Jatasura () is a

rakshasa Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...

in the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

. He disguises himself as a

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

and attempts to abduct three of the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

brothers,

Yudhishthira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Indian epic ''Ma ...

Sahadeva Sahadeva () was the youngest of the five Pandava brothers in the ancient Indian epic, the '' Mahabharata''. He and his twin brother Nakula were the sons of Madri, one of the wives of the Pandava patriarch Pandu, and Ashvini Kumaras, the ...

, and

Nakula Nakula () is a major character in the ancient Indian epic, the ''Mahabharata.'' He is the elder twin brother of Sahadeva and the fourth of the five Pandava brothers. He is the son of Divine twins, twin physician gods, Ashvins, and Madri, the ...

, and their common wife,

Draupadi Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the central heroine of the Indian epic poetry, ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. In the epic, she is the princess of Panchala Kingdom, who later becomes the empress of K ...

. He is slain by

Bhima Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...

Legend

According to the

, Jatasura appeared in the guise of a Brahmin to the Pandavas. His goal was to gain their confidence in order to seize their weapons, and ravish their common wife,

. One day, when Bhima was away, Jatasura assumed a monstrous form. He seized the weapons and also abducted Yudhishthira, Sahadeva, Nakula, and Draupadi. Sahadeva managed to escape from his grasp, and rushed to seek the aid of Bhima. Yudhishthira confused their captor by showering him with moral accusations, observing Jatasura's lack of intelligence. Bhima arrived on the scene and prepared to wrestle the rakshasa on his own, discouraging assistance from Nakula and Sahadeva. The Pandava and the rakshasa fought with gigantic trees, large rocks, along with their arms. In the end, Bhima was able to inflict a death blow on his opponent's neck. When Jatasura grew faint, Bhima lifted him up and dashed him with force to the ground, shattering his limbs. Striking him with his elbow, Bhima decapitated the rakshasa. Having slain Jatasura, Bhima presented himself before Yudhishthira, gaining his praise.

References

Rakshasa in the Mahabharata Rakshasa {{Hindu-myth-stub

Legend

See also

References