Fuming and grinding his teeth Bhimsena thumped his well-toned muscular arms, hard like steel and shouted, “Hail Goddess Ida… Kuntimata…Goddess Bhavani …”
No one had ever looked in the eye of Jarasandha of the Magadhas and directly challenged him. Fretting with uncontrollable fury and his nostrils puffed, Jarasandha thumped his arms and gave a counter challenge in a roaring voice, “You, glutton of Indraprastha, I accept your challenge!” Meanwhile Bhimsena had already thrown away the shawl wrapped around his neck. He tucked in his red-bordered dhoti and was at the ready. The muscles of his burly thighs twitched with contraction and expansion. Both wrestlers retreated a few steps to prepare for the stance before the attack. Now both of them looked like stocky, bellowing bulls.
The Lord had unmistakably caught Jarasandha in his web. Jarasandha had accepted the provocative challenge of Bhimsena. No one could tell now, what was going to happen next. Both the wrestlers, with drops of sweat on their foreheads, were going to transform the guest chamber into a wrestling pit. Both of them had already forgotten where they were. They began to dare each other while thumping their arms and thighs.
Immediately, the Lord of Dwaraka moved forward and stood firmly in between both of them and smilingly said, “Both of you are master wrestlers. Both of you know very well the consequences of a duel – either victory or death. It should not be fought like the daily practice.
“For that a formal wrestling pit should be prepared in front of the royal palace of Girivraja. Seating arrangements should be made for the Magadha citizens to watch the bout. Expert judges should be appointed to announce an impartial decision in this historical fight. Therefore, both of you will have to wait till tomorrow morning. It is not about what you wish, these are fixed rules of a wrestling bout.”
The emperor of Magadha was so arrogant but when he heard my Lord’s irrefutable words he calmed down a bit. Bhimsena was my Lord’s own follower after all. Both of them silently agreed to this ruling. The news that Bhimsena, the son of Vayu and Jarasandha, the Magadha emperor are going to fight a conclusive duel, spread like wildfire not only in Girivraja but also throughout the Magadha kingdom.
As the day began rising the populous ocean of Magadha men and women assembled around the wrestling pit in front of the royal palace of Girivraja, to witness the thrilling, breath-taking, historic duel. A racket of varied noises burst out. A few people were pointing to the seat next to Arjuna where my Lord was sitting and showing each other who ‘Maharaja Srikrishna’ was. As the citizens of Mathura were fed up of Kansa’s injustice so also the citizens of Magadha were sick and tired of Jarasandha’s atrocious, brutal regime. Around the wrestling pit in the section for the royalty, Kansa’s wives Asti and Prapti were sitting with their select attendants. Young prince Sahadeva with a well-built physique and who courageously stood up against his own father’s unjust regime was also present. It was because of this resistance that he had been disregarded in his father’s kingdom. The troop leaders of Jarasandha’s mammoth army were moving around among the assembled crowd with their weapons like sword, mace and pestle. Though they were more in number they were unable to stop the chattering of the crowd even for a moment. This day was indeed going to be an unforgettable day in this royal capital surrounded by mountains.
Invincible emperor, unequalled wrestler Jarasandha, the son of Brihadratha, stood in front of his royal circle, facing the west. He was wearing only a brick-red loincloth. The sinewy muscles of his calves, thighs, shoulders, and burly chest had been massaged by Karanjel oil; they were glistening and wiggling smoothly in place like a coiled snake. He warmed up his body by doing a few squats. It made the muscles in his entire body expand, just like a lump of clay expands in water. This was indeed a rare sight of the emperor for all. He hailed the name of his family deity, shouted loudly and danced for a few moments in one place, showing his vigour. His widened eyes were breathing fire and he was staring at Bhima with utter contempt. The sight of his massive body was indeed horrendous.
The Lord of Dwaraka was sitting on a somewhat taller wooden seat in front of me. Archer Dhananjaya was sitting on his left. Both of them were still dressed as Brahmins. Still, their indomitable self-confidence and radiant faces captured the attention of thousands. I stood behind them. Just like everybody else I was extremely curious to see the final result of the duel.
We were on the west side of the wrestling pit facing Bhimsena. We were facing the east. Even we had not seen our ‘wrestler’ Bhimsena like this before. His complexion like a ripe lemon was glistening spectacularly due to a coat of Karanjel oil. The toned muscles of his calves, thighs, shoulders and chest were contracting and expanding even by a simple act like clearing the throat.
