(Kirmirabadha Parva)
"Dhritarashtra said, 'O Kshatta, I am desirous to hear of the
destruction of Kirmira! Do thou tell me how the encounter took place
between the Rakshasa and Bhimasena!'
"Vidura said, 'Listen to the story of that feat of Bhimasena of
superhuman achievements! I have often heard of it in course of my
conversation with the Pandavas (while I was with them). O foremost of
kings, defeated at dice the Pandavas departed from hence and travelling
for three days and nights they at length reached those woods that go by
the name of Kamyaka. O king, just after the dreadful hour of midnight
when all nature is asleep, when man-eating Rakshasas of terrible deeds
begin to wander, the ascetics and the cowherds and other rangers of the
forest used to shun the woods of Kamyaka and fly to a distance from fear
of cannibals. And, O Bharata, as the Pandavas were at this hour entering
those woods a fearful Rakshasa of flaming eyes appeared before them with
a lighted brand, obstructing their path. And with outstretched arms and
terrible face, he stood obstructing the way on which those perpetuators
of the Kuru race were proceeding. With eight teeth standing out, with
eyes of coppery hue, and with the hair of his head blazing and standing
erect, the fiend looked like a mass of clouds reflecting the rays of the
sun or mingled with lightning flashes and graced with flocks of cranes
underneath on their wings. And uttering frightful yells and roaring like
a mass of clouds charged with rain, the fiend began to spread the
illusion proper to his species. Hearing that terrible roar, birds along
with other creatures that live on land or in water, began to drop down
in all directions, uttering cries of fear. And in consequence of the
deer and the leopards and the buffaloes and the bears flying about in
all directions, it seemed as if the forest itself was in motion. And
swayed by the wind raised by the sighs of the Rakshasa, creepers growing
at a great distance seemed to embrace the trees with their arms of
coppery leaves. And at that moment, a violent wind began to blow, and
the sky became darkened with the dust that covered it. And as grief is
the greatest enemy of the object of the five senses, even so appeared
before the Pandavas that unknown foe of theirs. And beholding the
Pandavas from a distance clad in black deer-skins, the Rakshasa
obstructed their passage through the forest even like the _Mainaka_
mountain. And at the sight of him never seen before the lotus-eyed
Krishna, agitated with fear, closed her eyes. And she whose braids had
been dishevelled by the hand of Dussasana, stationed in the midst of the
five Pandavas, looked like a stream chafing amid five hills. And seeing
her overwhelmed with fear the five Pandavas supported her as the five
senses influenced by desire adhere to the pleasures relating to their
objects. And Dhaumya of great (ascetic) energy, in the presence of the
sons of Pandu, destroyed the fearful illusion that had been spread by
the Rakshasa, by applying various _mantras_, calculated to destroy the
Rakshasa. And beholding his illusion dispelled, the mighty Rakshasa of
crooked ways, capable of assuming any form at will, expanded his eyes in
wrath and seemed like death himself. Then king Yudhishthira, endued with
great wisdom, addressed him saying, 'Who art thou, and whose (son)? Tell
us what we should do for thee.' The Rakshasa thus addressed, answered
Yudhishthira the just, saying, 'I am the brother of Vaka, the celebrated
Kirmira. I live at ease in these deserted woods of Kamyaka, daily
procuring my food by vanquishing men in fight. Who are ye that have come
near me in the shape of my food? Defeating ye all in fight, I will eat
ye with pleasure.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "O Bharata, hearing these words of the wretch,
Yudhishthira announced his own name and lineage, saying, 'I am king
Yudhishthira the just, the son of Pandu, of whom thou mayst have heard.
Deprived of my kingdom, I have with my brothers Bhimasena and Arjuna and
the others, in course of my wanderings, come into this terrible forest
which is thy dominion, desirous of passing my period of exile here!'
"Vidura continued, 'Kirmira said unto Yudhishthira, "By good luck it is
that fate hath accomplished today my long-accomplished desire! With
weapons upraised have I been continually ranging the entire earth with
the object of slaying Bhima. But Bhima I had found not. By good luck it
is that slayer of my brother, whom I had been seeking so long, hath come
before me! It was he who in the disguise of a Brahmana slew my dear
brother Vaka in the _Vetrakiya_ forest by virtue of his science. He hath
truly no strength of arms! It is also this one of wicked soul who
formerly slew my dear friend Hidimva, living in this forest and ravished
his sister! And that fool hath now come into this deep forest of mine,
when the night is half spent, even at the time when we wander about!
Today I will wreak my long-cherished vengeance upon him, and I will
today gratify (the manes of) Vaka with his blood in plenty! By slaying
this enemy of the Rakshasas, I shall today be freed from the debt I owe
to my friend and my brother, and thereby attain supreme happiness! If
Bhimasena was let free formerly by Vaka, today, I will devour him in thy
sight, O Yudhishthira! And even as Agastya ate up and digested the
mighty Asura (Vatapi) I will eat up and digest this Bhima!"'
