Shloka 81
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 96 — काश्यकन्याहरणं, शाल्वसमागमः, अम्बावचनं च
Kāśī princesses taken; encounter with Śālva; Ambā’s declaration
भीमसेनस्तु पूर्वमेव हिडिम्बायां राक्षसं घटोत्कचं पुत्रमुत्पादयामास,भीमसेनने पहले ही हिडिम्बाके गर्भसे घटोत्कच नामक राक्षसजातीय पुत्रको उत्पन्न किया
bhīmasenas tu pūrvam eva hiḍimbāyāṃ rākṣasaṃ ghaṭotkacaṃ putram utpādayāmāsa |
Vaiśampāyana said: Bhīmasena had already earlier begotten upon Hiḍimbā a son named Ghaṭotkaca, a child of rākṣasa lineage. The statement situates Bhīma’s union within the unfolding duties and necessities of exile-life, foreshadowing how this extraordinary son will later become a crucial protector and ally of the Pāṇḍavas in times of peril.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how relationships and offspring formed under extraordinary circumstances can become instruments of protection and support for dharmic aims later; lineage and duty may intersect in unexpected ways during hardship.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Bhīma had previously fathered a son, Ghaṭotkaca, with Hiḍimbā; this functions as narrative groundwork for Ghaṭotkaca’s later role as a powerful ally of the Pāṇḍavas.