From the beginning of the thirteenth year, the spies of Duryodhana,under hisexpress orders, had searched for the Pandavas in all possible places of hiding.

After several months of futile search, they reported their failure to Duryodhana and added that probably the Pandavas had perished of privations.

Then came the news that the powerful Kichaka had been killed in single combat by some gandharva on account of a woman.

There were only two persons who could kill Kichaka, and Bhima was one of them, and so they suspected that Bhima might have been the vengeful gandharva who had killed Kichaka, and Duryodhana also felt that the lady who was the cause, of the killing might be Draupadi. He expressed his doubts in the open assembly.