The next few days witnessed constant fights and heated arguments between Dhritarashtra's sons and Pandu's sons, with Duryodhan and his brothers always instigating the conflicts with Pitamah and Vidur most of the times stopping the fights while giving their thinly veiled support to Pandavas.

Karn and Yudhishthir worked tirelessly to calm down their siblings, though they often felt the urge to retaliate.

One such day, Karn and Yudhishthir took Nakul and Sahadev with them for meditation. Arjun was busy practicing his archery in the vast, forest-like royal garden, while Bheem indulged in his beloved laddoos.

The rest of the Kuru children were engaged in their own games, unaware of the brewing schemes.

Seizing the opportunity, Duryodhan and Dussasan approached Bheem, showering him with praises and flattery.

A suspicious Bheem, initially cautious, began to soften as Duryodhan skillfully gained his trust. They convinced him to join them at a special cottage built near the banks of the River Ganga, claiming they had arranged a feast in his and his brothers' honor as an apology for past misdeeds.

Before heading to the cottage, Duryodhan gave specific instructions to Dussasan in front of Bheem,
"Dussasan, Jyesht Karn aur Bhrata Yudhishthir ke dhyaan samapth hone ka
prathiksha karo, dhyaan samapth hothe hi tum baki Bhaiyo ko lekar Vahan pahunch jana!"

(Dussasan, wait for Jyesht Karn and Bhrata Yudhishthir to finish their meditation, once they have finished..bring them and rest of our brothers there!)

Dussasan nodded in seemingly sincere way while exchanging a smirk with Duryodhan when Bheem was not looking.

Duryodhan then looked at Bheem with a fake simpering smile,
"Aao Bhrata Bheem! Chalo hum dono vahan padharthe hai.."

(Come on Bhrata Bheem! Let us both go there..)

With that, Duryodhan led Bheem ahead, confident that the plan would unfold smoothly.

Upon reaching the cottage, Duryodhan eagerly invited Bheem inside, offering him a lavish meal. To gain Bheem’s full trust, Duryodhan even consumed part of the food, making it appear as though everything was safe.

Little did Bheem know that only the kheer had been poisoned, while the rest of the dishes were harmless. Trusting Duryodhan to be genuine, Bheem ate the kheer, unaware of the trap laid for him.

Moments after consuming the meal, Bheem’s vision began to blur, and a heavy dizziness overtook him. The poison in the kheer quickly spread through his body, and before he could fully comprehend what was happening, he collapsed, unconscious.

With Bheem incapacitated, Mamashree Shakuni arrived at the cottage to assist Duryodhan in the next phase of their plan.

Together, they tied Bheem with strong cords made from thick shrubs, securing him tightly. Dussasan, as per the plan never showed up, since his real responsibility was to make sure no one was aware about Bheem's whereabouts.

Confident in their success, Duryodhan and Shakuni dragged Bheem’s limp body to the banks of the Ganga and pushed him into the river, watching as the current carried him away. They believed they had finally rid themselves of the strongest Pandava.

What they didn't expect was Arjun to show up on horse when they turned around after pushing Bheem.

Arjun had come searching for his older brother in worry after Sahadev rushed to him saying he got an awful premonition about Bheem and that he was in danger.

Duryodhan and Shakuni panicked when they saw Arjun and left the place instantly.

All Arjun saw was someone pushing Bheem into the river and he rushed to the bank.

~~~

Bheem’s unconscious body was swept deep into the underworld, descending into Nagalok—the realm of the serpents. There, he was met by a swarm of snakes, who began biting him everywhere except his chest, which was too tough for their fangs to penetrate.

The venom from the snakes had an unexpected effect on his already poisoned body—it neutralized the toxins coursing through his veins.

Bheem woke up feeling groggy but growing stronger with every moment. With a surge of energy, he began freeing himself from the cords that bound him.

The serpents, terrified by the sheer strength of the mighty warrior in the body of a young teen child, recoiled in fear.

The frightened snakes rushed to Vasuki, the king of the Nagas, to complain about the intruder in their realm. Vasuki, intrigued by the disturbance, went to see for himself.
Alongside him was Aranyaka, an elderly serpent who was the grandfather of Kunti. When Aranyaka laid eyes on Bheem, he immediately recognized him as his kin.

Aranyaka exclaimed with joy,
"Yeh mere pothi ka putr hai!"

(He is my granddaughter ’s son!)

Aranyaka then rushed to embrace Bheem.

Upon hearing this, Vasuki decided to treat Bheem with the utmost hospitality. Aranyaka, deeply fond of Bheem due to their familial bond, requested that Vasuki offer him the Rasakund, a legendary elixir that granted the strength of a thousand elephants to whoever drank it.

Vasuki agreed to the request, and Bheem was brought eight large pots filled with the potent liquid.

Without hesitation, Bheem chugged the Rasakund, drinking all eight pots in a single sitting. Exhausted from his ordeal, Bheem then fell into a deep slumber that lasted for eight days.

During these eight days while Bheem was sleeping in Nagalok, the atmosphere  in Hastinapur was very grave and depressing. Anxiety and sorrow could be tasted in the air.

Karn spent most of his time with Kunti ma trying to comfort her. While rest of his brothers were basically camping near River Ganga  hoping to catch a glimpse of their brother.

The Kuru elders felt depressed and helpless while the King hoped that his sons should not be wrongfully blamed for Bheem's missing unaware of the schemes of Duryodhan and Shakuni.

