Hidimb aur Bheem

Hidimb van ka rakshas tha — bhayankar shakti ka narbhakshi — aur uski katha vaastav mein uski behen Hidimbi ki katha hai — jiska Bheem ke prati prem siddh karta hai ki hriday roop se bada hota hai. Yeh laakshaagriha ke dahan se Paandavon ke bachne ke andhere dinon mein shuru hoti hai. Ve maata Kunti sahit vanon mein bhaage — thake aur bhookhe — aur us van mein vishraam kiya jahaan Hidimb ka raaj tha. Hidimb ne maanav-maans soongha aur behen Hidimbi ko yaatriyon ko lubhaane bheja. Lekin jab Hidimbi ne Bheem ko dekha — parivaar mein sota paraakrami Paandav raajkumar — to asaadharan ghatna hui. Woh pehli drishti mein usse prem kar baithi. Usne shikaar nahi, naayak dekha: lamba, balvaan, nidra mein bhi udaatt. Use mrityu ki or lubhaane ke bajaay usne sundar kanya ka roop dhara aur komalta se uske paas aayi. Usne Bheem ko chetaaya ki uska bhai narbhakshi rakshas hai jo un sabko nigalna chaahta hai — aur usse saath bhaagne ki praarthna ki. Bheem — jo kisi se na darta tha — hansa aur bhaagne se mana kiya. Usne bhaiyon ko jagaaya aur maata ki raksha karne ko kaha — jabki woh rakshas se niptega. Hidimbi — prem aur nishtha ke beech phansi — bhai ko vilambit karne ki koshish ki. Lekin Hidimb ne jald jaana ki behen ne vishvaasghaat kiya hai — aur van mein garajta aaya — Bheem ko maarne aur Hidimbi ko dand dene ko kritsankalp. Bheem aur Hidimb ka yuddh bhayankar tha. Rakshas van ka daanav tha — maaya mein kushal, shakti mein bhayankar. Usne vriksha aur shilaayein phenkin — aur Bheem ko nange haathon kuchalne ki koshish ki. Lekin Bheem martyon mein sabse balvaan tha — Pavandev ka putra. Usne rakshas ke prahaar pakde, use bhoomi par patka — aur ant mein Hidimb ko ooncha uthaakar uski peeth todi aur dharti par de maara. Rakshas ki mrityu-cheekh se van hila — aur Paandav surakshit hue. Phir Hidimbi aage aayi aur praarthna ki. Usne Kunti aur Yudhishthir se kaha ki woh Bheem se prem karti hai aur vivaah karna chaahti hai. Woh rakshasi thi — lekin uska prem nirmal tha — aur Paandavon ko bachaane ke liye bhai se vishvaasghaat karke woh ise siddh kar chuki thi. Yudhishthir ne maata aur bhaiyon se paraamarsh kiya — aur ek shart par sahmat hue: Bheem Hidimbi ke saath keval putra-janm tak rahega — phir parivaar mein laut aayega. Bheem ne Hidimbi se vivaah kiya — aur samay par usne putra jana: Ghatotkach — paraakrami rakshas raajkumar jo Kurukshetra yuddh ke sabse bade yoddhaaon mein se ek banega. Ghatotkach ne pita ki shakti aur maata ki maayaavi shaktiyaan paayin — aur Paandavon ke prati nishtha kabhi na digi. Woh ek din unke liye praan dega — Arjun ke liye niyat divya astra ko rokkar. Bheem ke jaane ke baad — yathaasahamati — Hidimbi ne putra ko akele paala — aur kabhi shikaayat na ki. Uska prem swatantrata se diya gaya tha — aur usne adhik kuchh na maanga. Varshon baad jab Paandavon ko Ghatotkach ki aavashyakta hui, to Hidimbi ne putra ko aashirvaad sahit unke paas bheja — siddh kiya ki Bheem ke prati uska prem poore parivaar ke prati prem ban gaya tha. Uski katha sikhaati hai ki prem roop aur bhay se pare dekhta hai. Hidimbi rakshasi thi — praani jisse Paandavon ko darne ka har kaaran tha — phir bhi uska hriday udaatt tha aur prem sachcha tha. Yeh bhi sikhaati hai ki jinhe hum roop se aankte hain, unke hriday sabse udaatt ho sakte hain. Van-rakshas ki behen naayak ki maata bani — aur Paandavon ke prati uski bhakti Bheem ke jaane ke bahut baad tak rahi. Bheem se prem karke Hidimbi ne rakt par dharma chuna — aur us chunaav ne use mahaakaavya ki maun naayikaaon mein se ek banaaya.

Bheem ke prati Hidimbi ka prem parampara mein pramaan-roop mein sammaanit hai ki bhakti janm ya roop ki seemaayein nahi maanti. Himachal Pradesh ke mandir — jahaan Hidimbi devi-roop mein poojit hain — teerthayaatriyon ko kheenchta hain jo prem mein saahas ko aashirvaad maangte hain. Uska putra Ghatotkach — jisne Paandavon ke liye praan diye — us milan ke phal-roop mein smaran kiya jaata hai jise sansaar nishiddh karta. Katha sikhaane ko sunaayi jaati hai ki hriday ka chunaav pavitra hai — aur jinhe samaaj thukraata hai, ve udaattatam aatmaayein dhaaran kar sakte hain. Putra ka uska maun paalan — badle mein kuchh na maangte — nisvaarth maatritva ke aadarsh-roop mein prashansit hai. Aaj bhi uski katha seemaaon paar prem karne waalon ko saantvana deti hai — smaran karaati ki prem — jab nirmal — sada dharma hai.