Both the land
and sky were enveloped by the darkness of the night. This added to the mystery
of the river womb, which also came under the spell of the night and seemed to
have turned black. However, the continuous stream of water kept moving
southwards as if in a procession bound for the sea. As Bhim, with his hands and
legs securely tied, was drifting towards the riverbed, the streams passing
across seemed to caress his body and say, ‘Son, you are safe here’.
For long he
remained unconscious under the influence of a strong poison administered to him
through the eatables. After landing in the riverbed, he started regaining
consciousness amidst painful feelings of being bitten all over by sharp teeth
of some creatures. Opening eyes he discovered that angry-looking snakes of
various sizes and hues surrounded him. He did not know while landing on the
riverbed his body fell over a medley of baby snakes literally mauling them. The
cries of these babies had attracted the elders who were furious at this
unwanted visitor. They unleashed their anger by biting his huge body all over.
The venom their sting carried worked for a contrary purpose, as was destined.
The earlier poison in his body was counteracted and Bhim came back from the
jaws of death.
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