Hidimba looked at her son, pride and joy reeking from every pore of her body. 

He is the fruit of my unconditional love for Bhima. Otherwise, how can someone be so handsome, kind, considerate, and popular, all at the same time?

Hidimba Worries

But a sense of foreboding diluted her love and joy as she watched him pack for his imminent journey tomorrow. Bhima had summoned their son. The war with their cousin, the Kauravas, was going to happen. And he needed Ghatotkacha’s help. 

Her son was beyond happy. Not only was he going to battle, one of his favourite pastimes (fighting was in his blood, wasn’t it?), but he would get to spend quality time with his father, uncles, aunts, and cousins. 

“It’s going to be a rollicking time, Mother,” her teenage, hormone-riddled son said yesterday after receiving his father’s summons. 

“Yes, being with your father and relatives is going to be great. Remember, it’s not a reunion or any kind of celebration. It’s war. War of any kind is terrible. But war between brothers is the worst kind.”

“I know. But do you blame my father and his brothers for the war? Isn’t it fair that they ask for their share of the kingdom?”

“No, I don’t blame them. They are doing their duty. But that doesn’t mean I am not scared for all of you.”

“Don’t worry, Mother. We’re going to be fine. Isn’t Krishna, Lord Vishnu’s avatar, on the side of the Pandavas? He wouldn’t let anything happen to us.”

“He will not allow adharma to rule the roost. However, I don’t think even he can prevent our karma from unfolding in this life.”

Ghatotkacha put the last piece of clothing into his haversack and rolled it up. He then came to his mother, hugged her with all the love he could muster, and said, “Will you stop overthinking? I’m going to be fine.”

Hugging her son back with equal warmth, Hidimba said, “Prayers for your safety will always be on my lips. Be careful, and think before doing anything, including following the advice of anyone, friend, foe, peer, or even the elders. Self-awareness is the key to survival.”

She looked at her son and said, “You have cousins, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and more. I have only you. The only person I loved and cared for before you came was your father. Now, you come above him, too. So, please be careful before doing anything rash, okay?”

Ghatotkacha nodded and said, “Yes, I promise. Yet, I will not think too much about following the orders of my father. You understand that, right?”

Hidimba Tells Her Lover Story Again

“That’s my fear. I don’t doubt your father’s love for you. I remember the day you were born here, in this very cedar forest. He was so filled with love for you that for an instant, I saw a flash of regret for having to leave you behind with me. If he had an option, he would have taken you.”

“So, tell me again. Why don’t you and my father live together like most families?”

“Well, you know that story.”

“Aww, c’mon, tell me again. I love listening to that tale. Right from the time you first laid eyes on my father.”

Hidimba laughed shyly but repeated the story to her son for the umpteenth time. 

“It was love at first sight for me. Bhima was guarding his family, his four brothers and their mother, who were sleeping peacefully under the starry sky. I had gone to kill them for my brother. But I couldn’t bring myself to kill the man I fell in love with at first sight. I returned empty-handed and told my brother he has to leave this family alone. But he was furious and swore that killing Bhima would be his first job in the morning.”

She paused for effect and watched her son’s eyes enlarge with wonder, like he was hearing the tale for the first time. She wondered if this was his love for her or for his father. 

“Then,” he prompted her to continue.

“Well, love for Bhima overtook love for my brother. So I went to warn him. I’ll never forget his smile when he heard my concern for him. There was a bit of condescension (I didn’t know how powerful he was then), and a bit of diffident love as well. My heart kindled with hope. 

“When my brother attacked him, your father took him on with courage and strength, and even though it was an even fight, my brother was defeated and killed. I cried over the death of my brother. Your father and his family were very respectful. They helped me with the funeral rites, and when that was done, and my grief complete, I approached your father for his hand. The love I felt for him grew every day.”

