[Advaita-l] Hanuman, Yudhishthira and Karna agree on Bheema - Mahabharata

[V Subrahmanian]

The Aranyakaparva of the Mahabharata contains a detailed description of the
Hanuman - Bheema meeting:

https://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh03.txt

03147015 वैशंपायन उवाच
03147015a विज्ञाय तं बलोन्मत्तं बाहुवीर्येण गर्वितम्
03147015c हृदयेनावहस्यैनं हनूमान्वाक्यमब्रवीत्
03147016a प्रसीद नास्ति मे शक्तिरुत्थातुं जरयानघ

Knowing that Bhima is 'puffed by his strength and proud of his prowess',
Hanuman mocked him within and spoke further.

In the Mahaprasthanika Parva of Mahabharata, when everyone of the Pandavas
and Draupadi, fell one by one, while marching in line, Bheema also fell.
When he asked his elder brother Dharmaraya, 'Tell me if you know why I
fell', the latter replied:

https://bombay.indology.info/mahabharata/text/UD/MBh17.txt

17002023 वैशंपायन उवाच
17002023a इत्युक्त्वा प्रस्थितो राजा भीमोऽथ निपपात ह
17002023c पतितश्चाब्रवीद्भीमो धर्मराजं युधिष्ठिरम्
17002024a भो भो राजन्नवेक्षस्व पतितोऽहं प्रियस्तव
17002024c किंनिमित्तं च पतनं ब्रूहि मे यदि वेत्थ ह
17002025 युधिष्ठिर उवाच
17002025a अतिभुक्तं च भवता प्राणेन च विकत्थसे
17002025c अनवेक्ष्य परं पार्थ तेनासि पतितः क्षितौ

'Bheema, you ate too much without regard for others. And you were proud of
your strength'.

Karna says about Bhima in Dronaparva:

https://sanskritdocuments.org/.../maha.../unic/mbh07_sa.html

पुनः पुनस्तूबरक मूढ औदरिकेति च |
अकृतास्त्रक मा योत्सीर्बाल सङ्ग्रामकातर ||६९||
यत्र भोज्यं बहुविधं भक्ष्यं पेयं च पाण्डव |
तत्र त्वं दुर्मते योग्यो न युद्धेषु कथञ्चन ||७०||
मुनिर्भूत्वाथ वा भीम फलान्यद्धि सुदुर्मते |
वनाय व्रज कौन्तेय न त्वं युद्धविशारदः ||७१||
फलमूलाशने युक्तस्त्वं तथातिथिभोजने |
न त्वां शस्त्रसमुद्योगे योग्यं मन्ये वृकोदर ||७२||
पुष्पमूलफलाहारो व्रतेषु नियमेषु च |
उचितस्त्वं वने भीम न त्वं युद्धविशारदः ||७३||
क्व युद्धं क्व मुनित्वं च वनं गच्छ वृकोदर |
न त्वं युद्धोचितस्तात वनवासरतिर्भव ||७४||
सूदान्भृत्यजनान्दासांस्त्वं गृहे त्वरयन्भृशम् |
योग्यस्ताडयितुं क्रोधाद्भोजनार्थं वृकोदर ||७५||

'You are a eunuch, you like to eat too much, you deserve to be where there
is great food, snacks and drinks,' Karna ridiculed Bheema .

Bheema himself shares this humiliation with Arjuna:

विरथो भीमसेनो वै कर्णवाक्षल्यपीडितः |
अमर्षवशमापन्नः फल्गुनं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ||२||
पुनः पुनस्तूबरक मूढ औदरिकेति च |
अकृतास्त्रक मा योधीर्बाल सङ्ग्रामकातर ||३||
इति मामब्रवीत्कर्णः पश्यतस्ते धनञ्जय |
एवं वक्ता च मे वध्यस्तेन चोक्तोऽस्मि भारत ||४|

'Again and again Karna mocked at me as a fool, a eunuch, a glutton'

Thus Hanuman and Yudhishthira were of the opinion that Bheema was 'proud of
his strength'. Karna and Yudhishthira were of the opinion that 'Bheema was
prone to overeating'.

Before the slaying of Bakasura in the city of Ekacakra, there is also the
event of Bheema eating a cart full of food meant for the Asura.

https://madhwafestivals.com/2016/08/30/kusina-kandira/

ಬಂಡಿ ಅನ್ನವನುಂಡಿತು ಕೂಸು
ಬಕನ ಪ್ರಾಣವ ಕೊಂದಿತು ಕೂಸು
....
ಪುರಂದರವಿಠಲನ ಪ್ರೇಮದ ಕೂಸು ||

There is a Purandara Dasa song which says that Bheema ate a cartload of
food and slayed Bakasura.

Om