Question

Identify the characters of the Mahabharata with the help the following information and choose the correct option :

• He was a son of Hidimba and Bhima.
• He belonged to the Rakshasa clan from materl side.
• He promised to help the Pandavas in the time of need.

• A. Hidimba
• B. Bakasura
• C. Jatasura
• D. Ghatotkacha

Hint:

To easily remember the lineage of the next generation of Pandava warriors: Bhima $\times$ Hidimba (Rakshasa) = Ghatotkacha
Arju $\times$ Subhadra (Yadava) = Abhimanyu

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: The *Mahabharata* outlines complex kinship patterns, marriages outside traditiol social rules (*exogamy*), and encounters with non-Aryan forest-dwelling clans termed *Rakshasas*. It contains biographical clues about the lineages of its epic heroes.

Step 1: Evaluating the lineage pointers.
Let us breakdown the three specific clues given in the box from image_6278a5.png:
• Son of Hidimba and Bhima: When the Pandavas were forced to escape into the deep forests after the fire at the house of lac (*Lakshagriha*), the powerful second Pandava brother, Bhima, met a Rakshasa woman med Hidimba. They married under the *Gandharva* custom, and she gave birth to a son.
• Belonged to the Rakshasa clan from the materl side: Since his mother Hidimba was a Rakshasa, her son inherited extraordiry magical traits, shape-shifting abilities, and massive strength, common to her clan.
• Promised to help the Pandavas in times of need: At birth, because his head was smooth and hairless like a pot, he was med Ghatotkacha (derived from *Ghatam* meaning pot, and *Utkacha* meaning hairless). As a child, he promised his father and uncles that whenever the Pandavas faced an existential crisis, he would instantly appear at their call.

Step 2: Tracking his role in the war and elimiting options.
Ghatotkacha fulfilled his promise during the Kurukshetra War, wreaking havoc on the Kaurava forces until Kar was forced to use his divine weapon (*Vasavi Shakti*) to slay him.
• (A) Hidimba refers to his mother or uncle, not the son.
• (B) Bakasura and (C) Jatasura were adversarial Rakshasas slain by Bhima. Thus, Option (D) is the only correct choice.