He also did a few squats to warm up his steely strong body. His body began expanding within moments. He looked almost twice his regular size. He moved forward and leaping with his mammoth body over the ropes tied around the pit he entered inside. Raising both his arms, sometimes balancing his body on his left leg and dancing in one place, he would go a few steps forward and stop in the middle. He circled around the pit and humbly bowed to the citizens of Magadha. A rain of applause followed from all sides after the display of his humility. He waited for a moment, then balancing his huge body on his right foot he took a few steps forward. This way he completed an entire round around the pit and took his initial place.
Arrogant Jarasandha who was always supercilious due to his being an emperor, raised both his arms and completing a circle around the pit came back to his original place.
Bhimsena roared in a sky-piercing voice ‘Hail Kuntimata, hail Goddess Bhavani’ and challenged Jarasandha thumping his arms loudly. The sharp thunderous sound made by the thumping made goose bumps stand on many a Magadha citizen’s body. Jarasandha also thumped his arms to challenge back.
The five chief priests handed some soil to both the wrestlers to indicate the commencement of the duel. They moved away immediately. Again, the sounds of thumping thighs and arms rose from both sides. The heads of both the wrestlers, round like pumpkins, met each other. Both gave hard blows on each other’s necks trying to assess the strength of the other. A thrilling, hair-raising wrestling war began with an indomitable spirit. The ruckus quietened, everyone held their breaths and innumerable people became witness to this hair-raising wrestling war.
It was the first day of the lunar fortnight in the month of Kartika. The dense fog that had covered Girivraja had now completely lifted. One question still lingered in my mind – what could be Jarasandha’s political motive behind accepting the challenge given to him by Bhima? He had not insisted on fighting this bout with Arjuna or my Lord. He was convinced that Bhimsena was the main protective armour of the remaining two. He had full confidence in his wrestling. On the strength of that, as soon as he had broken that protective armour, he wanted to arrest Arjuna and my Lord. Then he was going to dispatch an envoy to Indraprastha and Dwaraka with a special message, “If you want to see your black cowherd and his disciple alive then both your kings – Yudhishthira and Vasudeva should come to Girivraja in person.” Both of them were crowned kings, and therefore fit to be sacrificed in his yajna! Yudhishthira, the king of Indraprastha and our Maharaja Vasudevababa would have been compelled to come to Girivraja after hearing this message as they both loved my Lord and Arjuna. Once they arrived in Girivraja he was simply going to put them in the prison where he had kept other captured kings to complete the required number of kings for his yajna.
The sun was shining right overhead now. First, the cacophony of the Magadha kettle drums arose. As the referee moved quickly out of their way, the two master wrestlers began their gripping fight like two roaring lions. They began fighting against each other, thumping their thighs in between and grabbing each other’s thick necks in strong grips and jerking each other.
They spent the entire first day employing the Abhyakarsha and Aakadi maneuvers only. As the evening approached flocks of various chirping birds returned to their nests. As the flaming red s
un disk, as big as a platter touched the mountain summit on the west of Girivraja the referee blew a huge conch facing the sky. It was the signal of the end of the day. Both wrestlers came to their senses only after hearing the conch sound a couple of times, and separated from each other.
The next day at daybreak the wrestling bout resumed amidst the cacophony of kettledrums, tabors and trumpets. The news of the previous day had spread throughout the Magadha kingdom. As a result, more men and women were present today than yesterday. The moment the heads of both the wrestlers collided the chatter of the public died down. Both of them thoroughly knew each other’s strengths now. They cautiously avoided yesterday’s mistakes today, trying new maneuvers like Avarodha, and Rajakaprushtha. Grinding their teeth, biting their lips and shouting loudly they attacked each other using different strategies. Now the audience was automatically divided into two groups – the supporters of Bhima and the supporters of Emperor Jarasandha. They were going berserk alternatively shouting various encouragements to inspire their wrestler. The eyes of everyone, including me, Dhananjaya, the Lord of Dwaraka, the referees and assistant referees in the wrestling pit, Kansa’s wives Asti and Prapti in the section of the royal ladies, Prince Sahadeva in the men’s section, the chief minister, members of the Magadha ministry, all men and women spectators were fixed on both of them – on Bhimsena, the Pandava wrestler, the son of Vayu who was immersed in the fight and the Magadha Emperor Jarasandha who was giving him a tough fight. Even today as evening descended on the wrestling pit in front of the royal palace of Girivraja, the wrestling bout remained inconclusive.
