Bhima vs Arjuna - a descriptive comparison.

Bhima and Arjuna despite being brothers have been compared to each other very often. Bhima while being a great warrior was never an invincible one (like Arjuna) instead he was a ordinary one who was capable of being defeated (like Karna).

For all of you people that believe Madhavacharya's Mahabharata commentary (Mahabaratha Tatparya Nirnaya) let me just say this, it was never written by Vyasa, the author (Madhava) claims to be alive (he was born in the 11th century and said he would live for over ten thousand years, yet it was has not even been half of that amount of time and he is clearly dead), his interpretation of the epic is clearly a later addition (interpolation) and turns the Mahabharata into mythology instead  of history (you can find numerous curses/boons in his commentary). Such an illogical interpretation is not superior to any of the interpretations (that are widely accepted as authentic) like Kmg, Bori ce, Gita Press etc.
And if you are talking about me using Madhavacharya's version, i only use his version when he contains something in his Mahabharata that is also in Kmg's translation and BORI's version/Debroy's translation. Let's be honest over here too, his interpretation degrades Bhima's character instead of uplifting it. It makes him a blind follower/devotee of Krishna, which he clearly was not.
In the authentic Mahabharata (when Krishna questioned Bhima's prowess in Udyoga Parva) then bhima lashed out at him and began to praise himself.
Quote:

'Thus addressed by Vasudeva, the ever-wrathful Bhima, incapable of bearing insults, was immediately awakened like a steed of high metal, and replied, without losing a moment, saying, 'O Achyuta, I wish to act in a particular way; thou, however, takest me in quite a different light. That I take great delight in war and that my prowess is incapable of being baffled, must, O Krishna. be well-known to p. 163 thee in consequence of our having lived together for a long time. Or it may be, thou knowest me not, like one swimming in a lake ignorant of its depth. It is for this that thou chidest me in such unbecoming words. Who else, O Madhava, knowing me to be Bhimasena, could address me with such unbecoming words as thou dost?

Analysis: This quote proves multiple things. One that Bhima and Krishna were companions (they had lived with each other for a very long time) not devotees/gods. Two, they would not hesitate to talk back to each other and utter anything disagreeable between themselves. So if Bhima was a blind follower/devotee then he would never disobey Krishna and feel insulted by him.
Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m05/m05076.htm
Here are a few fan-fiction incidents in Madhavacharya's mahabharata

• Bhima not snatching Karna's "sakti dart" because he knew about Krishna's plan to kill Ghatotkaca.
• In actual mahabharata bhima cared for his son and protected him, he never knew about that weapon of Karna which would kill a singular opponent, and that his son Ghatotkatcha would be the victim.
• Bhima doing a digvijaya (before the burning of the house of lac), defeating characters like Kichaka and Jarasandha (even before the birth of Ghatotkaca in "Adi Parva").
• In actual Mahabharata bhima never has a single encounter with Jarasandha before the burning of the house of lac.
• Bhima not breaking the Chakravyuha of the Kuru army on the 13th day, even though he supposedly had the capability to do so.
• In actual Mahabharata bhima did not break their Chakravyuha because he simply did not have the competence necessary. He was not as powerful as Arjuna that he could achieve such a feat. He instead suffered a defeat at the hands of Jayadratha.

Here is the pathetic defeat of Bhima at the hands of Jayadratha on the 13th day.

Quote:

Marking that lightness of hands showed by Jayadratha, Bhima then with three broad-headed shafts, quickly felled on the earth his bow, standard and umbrella. The mighty Jayadratha then, taking up another bow, strung it and felled Bhima's standard and bow and steeds. O sire! His bow cut off, Bhimasena then jumping down from that excellent car whose steeds had been slain, mounted on the car of Satyaki, like a lion jumping to the top of a mountain. Seeing this, thy troops were filled with joy.

Analysis: Look in the whole chapter, nowhere is it stated that he "willingly" lost. That he "could have" won. Also Bhima had to flee and lost his chariot/bow, such things have never happened to Arjuna where he lost a bow and a chariot at the same time, and was forced to seek the help of a comrade. Jayadratha's reaction speed, striking speed, and skill was superior to Bhima's.

Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m07/m07040.htm

• Bhima letting Arjuna become the best student of Drona.
• In actual mahabharata bhima never "allowed" something to happen, he is not the type to sit and relax, stand by and do nothing as another person does something that he "could have" done.

This is what happened.

Quote:

Arjuna, however, from devotion to the science of arms, always stayed by the side of his preceptor, and in skill, strength of arms, and perseverance, excelled all (his class-fellows). Indeed, although the instruction the preceptor gave, was the same in the case of all, yet in lightness and skill Arjuna became the foremost of all his fellow-pupils.

Analysis:

Clearly the text states that Arjuna received the same education that everyone else (including his brother Bhima) did, yet still Arjuna came out on the top as he learned the most. He was a better learned than Bhima.

Source: http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01135.htm

• Bhima lost to Karna on purpose and pretended to be defeated because of Karna's boon from Parasurama.
• In actual Mahabharata Bhima was never the type of guy to willingly lose a fight against his enemy just because that teacher promised the student that he will be invincible with a certain bow. "Bhima would break rather than bowdown" (duryodhana to kripa in Salya Parva).

