How could Bhima drink Dusshasana’s blood?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.
Hare Krishna. How could Bhima drink the blood of Dushasana? Answer, Bhima did not actually drink the blood of Dushasana. He, later on, when Gandhari asked this very question, after the whole war got over, and then when the Pandavas had won, they went to meet Dhritarashtra and Gandhari.
At that time, Gandhari asked Bhima, how could you have drunk Dushasana's blood? And then Bhima said, I did not let that blood go down my lips. So what had happened at that time was, Bhima had actually taken a vow that you, with this hand, you dishonored Draupadi. With this hand, you tried to disrobe her.
With this hand, you dragged her by the hair. I will break this hand. And you dishonored Draupadi, so I will kill you and drink your blood.
That was a vow which he had taken in the heat of the moment because of his great fury, intolerable fury at the dishonoring of Draupadi. So, in this situation, when the war actually happened, Dushasana was killed on the 17th day. And on the 17th day, Bhima was in a rampage.
One after another, after another, after another, he was just destroying the Kaurava brothers. And then they started fighting with Dushasana. Initially, they were fighting with bow and arrow.
And the fight was going on and on. Bhima felt that this was not going to be decisive. And he just cast aside his bow and arrow and charged toward Dushasana with his mace.
And Dushasana was shooting arrows at Bhima, but Bhima was just moving his mace with such blinding speed that none of the arrows could penetrate up to him. And then he just swooped down upon Dushasana and hit him straight across his head with his mace so forcefully that Dushasana was thrown off his chariot onto the ground. And then Bhima jumped off his chariot and pounced on top of Dushasana and started pounding him, pounding him, pounding him.
And then as Dushasana was screaming, he lopped off the arm of Dushasana which had dishonoured Draupadi. And then after that, he took the same sword which had lopped off the arm and he sunk it deep into Dushasana's chest and thus he avenged Dushasana, avenged Draupadi. And then after that, as blood gushed out from his hand and his chest, Bhima put his hands forward and lifted it up.
And as he lifted it up, he lifted it to his mouth. Now, he did not drink it, but he let everyone in the war field, the Kaurava warriors and soldiers, he let them think that he had drunk it. Why? Because in war, one strategy is intimidation.
And two warriors are fighting. If one warrior can create fear, can create fear in the other warrior, then that fear itself can dishearten the other warrior and therefore the fight can become shorter and this warrior who intimidates, he can win more easily. So Bhima, he actually, this was a strategy of creating the illusion that he drunk the blood.
That was a strategy which he adopted for scaring the Kauravas and it did work. Actually, what to speak of the Kaurava soldiers, but even Karna who was their commander, he was aghast when he saw Bhima in such a fury. And just to add to the further intimidation, Bhima shouted to all assembled.
He was, by this time, he was practically bathed in the blood of Dushyasana, which had just gushed out after the fatal wounds to him. And Bhima rose up and he said that this blood which I have drunk, this is sweeter than the purest water. This is sweeter than my mother's milk.
By this, basically Bhima acted or made it appear for everyone that he was like a man-eating Rakshasa. And that thought that okay, we can fight against humans, but how can we fight against a person who is like this? Who is drinking human blood? That scared the life out of even Karna. Karna dropped his bow and his mouth fell open and he gazed at Bhima with undisguised horror.
It was at that time that Karna's son came forward. Karna's son, he tried to attack Bhima and Bhima ruthlessly acted in that place. Just finished him also and Karna could do nothing at that time.
So the point here is that Bhima did not actually drink Dushyasana's blood, but because he had taken a vow and because he wanted to intimidate his opponents, he let it appear as if he had drunk the blood of Dushyasana. Thank you. Hare Krishna.