Neev (steady, reflective):
Welcome back Mythical Masala folks!

 The Pandavas were deep into exile now.
 And this time, their journey took them higher — much higher.

Co-host:
 Higher? Not farther?

Neev:
 Well…farther too..you will find out.
 — and even running into someone… unexpected.

Co-host (teasing):
 Wait, wait… unexpected?? Like a monkey?

Neev:
 Not just any monkey.
 A monkey so old, so huge, and so powerful….

Co-host:
 That’s… rare…I wonder who it is….

Neev:
 Meanwhile, Yudhishthira — normally calm and wise — was feeling lost.
 All the injustice, all the suffering, all the waiting… it was getting to him.

So a sage told him a story.
 A story that might feel… strangely familiar.

Co-host (intrigued):
 Ooh, we’ve got mountains, monkeys, and moral lessons?
I am ready.

Neev:
So, grab your snacks and let's jump right in. 

Neev (narrating, lighter tone):
 With Arjuna still away in the heavens, the rest of the Pandavas were left behind on Earth…
 wandering forests, cooking over fire pits, and missing their brother more with each passing day.

Co-host (playful):
 So basically… Arjuna’s off doing celestial sword training, and everyone else is stuck on a super long camping trip?

Neev (grinning):
 Yup. One long hiking expedition — without trail mix. Or Google Maps.

Co-host: 

They were somewhere between Kamyaka forest and the lower Himalayas — what today would be northern India, maybe near the foothills of Uttarakhand.

Neev:

Their priest Dhaumya and sage Lomasa suggested something to lift their spirits:

“Why not take a pilgrimage?
 Go up into the Himalayas.
 Visit the sacred rivers, the rishis, the old ashrams.
 Let the mountains clear your minds.”

Co-host:
 Okay but… this isn’t just a weekend trek.
 This is like 100+ kilometers of walking.
Do you know how long that is without hiking shoes or electrolytes?

Neev (laughing):
 Tell that to Draupadi, who was wearing forest robes and hiking steep paths with no breakfast smoothies in sight.

And yet — she walked.

Sometimes she was tired. Sometimes she needed to rest.
 Sometimes Bhima had to carry her.

And every time she sat down and said, “Just five minutes…”
 You could see the brothers silently panic.

Co-host:
 Classic hiking group energy. One person tired, another hungry, So Bhima offered to carry the whole squad on his back?

Neev:
Yes,  That’s exactly what happened!

When they reached Gangadwara — where the holy Ganga River emerges from the mountains —
 Yudhishthira suggested, “Let me go ahead alone. You all stay and rest.”

Co-host (mock horror):
 And leave Bhima unsupervised? Bad plan.

Neev:
 Bhima agreed.
 He said:

“Brother, I can carry Draupadi. I’ll carry Nakula and Sahadeva too if I must.
 But you are not going alone.”

Yudhishthira looked at him — this mountain of a man with a marshmallow heart —
 and smiled.

“May your strength grow even greater, Bhima.”

Co-host: As if he needed any more of that!

Neev: Together, they kept climbing.

They passed icy rivers, glacier-fed waterfalls, and valleys where sages had meditated for thousands of years.

Eventually, they reached Badrikashrama — a sacred place in the Himalayas, so high up that it felt like the sky had come to meet them.

Co-host (awe):
 Imagine walking for weeks… and then suddenly, it’s snow-capped peaks and golden sunrises.

Neev:
 That’s exactly what it was.
 They had left behind the palaces of Indraprastha…
 But here, in the vast quiet of the mountains, something else waited for them:

Peace. And  Clarity.

Neev (soft and curious):
 One day, as they sat near a mountain spring, a sudden wind swept down from the skies…

And floating on that breeze was a single flower.

Not just any flower — a thousand-petalled lotus, glowing faintly, shimmering like moonlight, with a fragrance that made everything else feel like dust.

Co-host:
 Thousand petals? That seems magical and quite odd I must say.

Neev:

It drifted down — and landed right in Draupadi’s lap.

She picked it up, amazed.

“Bhima,” she said softly,
 “Look at this flower. It smells like heaven.
 I want to give them to Yudhishthira.” Can you get some? 

Co-host:
 Aww, she just wanted to cheer up her husband. Sweet. 

But why does this remind me of the golden deer from the Ramayana…you know the one Sita sends Rama after…Is this going to Bhima in trouble? 

Neev:
We’ll see.  Bhima stood up immediately.

No one — no one — could ask Bhima for something and not get it.

“I’ll get more,” he said, already tracking the scent like a one-man search party.

He dashed into the forest — chasing the fragrance, crushing branches underfoot, shaking trees as he ran.

At one point, Bhima even blew his conch shell — BOOM! — just to announce his arrival.