Bhima in-fact has the most amount of defeats and retreats in the epic Mahabharata (after Karna). Even karna fans (like Niraj Sharma) have agreed with the fact that Arjuna is superior to Bhima. Here is the screenshot below to prove my claim.

Bhima is not better than Arjuna in any aspects, not as a person, and not as a fighter. The boon of Shiva also excludes Arjuna, thus proving his superiority (not only over Bhima but also Shiva - my views). And this is proof of a Karna fan agreeing with me (at the very least on Arjuna being superior to Bhima).

• Arjuna was also physically stronger than Bhima, it's just that he is not known for his physical strength as much because he was better in archery. Just like Bhima is not known for archery (as much as he is known for his physical strength).
• 1st proof - Arjuna holds Bhima in Sabha Parva.

Kmg version

Quote:

Bound by the ties of virtue and the reverence that is due to our eldest brother, and repeatedly urged by Arjuna to remain silent, I am not doing anything terrible.

Analysis: Bhima said that Arjuna urged him to remain silent, yet Bhima still spoke.... So he contradicted himself. But Bhima included Arjuna as a reason for him not doing anything in the Sabha.

Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m02/m02069.htm

Debroy version

Screenshot

Analysis:

Over here it is clearly stated that bhima was "restrained" by Arjuna. Signifying the superior strength/capability of Arjuna over Bhima. Whether or not he was using force to restrain Bhima is debatable.

Definition of "restrained" - kept under control; prevented from freedom of movement or action. https://www.google.com/search?source=hp&ei=pRsJW8bVL4zEjwP7lLD4BA&q=define+restrained&oq=define+restrained&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0j0i22i30k1l9.3658.11929.0.12615.19.16.0.0.0.0.1104.5216.3j5j1j1j1j2j1j1.16.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..3.16.5843.6..35i39k1j0i131k1j0i20i264k1j0i10k1.630.ffwV7bUhEvE By the way Shalya also told Karna (in the Bori Ce text of Debroy) that if he "restrains" Bhima then he will get Arjuna to fight him. So restrain may be the use of force.

• 2nd proof - Arjuna's arms were stronger than Bhima's

Quote:

Arjuna, however, from devotion to the science of arms, always stayed by the side of his preceptor, and in skill, strength of arms, and perseverance, excelled all (his class-fellows).

Analysis: Bhima would also be included among the students of Drona, and it is stated that Arjuna surpassed him and exceeded the strength of every disciple.

Source: http://sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01135.htm

• Arjuna killed 1 million Gandharvas but bhima could barely kill 100s of them in Ghosha Yatra.

Proof (screenshot of BORI Mahabharata, translated by Bibek Debroy).

• Arjuna protected Drona when no one else (not even Bhima & Yudhishthira) had chosen to.

Quote:

And when Drona had plunged into the stream, a strong alligator, sent as it were, by Death himself seized him by the thigh. And though himself quite capable, Drona in a seeming hurry asked his pupil to rescue him. And he said, 'O, kill this monster and rescue me.' Contemporaneously with this speech, Vibhatsu (Arjuna) struck the monster within the water with five sharp arrows irresistible in their course, while the other pupils stood confounded, each at his place. Beholding Arjuna's readiness, Drona considered him to be the foremost of all his pupils, and became highly pleased.

Analysis: The text clearly says "while the other pupils stood confounded, each at his place." These other pupils would include Bhima, Karna, Duryodhana, Aswathama, Yudhishthira also. So Arjuna helped Drona when even his own son Aswathama would not and when Bhima would not.

Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m01/m01136.htm

Misconception, Arjuna won the war post the Swayamvara because he was protected by Bhima, thus proving Bhima's superiority.

• Know that Arjuna had to fight off karna, and that Arjuna was group attacked by multiple adversaries (which is why Bhima had to support him).
• Let us not forget that Arjuna was using the method of bow/arrow to fight, which takes up a lot more time in comparison to bhima's methods in that incident.
• Arjuna was fighting the same Karna that would defeat, swoon and spare Bhima in the kurukshetra war.
• Bhima's methods were basically hand to hand combat over their, his reach and speed were also supported by the tree that he lifted up to combat Kshatriyas.
• Most of the warriors that Bhima fought were no challenge for Arjuna. Bhima was fighting canon fodder.
• Whenever this incident is talked about (in the Mahabharata text) then it is always Arjuna who gets most of the attention and praise, not Bhima.

I hope that Bhima fans will not start to copy karna fans now and i will have to say "just like karna fans, bhima fans often make their claims on the basis of fan-fiction, to put it simply these things never happened. Bhima never defeated Shiva in a authentic scripture/source, Bhima never pretended to lose a fight, Arjuna was not trembling when Jarasandha was making a choice on who he should select to wrestle."

And if you believe in the adulterated, illogical, mythical narrative of Svargarohanika Parva then you will also have to believe that Arjuna went to heaven fourth before Bhima on that trip.