~~~

When Bheem finally awoke, he felt stronger than ever before, his muscles rippling with newfound power.

The Nagas, impressed by his vitality and strength, gifted him a garland of white hue as a token of their admiration. They blessed him and, with their good wishes, sent him back to the surface world.

When he emerged from the river, Bheem was tackled by his brother's emotional hugs. It was due to his newfound strength that Bheem didn't fall back on the ground.

Upon returning to Hastinapura, Bheem was welcomed emotionally  by everyone and the kingdom as a whole sighed with relief.

Kunti being worried sick sobbed continuously and insisted that Bheem should sleep with her that night.

Soon his brothers also chimed in that even they wanted to sleep with Bheem.

Ultimately, Bheem slept in Kunti's  lap while being surrounded in a loving cocoon made by his 5 brothers.

The next day, Bheem called for a private meeting with his brothers to tell them everything that had transpired.

As he recounted the treachery of Duryodhan and Mamashree Shakuni, his five brothers listened in growing anger.

However, Yudhishthir, ever the wise and cautious one, urged his brothers to keep the incident a secret.

Karn nodded in agreement while he never interacted with the spoilt Princes of the King before his life changed, he knew and heard enough inside news due to his connections inside Palace.

Karn looked at his brothers meaningfully and said,

"Hum iss samay Duryodhan ko sammukh nahi kar sakthe kyunki hamare paas koi Pramaan nahi hai!"

(We can't confront Duryodhan this time because we don't have any evidence!)

Karn signed trying to maintain his composure though he was boiling with anger inside,

"Yeh hamare liye saavdaan rahane ka ek patt hai, Kinthu hume isse baath ko badhane nahi de sakthe! Iss samay, dhairya aur vivek hi hamare sabse bade saathi hai!"

(This is a lesson for us to always be vigilant, but we cannot let this matter escalate! Patience and discretion are our greatest allies now!

The brothers nodded in understanding while Yudhishthir frowned thinking deeply.

Karn noticed this and asked,
"Yudhishthir kya hua?"

(Yudhishthir what happened?)

Yudhishthir looked at his Jyesht and replied,
"Jyesht, hume humare Mata ko tho purn sathya bathana hoga na.."

(Jyesht, we have to tell our Mata the complete truth right..)

Karn thoughtfully nodded and said,
"Hum Mata ko sathya avishya bathayenge par purn sathya nahi..iss samay agar unhe Duryodhan aur Mamashree ke shadayantar ke bare mein patha chala toh unhe athyanth peeda hoga.."

(We will definitely tell the truth to our Mata but not the complete truth..if she gets to know about Duryodhan and Mamashree's conspiracy now, she will be in extreme pain..)

Karn then went to Bheem and put an arm around his shoulder giving him emotional strength and said,

"Bheem, tum Mata ko keval yeh kehana ki tumhe kisi ne  piche se nadhi mein Dhaka diya...uske baadh tum sathya bathana.."

(Bheem, you just tell Mata that someone pushed you into the river from behind..After that tell everything..)

Bheem nodded

From that day forward, the Pandavas kept a close eye on Duryodhan and his brothers, their bond strengthened by Bheem’s miraculous return and newfound strength, while the tension in the royal household continued to simmer just beneath the surface.

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A/N:

Hope you all liked today's update!

Please comment your thoughts and what you like/dislike.

Your comments are my
motivation.

Jai Shree Krishna🙏
-Anu