Janamejaya said, "How was it, O sage! that Bhima, of mighty prowess and
possessing the strength of ten thousand elephants, was stricken with
panic at (the sight of) that snake? Thou hast described him, that slayer
of his enemies, as dismayed and appalled with fear, even him, who by
fighting at the lotus lake (of Kuvera) became the destroyer of _Yakshas_
and _Rakshasas_ and who, in proud defiance, invited to a single combat,
Pulastya's son, the dispenser of all riches. I desire to hear this (from
you); great indeed is my curiosity."
Vaisampayana continued, "O king, having reached king Vrishaparva's
hermitage, while those fearful warriors were living in various wonderful
woods, Vrikodara roaming at pleasure, with bow in hand and armed with a
scimitar, found that beautiful forest, frequented by gods and
_Gandharvas_. And then he beheld (some) lovely spots in the Himalayan
mountains, frequented by _Devarshis_ and _Siddhas_ and inhabited by
hosts of _Apsaras_, resounded here and there with (the warbling of)
birds--the _chakora_, the _chakrabaka_, the _jibajibaka_ and the cuckoo
and the _Bhringaraja_, and abounding with shady trees, soft with the
touch of snow and pleasing to the eye and mind, and bearing perennial
fruits and flowers. And he beheld mountain streams with waters
glistening like the _lapis lazuli_ and with ten thousand snow-white
ducks and swans and with forests of _deodar_ trees forming (as it were)
a trap for the clouds; and with _tugna_ and _kalikaya_ forests,
interspersed with yellow sandal trees. And he of mighty strength, in the
pursuit of the chase, roamed in the level and desert tracts of the
mountain, piercing his game with unpoisoned arrows. In that forest the
famous and mighty Bhimasena, possessing the strength of a hundred
elephants, killed (many) large wild boars, with the force (of his arms).
And endowed with terrible prowess and mighty strength, and powerful as
the lion or the tiger, and capable of resisting a hundred men, and
having long arms, and possessing the strength of a hundred elephants, he
killed many antelopes and wild boars and buffaloes. And here and there,
in that forest he pulled out trees by the roots, with great violence and
broke them too, causing the earth and the woods and the (surrounding)
places to resound. And then shouting and trampling on the tops of
mountains, and causing the earth to resound with his roars, and striking
his arms, and uttering his war-cry, and slapping and clapping his hands,
Bhimasena, exempt from decay, and ever-proud and without fear, again and
again leaped about in those woods. And on hearing the shouts of
Bhimasena, powerful lions and elephants of huge strength, left their
lairs in fright. And in that same forest, he fearlessly strolled about
in search of game; and like the denizens of the woods, that most valiant
of men, the mighty Bhimasena, wandered on foot in that forest. And he
penetrated the vast forest, shouting strange whoops, and terrifying all
creatures, endowed with strength and prowess. And then being terrified,
the snakes hid (themselves) in caves, but he, overtaking them with
promptitude, pursued them slowly. Then the mighty Bhimasena, like unto
the Lord of the Celestials, saw a serpent of colossal proportions,
living in one of the mountain fastnesses and covering the (entire) cave
with its body and causing one's hair to stand on end (from fright). It
had its huge body stretched like a hillock, and it possessed gigantic
strength, and its body was speckled with spots and it had a
turmeric-like (yellow) colour and a deep copper-coloured mouth of the
form of a cave supplied with four teeth; and with glaring eyes, it was
constantly licking the corners of its mouth. And it was the terror of
all animated beings and it looked like the very image of the Destroyer
Yama; and with the hissing noise of its breath it lay as if rebuking (an
in-comer). And seeing Bhima draw so near to him, the serpent, all on a
sudden, became greatly enraged, and that goat-devouring snake violently
seized Bhimasena in his grip. Then by virtue of the boon that had been
received by the serpent, Bhimasena with his body in the serpent's grip,
instantly lost all consciousness. Unrivalled by that of others, the
might of Bhimasena's arms equaled the might of ten thousand elephants
combined. But Bhima, of great prowess, being thus vanquished by the
snake, trembled slowly, and was unable to exert himself. And that one of
mighty arms and of leonine shoulders, though possessed of strength of ten
thousand elephants, yet seized by the snake, and overpowered by virtue
of the boon, lost all strength. He struggled furiously to extricate
himself, but did not succeed in any wise baffling this (snake)."