Indian traditions, Nivedita and Coomaraswamy
Bhima
Bhima, the second Pandava, and his cousin Duryodhana are identified as especially accomplished with the mace. Their shared weapon makes direct comparison of strength and skill a recurring feature of their rivalry. At the tournament their club contest divides the spectators so intensely that Drona stops it before it becomes a real fight. The exhibition exposes a hostility that ceremonial rules can contain only temporarily.
Also known as Bhīma · Bhlma in scan OCR
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In the sources
Principal account
TraditionalBhima, the second Pandava, and his cousin Duryodhana are identified as especially accomplished with the mace. Their shared weapon makes direct comparison of strength and skill a recurring feature of their rivalry.
Further detail
TraditionalAt the tournament their club contest divides the spectators so intensely that Drona stops it before it becomes a real fight. The exhibition exposes a hostility that ceremonial rules can contain only temporarily.
Context & interpretation
Bhima is presented through the collection’s training and tournament episodes. These passages establish his role within that narrative, not verified feats of strength or a complete biography. The mace rivalry is kept distinct from other episodes of the Pandava war.
Original passages
Source 1
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
Bhlma, the second of the PandavasOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 163
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0163
- Original scan leaf
- 163
- Recorded leaf number
- 163
- Current Reader position
- 154
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhists
necessary to stop the contestOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Nivedita and Coomaraswamy, Myths of the Hindus & Buddhists (1914), active reader leaf 166
Exact passage checked against the active edition text and original-leaf mapping; whitespace and scan line breaks normalised.
- Edition
- IMJ-0109-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0109-E001-P0166
- Original scan leaf
- 166
- Recorded leaf number
- 166
- Current Reader position
- 157
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Continue exploring
Drona
The weapons teacher whose care for royal pupils sits beside a harsh exclusion.
Shared source pageEkalavya
The excluded student who teaches himself before an image of Drona.
Same subject and traditionArjuna
The Pandava archer whose skill and moral hesitation make him central to the Mahabharata.
Same subject and traditionBhagiratha
The royal descendant whose persistence brings Ganga to his ancestors’ ashes.