Co-host (laughs):
 Wow. Imagine being a peaceful animal in the forest, sipping a leaf… and then BOOM. Bhima blaring his horn like an ancient airhorn.

Neev:
 Yeah… the jungle was not ready for this level of drama.

Birds flew. Lions roared. And thenDeer almost had a  stamped.

But suddenly… the loudest sound of all was something else.
 THUMP.

The ground trembled.

THUMP.
 Again.

Co-host: Oh no! What is it? Elephant? Earthquake? Trap?

Neev: And then Bhima saw it…

Sprawled across the path was a giant monkey.

Co-host: Monkey? Aah..Yes….

Neev:  Huge. Still. And… not very impressed.

Its tail was stretched out across the forest trail, lazily flicking up and down —
 BANG — creating those ground-shaking thuds.

And then… it spoke.

Neev:

“Why do you make so much noise?”
 “Why disturb the peace of this forest?”
 “Turn back. You don’t belong here.”

Co-host (alarmed):
Talking Monkey…Now that’s new!

Neev (grinning):
 Yup. And not just any monkey.

But Bhima didn’t know that yet.

Right now, he was just annoyed…
 and also a little confused — because this monkey was in his way.

Bhima… wasn’t used to being told to turn around.

Neev (narrating):
 Bhima looked at the massive monkey blocking his path.

Tail stretched across the trail like a giant tree root.
 Eyes half-closed. Casual. Not moving.

Co-host:
 I mean, Bhima’s faced demons, rakshasas, even Kirmirasura...
 But this time it’s… a sleepy monkey?

Neev:
 Not just sleepy. Sassy.

Bhima introduced himself:
 “I am Bhima, and 
 I’m searching for a rare flower for my queen. Now MOVE.”

The monkey yawned and replied:

“I’m old. My bones ache.
 I cannot move.
 Just jump over me.”

Co-host (gasping):
 Wait… jump over someone’s head? Isn’t that like… major disrespect?

Neev:
 Exactly. Bhima knew it too. That’s a no-no.

So he said, “Fine, I’ll just move your tail.”

He reached down with one finger… and tried to flick the tail aside.

Nothing.

He used two fingers.
 Then his whole hand.
 Then both arms.
 Then all his strength — muscles flexing, teeth gritting, earth shaking…

Co-host (dramatically):
 And the tail just sat there like… “Nice try, gym bro.”

Neev (laughing):
 Totally!

And the monkey?
 Still reclining. Watching him. Smirking.

Bhima was drenched in sweat.

Co-host: His pride? Only slightly crushed. Right? 

Neev: Finally… he stepped back.

“This… isn’t normal,” he thought.
 Then he folded his hands and said:

“Please, tell me… who are you really?”

The monkey sat up.
 And smiled.

“I am Hanuman.
 Son of Vayu.

Co-host (softly):
Just like Bhima was! Son of wind God - Vayu

Neev:
 Bhima’s eyes filled with tears.
 He dropped to his knees and hugged him —
 His big brother in every way except time.

They sat together in the forest…
 Two sons of the Wind God, finally meeting.

Hanuman blessed Bhima with strength, courage, and a special promise:

“When the great war comes… I will be there.
 Sitting atop Arjuna’s chariot flag.
 Watching. Guiding.
 Striking fear into the hearts of your enemies.”

Bhima stood up — heart full, spirit recharged.
 He smiled, bowed, and continued on his mission…

To find those special flowers.

But he was carrying much more than petals now.

Neev (narrating):
 After meeting Hanuman, Bhima continued wandering — looking for food, maybe more flowers, or just a break from the endless walking.

He reached the side of a lonely mountain.

And spotted a dark cave — wide, cold, quiet.

Co-host (nervous):
 Oof. Never trust a dark cave in a mythology story. Even the kids know this.

Neev (chuckles):
 Bhima didn’t know that rule yet. Or he ignored it anyway. 

So he stepped closer… and suddenly…

A massive python shot out of the cave and wrapped itself around him —
 Tighter than iron.

Co-host: Yup. Caves usually have something lurking in them.

Neev: 
 Bhima struggled. Pushed. Roared.
 Nothing.

The snake hissed — and then, spoke.

“I am King Nahusha — once a ruler of the heavens.
 But I was cursed to live as a serpent, for my pride. Now I must test the wisdom of those who pass — or devour them.”

Co-host:
 Okay… what is it with cursed beings and quizzes? Ok, so it looks like it's trivia time for Bhima. 

Neev:
Yeah.. It’s like the ancient version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” 
Except instead of cash… the prize is not getting eaten.

Co-host: haha! Yeah! 

Neev: Bhima tried to break free, but this was no ordinary snake.
 It had the power of a king — and the burden of a curse.

Co-host: So Nahusha the serpent aka quizmaster…Did Bhima answer his questions?

Neev:
 Bhima had no answers.
 But just in time — Yudhishthira and Dhaumya came looking for him.

