Dhritarashtra's Treachery

Dhritarashtra and Bhim Hugging 

An epic war of Mahabharata was full of complex episodes.This is also one of them. 

Dhritarashtra's treachery to kill Bhima is described in the context of the aftermath of the Kurukshetra War in the Mahabharata. Filled with grief and rage over the death of his son Duryodhana, who was fatally wounded by Bhima during the war, Dhritarashtra harbored deep hatred toward Bhima and sought to kill him.Thus the

 Incident of the Hug.

      According to the story, when the victorious Pandavas entered the palace, Dhritarashtra coldly embraced Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava, but when he moved to embrace Bhima, Krishna, aware of Dhritarashtra's hatred and intent to harm Bhima, intervened. Krishna replaced the real Bhima with an iron statue that looked like him. When Dhritarashtra hugged the statue, he crushed it to pieces with his immense strength, thinking he had killed Bhima. However, the crushing of the iron statue caused such strain that Dhritarashtra was physically harmed, vomiting blood and collapsing.Significance of the IncidentThis act symbolized Dhritarashtra's unresolved anger and desire for revenge against Bhima, blaming him for Duryodhana's death. Yet, because of Krishna's foresight, Bhima was spared. Dhritarashtra later repented upon realizing he had not actually killed Bhima and was counseled by Krishna and others to let go of his hatred and bless the Pandavas.

Dhritarashtra's attempt to kill Bhima by killing the iron statue in a deceptive hug is a metaphor for his deep-seated hatred and treachery post-war. The episode illustrates the unresolved familial vendetta and the role of divine intervention protecting the righteous victims.