A little after Satyaki was gone, Yudhishthira was again gripped by fear and anguish. To Bheema he said, ‘I haven’t heard the twang of Arjuna’s Gandiva, although Krishna’s conch is still reverberating in the atmosphere. I can’t help but worry.’
Bheema tried to comfort him by saying that no harm could ever come to Arjuna, as he was blessed by the gods. And now that Satyaki had joined him, there should be no cause for worry at all.
‘I hope so,’ said Yudhishthira. ‘But I think that since I haven’t heard Gandiva’s twang, Krishna might have himself entered the fray with his Sudarsan chakra. That too is not a good omen.’
‘It is all in your mind, dear brother,’ said Bheema. ‘If Krishna is forced into fighting, would anyone be able to withstand his divine chakra?’ He paused. ‘I am certain that both of them are quite safe and are on their way to their target, Jayadratha.’
‘No, I don’t think so,’ responded Yudhishthira. ‘If you love me and care for me, go post-haste to my dear Arjuna and bring me word about his well-being. Don’t waste any more time.’
But Bheema again reminded Yudhishthira about Drona’s strategy to capture him.
‘Isn’t Dhrishtadyumna here to protect me? Since time is running out, do as I have asked.’
Since his order sounded final, there was no choice for Bheema but to leave Yudhishthira under the protection of Dhrishtadyumna, and go to ascertain Arjuna’s whereabouts on the battlefield. But he had hardly gone a little distance when he too, like Satyaki, was confronted by Drona.
‘You can’t go any further, O Bheema,’ challenged Drona, ‘unless you first get me out of your way.’
‘But how did you let Arjuna move on?’ asked Bheema.
‘Because he sought my permission, with folded hands,’ replied Drona. ‘Besides, he is very dear to me. That’s why my hands always falter whenever I raise my bow against him.’
At this, Bheema’s face assumed a stern look. Then, brandishing his mace in the air, he said, ‘O Acharya, even though I also respect you as my guru, I am made of much sterner stuff than my brother. I am not the type to beg permission of anybody. I will not cringe before someone who has slain most of our soldiers. So I am now determined to force you out of my way. It is, therefore, better for you not to incite me to fight with you.’
In response, Drona shot his first arrow at Bheema, saying, ‘I am now forced into teaching you some more martial skills.’
Parrying the Acharya’s arrow with his mace, Bheema attacked Drona like a wild beast. Roaring like a lion, he jumped off his chariot and hit Drona’s chariot which broke into pieces, forcing him into another chariot. Then Bheema smashed his new chariot as well. During this fierce combat, Drona lost eight chariots. Amazed at the speed and skill of Bheema, Drona felt constrained to let him also move on. Now, unleashing his terror on the Kaurava army, Bheema kept forcing his way through, leaving behind him pools of blood.
As he reached the spot where Arjuna was engaged in battle with his enemies, he let out a roar of exuberant joy. So loud was his yell that even Yudhishthira heard it on the other side of the battlefield. Arjuna and Krishna were thrilled to see Bheema join them.
Now assured of Arjuna’s success in his mission, Yudhishthira began to fantasize. Images surged in his mind – of Arjuna slaying Jayadratha before sunset, Duryodhana begging for peace, and his own triumphant return to Indraprastha.
But while he was lost in his fantasies, Arjuna was still encountering stiff resistance in pressing his way forward towards Jayadratha.
A little distance away from this spot, as Bheema’s chariot wedged deeper into the enemy lines, he saw another adversary looming ahead. This time it was Radheya, who seemed poised to challenge him to a single combat. As the two appeared determined to eliminate each other, this gruesome spectacle drew everyone’s attention.
The two fighters presented a great contrast to each other. While Bheema looked like an incensed bull, Radheya appeared calm and dignified. If Bheema was eager to get as close as possible to his adversary, Radheya preferred to shoot from a distance. Each time Bheema shouted, Radheya just smiled, as if to say: ‘You don’t have to look so excited while fighting.’ So growls were met with smiles as the combat became fiercer and fiercer.
When Bheema’s mace smashed his adversary’s chariot into pieces, Radheya’s face glowed with intense wrath. Like a wounded cobra, he was stung into fury. He now jumped out of his chariot and began to shoot his arrows at Bheema, relentlessly. Though bleeding from the wounds all over his body, Bheema defended himself valiantly. Then, working himself into a rage, Bheema snapped Radheya’s bow and knocked his charioteer to the ground. Radheya then picked up a javelin and hurled it at Bheema, who skilfully managed to deflect it with his mace.
As Duryodhana appeared on the scene, he was worried to see Radheya losing ground to Bheema. So he asked his brother Durjaya to intervene. But hardly had Durjaya shot his first arrow at Bheema when he found his charioteer knocked out, and he was himself seriously wounded. Seeing his friend’s brother gasping for breath, Radheya again jumped into the fight. But even though he charged at Bheema with fresh vigour, he found himself outwitted in the combat.
Duryodhana then asked Durmata, another brother of his, to rescue Radheya. But he also met the same fate as Durjaya. In no time was his armour smashed and he was himself killed. Duryodhana now realized that this savage Pandava was out to slay anybody who came between him and Radheya. Bheema again turned towards Radheya who, finding it impossible to hold himself against him, decided to retreat from the duel.