Co-host: Ooh.. That’s quite convenient. And well Bhima is known more for his brawn than his brain! 

Neev: Yudhishthira stepped forward, calm and composed.

The snake asked him a series of deep, thoughtful questions:

What is Dharma?
What is truth?
What is real strength?

And one by one… Yudhishthira answered all of them.

Co-host (in awe):
Yeah, You got the right brother present to answer those questions. .

Neev:
 Exactly.

And just like that…

The giant snake loosened its grip.
 It glowed softly… and transformed into a glowing celestial being.

Co-host: Feels like this was a better deal for Nahusha….He needed someone to answer these right..rather than the other way around. 

Neev: Nahusha, now free from his curse, looked at the brothers with gratitude.

“Thank you,” he said.
 “For your wisdom. For your patience.
 And for reminding me of who I used to be.”

He rose upward — shining — and disappeared into the skies.

Neev: Finally Bhima was free. He sat down, breathing hard.

Co-host:
 Poor guy. He’s had a monkey outpower him and python lecture him.

Neev:
 And yet… every encounter was teaching him something.

Co-host:
Wait wait wait — how does a king end up as a talking snake in a cave? how did this King Nahusha get cursed? Like what’s his deal? 

Neev (grinning):
 Ah. Now that is a story worth hearing. Let’s rewind the tapes… 

You see… long long ago Nahusha was once a great king — wise, powerful, and deeply respected.

He came from the lunar dynasty, a line of rulers connected to the Moon god himself.
 He had performed a hundred Ashwamedha Yajnas — ancient horse sacrifices so grand, they made him worthy of the gods.

So when Indra, king of the heavens, had to step down after a terrible mistake…

Co-host:
 Wasn’t that because he killed a Brahmin? Vitra? Folks - we share many of Indra’s stories…uh rather adventures in season 1 - in two separate episodes, so make sure to check those out if you haven’t already - or never hurts to listen again to refresh your memory. 

So what happened because of this mistake? 

Neev:
Well, Indra had to go into hiding.

So the gods looked around… and said,
 “Who’s next in line?”
 And they chose… Nahusha.

Co-host: So that’s how he became like a temporary king of Gods?

Yes, and At first, Nahusha did great.
 He ruled the heavens. He had the apsaras, the gandharvas, the Nandana gardens — everything.

But… it wasn’t enough.

Co-host (raising eyebrows):
 Oh no. Here comes the greed part, right?

Neev:
 Yup. Nahusha started to think he deserved everything Indra once had —
including Indra’s wife, the noble Queen Sachi.

She was horrified. So she went to the guru of the gods, Brihaspati, and begged for help.

The two of them came up with a plan.

Sachi told Nahusha:

“I will marry you. But… only if the seven great sages, the Saptarishis, carry you to me in a royal palanquin.”

Co-host (mock gasp):
 Wait, that’s like asking Einstein, Newton, and seven Dalai Lamas to carry you to your wedding. But, I am not quite sure yet - how’s that plan going to work out. 

Neev (laughing):
 Hold your horses…or palanquin…. Nahusha was so full of pride… he said yes!

He made the sages carry him.

But among them was Agastya — wise and powerful, but short.

Co-host: Short as in height? Ok…

Neev: Because of Agastya’s small stride, the palanquin wobbled. It dipped awkwardly and leaned to one side, making it uncomfortable for Nahusha. 

Co-host: I am catching on…go on!
Neev:  

Nahusha, desperate to meet Sachi, lost his temper.

He shouted at Agastya to move faster…
 and in one version — he even kicked the sage in frustration.

That… was the final straw.

Co-host: Boom - Curse Incoming!

Neev: Agastya looked up and thundered:

“For your arrogance…
 For your disrespect…
 You shall become a serpent —
 crawling in the dirt, far from heaven.”

Nahusha fell.
 From the heights of heaven…
 into the forests of Earth…
 condemned to wait until wisdom will set him free.

Co-host:
 Wow. From heavenly king to cave noodle.

Neev:
 From cursed kings to mighty monkeys, from magical flowers to divine promises…
 the Himalayas weren’t just mountains — they were full of lessons.

Co-host:
 Bhima found Hanuman.
 Yudhishthira found the power of dharma.
 And Arjuna? Well… we’ll see who he meets next.

Neev:
 And Nahusha’s story?
 A reminder that even the greatest can fall…
 but redemption is always possible — when you face your past with humility.

Co-host:
 That’s it for this episode of Mythical Masala!
 We’ll be back next time — same drama, same spice.

Neev:
 Until then, don’t forget to follow, share, and tell your friends!
 And if you’ve been loving this season, send us a message —
 we love hearing from you at mythicalmasalapodcast.com
 See you next time — for more magical mountains, mysterious sages, and Mahabharata mayhem!