Day 16 - Bhima drinks
Dushasana's blood
From
Mahabharata, book 8: Karna Parva
Tearing open Dushasana's chest as he lay on the ground Bhima then drank his warm blood. Lopping off his head with his sword and tossing it away, Bhima drank his warm blood with conviction, eager to make good his vow. Quaffing it again and again as he glanced about, in rage he uttered these words:
"Better
than a draft of mother's milk, honey or ghee, well made mead or divine water,
than milk, curds or buttermilk! This liquor is better than all other drinks in
this world which have the sweet taste of the gods' nectar! That's what I
reckon, bloody as I am from my enemy!"
Then
with his mind overwhelmed by anger ferocious Bhima looked at Dushasana
breathing no more and, laughing loudly, said further, "What else can I do?
Death protects you now."
Whoever
then saw Bhima as he said this while running up again and guzzling deliriously,
staggered in terror and collapsed. And weapons fell from the hands of those men
who didn't stagger, and they screamed silently in terror and looked about
everywhere with their eyes clamped shut. Everyone from all vantages who saw
Bhima drinking Dushasana's blood there were seized by terror and fled, saying,
"He's not human!" When Bhima took on this guise and the people saw
him drinking blood, they fled sick with fear and declaring him a demon. . . .
(end
quote)
- - - - - -
- - - - - -
How's
that for action! But what is very human for him is that when Dushasana's mother
accuses Bhima of this cannibalism, he denies it.
The Death
of Dushasana
As represented in the
1989 5-hour film adaptation of the Mahabharata by Peter
Brook: After killing Dushasana,
his cousin, the 2nd son of Dhritarashtra and the man he swore to kill at the
dicing match after watching Draupadi dragged into the gambling hall during
her period, Bhima says,
We weren’t born to be happy; farewell.
–Mahabarata, Part III, 1:05:27
THE MAHABHARATA
OF
KRISHNA-DWAIPAYANA VYASA
Translated into English prose from the
original Sanskrit Text.
BY
PRATAP CHANDRA ROY, C. I. c.
VOL VII
KARNA, SALYA, SAUPTIKA and
STREE PARVAS
ORIENTAL PUBLISHING CO.
11D, ARPULI LANE
CALCUTTA-12
Page No. 243
Drawing then his whetted sword of keen edge, and
trembling with rage, he placed his foot upon the throat of Dussasana, and
ripping open the breast of his enemy stretched on the ground, quaffed his warm
life-blood. Then throwing him down and cutting off, O king, with that sword the
head of thy son, Bhima of great intelligence, desirous of accomplishing his
vow, again quaffed his enemy's blood little by little, as if for enjoying its
taste. Then looking at him with wrathful eyes, he said these words, 'I regard the taste of this blood of my
enemy to be superior to that of my mother's milk, or honey, or clarified
butter, or good wine that is prepared from honey, or excellent water, or milk,
or curds, or skimmed milk, or all other kinds of drinks there are on earth that
are sweet as ambrosia or nectar.' Once more, Bhima of fierce deeds, his
heart filled with wrath, beholding Dussasana dead, laughed softly and said,
'What more can I do to thee ? Death has rescued thee from my hands.' They, O
king, that saw Bhimasena, while he filled with joy at having quaffed the blood
of his foe, was uttering those words and stalking on the field of battle, fell
down in fear. They that did not fall down at the sight, saw their weapons drop
from their han Is. Many, from fear, cried out feebly and looked at Bhima with
half -shut eyes. Indeel all those that stood around Bhima an 1 beheld him drink
the blood of Dussasana, fled away, overwhelmed with fear, and saying unto one another, 'This
one is no human being !'
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