Baka Vadha

During the Pāṇḍavas’ time of wandering in the disguise of brāhmaṇas, they came to the town of Ekacakrā. They stayed in the house of a brāhmaṇa. The town was held in fear by the rākshasa Baka, who demanded a regular tribute of food and a human being. Bhīma went in the brāhmaṇa‘s place, called Baka out in his forest home, and killed him. This freed the whole town from its long servitude.

The town of Ekacakrā

After the Hiḍimba episode, the Pāṇḍavas came to the rich town of Ekacakrā, dressed as wandering brāhmaṇas. A kind brāhmaṇa householder gave them shelter. They lived quietly and went out each day on their rounds. Kuntī stayed in the house and watched the family. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 158)

The grief in the brāhmaṇa’s house

One day Kuntī heard crying from inside the house. She asked about it and learned the reason. The rākshasa Baka had made a terrible arrangement with the town. At regular times, each family in Ekacakrā had to send a cartload of rice, two buffaloes, and one human being, who would be Baka’s meal. Now the turn had come to this brāhmaṇa‘s family. They were weeping and arguing among themselves about who should go: the brāhmaṇa, his wife, his son, or his daughter.

Kuntī listened and made a calm decision. She told the brāhmaṇa that one of her own sons would go in his place. This would be Bhīma, whom she knew to be more than able to deal with any rākshasa. The brāhmaṇa said that he could not let his guests risk their lives for him, but Kuntī stood firm. She told him only that her sons were not ordinary men, and that Bhīma would come back safe. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 160)

Bhīma meets Baka

Bhīma took the cartload of food into the forest himself. When he reached Baka’s home, he put the cart down and began to eat the food himself, all of it, calmly and with great pleasure. This was the challenge. Baka came out in a rage when he saw a mere human eating his tribute, and he called Bhīma to fight.

Bhīma showed no fear. He ate the last morsel, wiped his hands, and turned to face the rākshasa. The fight was fierce. Baka tore up trees and threw them. Bhīma caught them and threw them back. The rākshasa used every kind of physical force, but Bhīma’s grip was stronger. He seized Baka, bent his back over his knee, and broke it. The rākshasa died on the spot. (Ādi Parva, Chapters 164–165)

Freedom for Ekacakrā

Bhīma dragged Baka’s body to the gate of the town and left it there for the townspeople to find. The next morning, when they saw the dead rākshasa, they were first amazed, then relieved, and then they celebrated. The long suffering of Ekacakrā was over.

The people never learned who had done it. The household of the brāhmaṇa kept their guests’ secret. The Pāṇḍavas stayed a little longer. Then they went on with their wandering, following the news of Drupada’s great svayaṃvara (a ceremony where a princess chooses her husband) in Pāñcāla. (Ādi Parva, Chapters 166–167)

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapters 158–167