Hanuman and Bheem: A tale of two half-brothers

Lord Hanuman and Bheem are prominent names from India’s  great epics Mahabharata and Ramayana respectively. Hanuman is considered the best devotee of Lord Rama and his wife Sita. Bheem was the brother of the Pandavas that also included Yudhisthir, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev.

After my conversations with quite a few people I have realized that even those who have some knowledge on Indian mythology are not aware that Hanuman And Bheem are related to each other. They were half-brothers.

Both of them were born out of the same father – Vayu or Pavan, the wind God. While Hanuman’s mother was Anjana, Bheem’s was Kunti. It is not people’s fault for not knowing about Bheem’s father because Bheem is never referred to as ‘Pavanputra’ [son of Pavan] like Hanuman is.

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There are a couple of major similarities between Hanuman and Bheem, apart from their common father. Hanuman has a strong and muscular physique. His physical strength can be matched with very few. It is also said in the Ramayana that at times Hanuman himself is not aware of his strength and he needs to be reminded about it.

Screenshot from BR Chopra’s Mahabharat

The strongest point of Bheem, as most of know, was his physical strength. He was tall and bulky at the same time. Like Hanuman, very few could match with Bheem’s strength. His physical strength played a big role in defeating Dushashan and Duryodhan in the great battle of Mahabharata.

Secondly, Hanuman’s most-preferred weapon is the gadaa or mace. He is always seen carrying it and is always ready to fight evildoers with it. Similarly, Bheem also considered gadaa as his favourite weapon. Both Hanuman and Bheem used this weapon to the fullest in the final war in both Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Interestingly, there is an incident in Mahabharata where Hanuman and Bheem come face-to-face. Bheem was going around the forest during the Pandavas’ vanwaas or forest exile when he comes across a giant monkey. He asks the monkey to lift his tail out of the way as it was blocking his path.

Also read: Nakul and Sahadev: The unsung heroes of the Mahabharata

But the monkey doesn’t oblige. When Bheem loses patience, the monkey suggests him to carry it and put it out of the way. However, even a physically astounding personality like Bheem is unable to lift the tail.

Finally, Bheem humbly accepts defeat and the monkey transforms into Hanuman. It’s a moving incident where the two brothers meet for the first and the last time. This moment was brilliantly captured in B R Chopra’s classic TV serial Mahabharat.

But that wasn’t the end of Hanuman in Mahabharat. He protected Arjun’s chariot through his image on the flag during the battle of Kurukshetra.

Note: There is a reason why I have referred to Hanuman as ‘is’ instead of ‘was.’ There is  no incident of his death anywhere in any of the ancient epics. People continue to believe that he is still alive.

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