Not a day or two, this combat continued for thirteen consecutive days. The number of spectators kept growing every day just like the rising water of river Shona in the great flood. That not only filled the arena around the wrestling pit but also the area outside the arena. As usual, as if out of habit, the moment the heads of the wrestlers met, the cacophony of various instruments that were being played since dawn stopped instantly. I wondered about only one thing – even though Bhimsena and Jarasandha were tenaciously fighting each other for the last thirteen days, neither of them looked even a bit tired or exhausted. All the five referees looked exhausted now after continuously covering the sweaty bodies of Jarasandha and Bhimsena with sweat-absorbing ash.
The thirteenth day also descended inconclusive beyond the mountains of Girivraja. Now every household in the royal city had only one thing to discuss – the inconclusive, long-drawn battle, and who was going to be the winner. Every night in the guest chamber I got to view a rare scene that nobody else could ever get an opportunity to watch. Every day the Lord of Dwaraka would demonstrate to Bhimsena where he fell short in the duel on that day. Listening to him Bhimsena would widen his large eyes and say, “Srikrishna, you are talking exactly like my gurudeva Balarama. I have never seen you practise wrestling, then where did you learn all this from?” The Lord would then smile and say, “You will have to go to Gokul to know that, and meet Kelinandakaka.” During this time Arjuna, who would be rubbing Bhimsena’s feet with oil would listen attentively to both of them. After a cold bath for about half an hour, scraping off the layers of soil and ash on his body with a stone chip, frazzled Bhimsena would lie on his bed, close his eyes and just start snoring. The Lord of Dwaraka and I would rub his shoulders, thighs and chest on each side. That would escalate the rhythm of his snoring. The Lord of Dwaraka would shake him vigorously and try to wake him up at the midnight hour. But he would only turn his side and ignore him. Then the Lord would tell me to fetch the Panchjanya conch that was wrapped in a cloth and hung on a hook on the wall. He would look at me, wink, and with a smile he would blow the conch loudly only once. Immediately, snoring Bhima would wake up. Looking at his own body he would realize that his cousin, the Lord of Dwaraka himself had massaged his body. He would feel ashamed of himself and with a childlike shyness he would say, “Srikrishna, if you massage my body again I will not fight this duel at all. I will simply surrender myself and accept defeat.”
The Lord would say to Bhimsena, “It may be okay for you Bhimsena, but not for me! I have to get many things done by you. Besides, Draupadi - the beloved wife of all you brothers, is my sister, my friend. Would she accept it?”
Bhimsena would shake his head in negation. Then my Lord would hold a large pot full of a cold, sweet, nourishing drink prepared by him. Holding the pot in his hands Bhimsena would guzzle it down, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. Then throwing his head back he would laugh loudly. The Lord of Dwaraka would let Bhimsena finish his drink and then teasingly say, “Hmmm…Bhimsena, I see that from your Gurudeva you have also well picked up this art of laughing in an unrestrained fashion while throwing your neck back!” During this campaign of Girivraja I came to witness anew a couple of qualities of the Lord. He would never lose his unwavering spirit and his fresh sense of humour no matter how tough the situation was. My Lord always believed in doing his duty – without any expectations.
Now the fourteenth day of the sensational wrestling duel dawned – the duel that was being acclaimed throughout northern Aaryavarta along with the Magadha kingdom.
The duel began in front of the bright rising sun amidst the thunderous sounds of thigh thumping and loud challenges. Bhimsena and Jarasandha collided against each other, roaring loudly like two intoxicated wild elephants. Though lakhs of spectators had gathered there was utter silence. Both of them used new maneuvers today that they had not used before and reserved only for special occasions.
