In this episode of Mahabharata, the Pandavas get themselves ensnared in various predicaments.
First, Sage Durvaasa and his disciples find Yudhistir, Nakul and Sahadev and invite themselves to lunch after having bathed. Problem is, the Pandavas and Draupadi just ate and there is only one grain of rice left. But then, Krishna swoops in to save the day yet again.
Meanwhile, Bhim who had stormed off in anger at his elder brother, meets his “other” elder brother - Hanuman, the other son of the Wind God. Later, Bhim meets his demon son Ghattotgaj and reunites with Hidimba.
Finally, Arjun visits heaven and receives all divine weapons as well as the training in how to use them. Indra then orders Arjun to also learn performing arts from the Divine Choreographer Chitrasen. But the fury of a woman scorned, leaves him cursed with impotence for the rest of his life.
Tropes found here are
- A Degree in Useless: Arjun initially complains that as a warrior, he has no need to learn music and dance.
- The Cameo: Hanuman from Ramayana makes an appearance. Ghattotgaj also appears. The next time we see him is during the Kurukshetra War.
- Curse: See Woman Scorned below for why, and The Loins Sleep Tonight for what.
- Deus ex Machina: To prevent Durvaasa from cursing the Pandavas for not satiating his hunger, Krishna eats the one grain of rice they have remaining, and then behaves as if he’s eaten a hearty meal. Durvaasa and the other sages also feel full and sleepy, and decide to leave for someplace else, lest they be overfed. The possibility of a curse is averted - at least for four Pandavas.
- Exact Words: Arjun tells Urvashi that he cannot be a man for her, only a son. So, she curses him to remain a “son” for the rest of his life - by being as impotent as a prepubescent boy.
- Human Sacrifice: Hidimba wants to sacrifice a human to the goddess Shakti, and sends out Ghattotgaj to fetch someone. He ends up fetching Bhim, who then informs Hidimba that this practice is wrong.
- The Loins Sleep Tonight: More like, the loins sleep forever. Such is the curse that Arjun receives.
- He Is Your Father: Hidimba informs Ghattotgaj that the sacrifice he brought back is his human father Bhim.
- Parental Incest: Arjun uses this as the reason for spurning Urvashi - she was the wife of a distant forefather. Urvashi brushes it off as just another fling at that time.
- Someday This Will Come in Handy: Indra makes Arjun learn the performing arts to help disguise himself better during his thirteenth year incognito.
- Take Me Instead: Bhim makes Ghattotgaj, the demon, who he doesn’t know is his own son yet, take him to be sacrificed instead of the Brahmins he had accosted.
- The Un-Favorite / Middle Child Syndrome : A Brahmin family has this attitude towards their middle son. When Ghattotgaj accosts them to demand one of them to be bequeathed to the goddess Shakti as a sacrifice, the father pleads that the eldest son not be taken as he is his favorite. The mother pleads that the youngest son is her favorite, so he shouldn’t be taken. The middle son, disgusted with his parents ignoring him all the time, offers himself up. Bhim, a middle son himself, skewers the parents for such behavior.
- Woman Scorned: Urvashi, an “apsara” (divine courtesan) takes a shine for Arjun, but he rejects her because she was the wife of one of his forefathers, and therefore, Arjun cannot see her as anything but a foremother. She curses him to then “be a son forever” by making him impotent.