“He, in turn, approached his mother, Kunti Ma, and took her approval. She had one condition, though. She said that after the marriage, Bhima would not be able to remain with me. I also knew that. Anyway, born in the Rakshasi clan, I also wouldn’t into their life. All I wanted was love from your father. And in that regard, he never failed me. He loved me as much as I loved him. And when you were born, like I told you earlier, the flash of anxiety at having to leave us here was enough proof of his love for us. He, of course, kept visiting us whenever he could. And I am happy to have found love even as I keep my freedom to be myself. That you get along with your cousins makes me happier.”

“What a beautiful love story, Mother. Maybe, one day, I will find such love, too.”

“Of course, you will. Now let’s have dinner so you can have a good night’s rest before your journey to Kurukshetra tomorrow. Don’t forget my warning. Be aware, and know when it is time to say no. For me, at this point, you are the only one who matters. Not even your father.”

Hidimba – A Mother 

The night was long and terrible. Her heart beat crazily. She just couldn’t go back to sleep. She knew her son was in danger. She did something she rarely did. Using her magical powers, she summoned the scene of the war involving Ghatotkacha. 

It was the 14th day of the war. Dronacharya was the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army. Hidimba was shocked to see that the mighty Bhishma had fallen. She saw that the fighting was taking place at night, in violation of the traditional rules of war among humans. She saw her son wreaking havoc on the Kaurava army. She was happy to see that, and yet something was warning her. She couldn’t place her finger on it. 

She swept her eyes through the battlefield and found the Pandavas discussing something with Krishna. 

“Ghatotkacha is an amazing warrior,” Bhima said, beaming with pride. 

“Yes, indeed!” Arjuna, Yudhisthira, and the twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, also beamed in the reflected happiness of their beloved brother, Bhima. 

Krishna’s eyes glinted meaningfully. “I just want him to create enough chaos for Karna to use the infallible Vasavi Shakti weapon.”

Hidimba found the point of her hitherto inexplicable fear. She realised her son’s time had come. She wanted to rush to the battlefield and bring him back to safety. But she knew she was powerless against Krishna and his strategy of using karma to balance the Natural World. That was his job, wasn’t it?

She shifted her focus to the conversation between Karna and the Kaurava warriors. 

“You must use the Vasavi Shakti now. You have to stop the carnage wrought on us by Bhima’s son,” shouted Dronacharya.

“No, I will not. That is a one-time-use weapon given to me by Indra. I need it to kill Arjuna. I will not waste its power on anyone else.”

“If you don’t use it today, there might not be any Kauravas left to fight the war, and your ruse to use it on Arjuna will be automatically stalled,” Dronacharya said, urging Duryodhana to support his choice.

Duryodhana could hear the deathly screams of thousands of Kaurava warriors dying at Ghatotkacha’s hands. Unwillingly but with no choice left, he said to his best friend, “Karna, I think Dronacharya is right. If we don’t stop this rakshasa today, the Vasavi Shakti weapon might be useless. Hurl it at him.”

Hearing this in her home in the forest, Hidimba screamed, “No! No! Ghatotkacha! Run from there!” Of course, it was futile because no one heard her piteous cries.

Left with no option and commanded by both his commander-in-chief, Drona, and his best friend, Karna summoned the Vasavi Shakti weapon and hurled it at Ghatotkacha, thinking, “There goes my only advantage over Arjuna.”

The weapon caught Ghatotkacha in his chest, and in an instant, the powerful warrior fell dead, his enormous body crushing more Kaurava warriors. 

The Pandavas looked on in horror as Krishna’s words made sense to them, now. Bhima ran, tears streaming down his face, screaming his son’s name again and again. But the deed was done. His son had sacrificed his life for the Pandavas, saving Arjuna from the deadly Vasavi Shakti weapon. That was his karma.

Hidimba stood rooted, stunned to move as she watched her son’s dead body. The last thing she remembered before she swooned was, “He hadn’t even found his true love.”

Author’s Note:

In the original story, Hidimba’s version of anxiety, worry, and grief is not dealt with in detail. In fact, she is a forgotten hero. I have chosen to explore her emotions and thoughts while retaining the spirit of the original story in the Mahabharata.

This post is a part of BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2026

Images created using ChatGPT