Hidimba and Baka. I skipped the part about him leaving for awhile with the demon's sister. I also changed details of where the family ran off to and the cities they were in. I wanted to make a back story for Bhima for my storybook while staying accurate to the Mahabharata. This will describe his character more in depth and will give him some more character development.

Photo info- Bhima fighting Baka

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