Both of them had unequalled physical strength, but now their intellectual agility was also evident. When Bhimsena used the Kilvajranipata maneuver, hefty Jarasandha nimbly replied with the Avarodha maneuver. When Jarasandha touched his huge back to Bhimsena’s chest and picked him up to drop him down like a twisted cloth being flipped over by a washer man, Bhimsena disappointed him by nimbly girdling around his leg like a wild creeper wrapping itself around a Khadira tree. The lakhs of spectators watched their subtle moves without even blinking their eyes. If Bhimsena succeeded in a ploy moving his mammoth body with agility, the supporters of Bhima would rise like a wave shouting loudly, ‘Hail Pandu’s son – the undefeatable wrestler Bhimsena…victory…victory! Hail Balarama’s disciple – the undefeatable wrestler Bhimsena…well done…well done…’ When Jarasandha employed a difficult maneuver his supporters would toss their Magadha turbans in the air and shout, ‘Hail invincible wrestler, emperor of Magadha – Maharaja Jarasandha victory… victory!’
With the passing hour and time, the rivalry intensified. Now the spectators started whispering amongst themselves, ‘Is this duel ever going to end or not?’ The sun had now descended in the third quarter of the day. Even the five judges who were tired after continuously putting fistfuls of ashes on their bodies, were sitting in a squatting position in the wrestling pit, wherever they could find a place.
The Magadha Chief Minister whispered in Prince Sahadeva’s ears, ‘We should bring chosen wrestlers of the royal circle in the wrestling pit one by one, and surrounding Bhimsena, imprison him directly. Otherwise something dreadful will happen here just like it happened in Mathura in case of Maharaja Kansa.’ The Magadha ministers seconded him, saying, ‘The chief minister is right. The chosen wrestlers should be brought to the pit immediately.’ The sun was about to set now. Long and thick shadows of various trees like Ashoka, Kinshuka, Punnaga, Tala, Tamala, and Ashwattha spread around the wrestling pit. The Lord of Dwaraka sitting in front of me immediately noticed the restlessness among the Magadha royal circle. He stood up and gently caressed the Vaijayanti garland pulsing on the shawl around his neck. In the last fourteen days Bhimsena had not bothered to glance at anybody else except the Lord of Dwaraka whenever he could steal a moment to do so. He understood the meaning of his action of caressing the Vaijayanti garland. All at once he stopped his nimble actions as if struck by lightning, and let Jarasandha attack him as per the plan. Jarasandha was duped, and he felt that Bhimsena is tired, he is burnt out. Moving nimbly, he touched his
huge back to Bhimsena’s chest dripping with sweat. With the Rajakaprushtha maneuver he threw Bhimsena’s mammoth body in the soil with a loud thud. Seeing that I stood up at once. The entire field full of spectators stood up instantly as if hit by lightning. Some of them even felt sorry for him and moaned with grief, and some tossed their Magadha turbans in the air and shouted ecstatically, ‘Hail Magadha emperor invincible wrestler Maharaja Jarasandha victory to you always, victory… victory!’ Arjuna was already out of his seat. Seeing his dear brother caught up in a critical situation he began breaking into the wrestling pit in a fit of rage. The Lord grabbed his shoulder and with great effort held him back. Meanwhile Jarasandha reached Bhimsena’s feet who was lying deathly still. He held both of Bhimsena’s legs in his strong hands and began pushing them apart with all his might. At that moment, Arjun screamed with unbearable rage, as if his own life was at stake, “Srikrishna … let me go. He is going to slit my brother into two!” The Lord of Dwaraka glared at Arjun and said in a very quiet voice, “Dhananjaya! Just watch what happens. You be only a witness to this historic duel. I am also compelled to do the same. Bhimsena is not Jarasandha to lose and back off.
Jarasandha could not stretch Bhimsena’s legs apart even an iota, as Bhimsena had gathered all his strength into his thighs. For a moment Jarasandha got confused and stopped to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He was inattentive. At that exact moment Bhimsena moved swiftly like a fish, and crossed his legs around Jarasandha in a scissor like hold. He wrenched Jarasandha so hard that he fell face down in the soil. The Lord of Dwaraka was waiting for exactly this moment. He pulled out the Panchjanya conch from the shawl around his waist and raising his head high he blew the auspicious conch from the bottom of his heart inflating the veins in his throat. Taking a cue of that signal Bhimsena tightened his arm around the neck of Jarasandha, who had fallen face down, in the deadly Bahukantaka maneuver. Bhimsena closed his eyes tight and continuously increased the pressure of his steely strong arms in the deciding Bahukantaka hold. Giant Jarasandha’s words were muffled; he was rolling his eyes and struggling in the soil in the wrestling pit. The Panchjanya kept reverberating over and over again! The lakhs of spectators didn’t even realize when the invincible Magadha emperor Jarasandha died!
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 44
