Mahabharata mythological story: The war of Mahabharata was not just a struggle for power, but it was a tragedy of break and disintegration of family relationships. While the enmity between Duryodhana and Pandavas turned the land of Kurukshetra red with blood, after the war some such incidents also happened which are rarely heard about.
One of these is the marriage of Duryodhana’s wife Bhanumati and Arjun. In such a situation, let us know from this interesting story described in the Puranas why Bhanumati became Arjun’s wife after the death of her husband.
Who was Pandora?
Bhanumati was the daughter of King Chandravarma of Kamboj. She was a very beautiful, intelligent and brave woman. She was not only rich in beauty, but was also adept in martial arts and wrestling. It is said that many times she defeated even Duryodhana in a duel. Duryodhana was a great admirer of his wife’s bravery and personality.
Journey from kidnapping to marriage
Bhanumati loved Arjun in her heart and wanted to marry him only. When King Chandravarma organized his daughter’s swayamvar, Arjun could not reach there due to some reason. Duryodhana, who was fascinated by Bhanumati’s beauty, with the help of Karna forcefully abducted Bhanumati in the midst of the Swayamvar and married her. Bhanumati and Duryodhana had two children – son Lakshman and daughter Lakshmana.
Story of daughter Lakshmana
The interesting thing is that the fate of Bhanumati was repeated with her daughter Lakshmana also. Duryodhana wanted to marry his daughter to Karna’s son, but Lord Krishna’s son Samb kidnapped Lakshmana and married him. In this way the families of Bhanumati and Krishna got tied into a relationship.
Marriage of Bhanumati and Arjun
Duryodhana and his son Lakshman died in the battle of Kurukshetra. After this, Pandora faced a big crisis of her existence and security. In such a situation, Bhanumati proposed marriage to Arjun. Bhanumati feared that due to being a descendant of Duryodhana, her family might face ill-treatment in the future.
By marrying Arjun, she wanted to bring her clan under the protection of Pandavas. It is said that Lord Krishna himself suggested Bhanumati to marry Arjun, so that permanent peace could be established in Hastinapur. Bhanumati was a visionary woman. She wanted that in the future, a war-like situation should never arise again between the remaining families of Kauravas and Pandavas. It is said that it was only after this marriage that the famous Hindi idiom “Kahin ki brick kahin ka roda, Bhanumati added the clan” became popular.
(Disclaimer: The information given here is based on general beliefs and information. Nh does not confirm it.)