"Vidura continued, 'Thus addressed by the Rakshasa, the virtuous
Yudhishthira, steadfast in his pledges, said, "It can never be so,"--and
in anger rebuked the Rakshasa. The mighty-armed Bhima then tore up in
haste a tree of the length of ten _Vyasas_ and stripped it of its
leaves. And in the space of a moment the ever-victorious Arjuna stringed
his bow _Gandiva_ possessing the force of the thunderbolt. And, O
Bharata, making Jishnu desist, Bhima approached that Rakshasa still
roaring like the clouds and said unto him, "_Stay! Stay!_" And thus
addressing the cannibal, and tightening the cloth around his waist, and
rubbing his palms, and biting his nether lip with his teeth, and armed
with the tree, the powerful Bhima rushed towards the foe. And like unto
Maghavat hurling his thunderbolt, Bhima made that tree, resembling the
mace of Yama himself descend with force on the head of the cannibal. The
Rakshasa, however, was seen to remain unmoved at that blow, and wavered
not in the conflict. On the other hand, he hurled his lighted brand,
flaming like lightning, at Bhima. But that foremost of warriors turned
it off with his left foot in such a way that it went back towards the
Rakshasa. Then the fierce Kirmira on his part, all on a sudden uprooting
a tree darted to the encounter like unto the mace-bearing Yama himself.
And that fight, so destructive of the trees, looked like the encounter
in days of yore between the brothers Vali and Sugriva for the possession
of the same woman. And the trees struck at the heads of the combatants,
were broken into splinters, like lotus-stalks thrown on the temples of
infuriate elephants. And in that great forest, innumerable trees,
crushed like unto reeds, lay scattered as rags. That encounter with
trees between that foremost of Rakshasas and that best of men, O thou
bull of the Bharata race, lasted but for a moment. Then taking up a
crag, the angry Rakshasa hurled it at Bhima standing before him, but the
latter wavered not. Then like unto Rahu going to devour the sun
dispersing his rays with extended arms, the Rakshasa with out-stretched
arms darted towards Bhima, who had remained firm under the blow
inflicted with the crag. And tugging at and grappling with each other in
diverse ways they appeared like two infuriate bulls struggling with each
other. Or like unto two mighty tigers armed with teeth and claws, the
encounter between them waxed fierce and hard. And remembering their
(late) disgrace at the hands of Duryodhana, and proud of the strength of
his arms, and conscious also of Krishna looking at him, Vrikodara began
to swell in vigour. And fired with anger, Bhima seized the Rakshasa with
his arms, as one elephant in rut seizeth another. And the powerful
Rakshasa also in his turn seized his adversary, but Bhimasena that
foremost of all men endued with strength, threw the cannibal down with
violence. The sounds that in consequence of those mighty combatants
pressing each other's hands, were frightful and resembled the sounds of
splintering bamboos. And hurling the Rakshasa down, seized him by the
waist, and began to whirl him about, even as fierce hurricane shaketh a
tree. And thus seized by the mighty Bhima, the fatigued Rakshasa, became
faint, and trembling all over, he still pressed the (Pandava) with all
his strength. And finding him fatigued, Vrikodara, twined his own arms
round the foe, even as one bindeth a beast with cord. And the monster
thereupon began to roar frightfully, as a trumpet out of order. And the
mighty Vrikodara for a long while whirled the Rakshasa till the latter
appeared to be insensible, and began to move convulsively. And finding
the Rakshasa exhausted, the son of Pandu without loss of time took him
up in his arms, and slew him like a beast. And placing his knee on the
waist of that wretch of Rakshasa, _Vrikodara_ began to press the neck of
the foe with his hands. Then Bhima, dragging along the earth the bruised
body of the Rakshasa with the eye-lids about to close, said, "O sinful
wretch, thou wilt no more have to wipe away the tears of Hidimva or
Vaka, for thou too art about to go to the mansions of Yama!" And saying
this, that foremost of men, his heart filled with wrath, beholding the
Rakshasa destitute of clothing and ornaments, and insensible, and
undergoing convulsions, left him dead. And after that Rakshasa of hue
like the clouds had been slain, the son of that best of kings (Pandu)
praised Bhima for his many qualities, and placing Krishna in their
front, set out for the Dwaita woods.'
"Vidura said, 'It was thus, O lord of men, that Kirmira was slain in
combat by Bhima, in obedience, O Kaurava, to the commands of
Yudhishthira the just! And having rid the forest of its pest, the
victorious Yudhishthira the just, began to live in that dwelling of
theirs, with Draupadi. And those bulls of the Bharata race comforting
Draupadi began to cheerfully extol Bhima with glad hearts. And after the
Rakshasa had been slain, borne down by the might of Bhima's arms, those
heroes entered into the peaceful forest freed from its annoyance.
Passing through the great forest I saw lying the body of the wicked and
fearless Rakshasa slain by Bhima's might. And, O Bharata, there I heard
of this achievement of Bhima from those Brahmanas who have assembled
round the Pandavas.'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Hearing the account of the slaughter in combat
of Kirmira, that foremost of Rakshasas, the king sighed in sorrow and
became absorbed in thought."