At that point it was necessary to choose the right place to hide. In fact, the quiet period that followed the union of Bhima with Hidimbi had certainly not canceled the serious problem that poisoned their existence, namely the persecution of their cousin Duryodhana.
During their journey in that tangled forest they met Vyasa, who advised them to go to Ekachakra, a small town located in the east, inhabited by pious and religious people, where they could visit numerous holy places. Following, as always, the sage’s beneficial advice, the small group headed for Ekachakra.
When they came within sight of the town, Arjuna worried about how they should present themselves and what they should do.
“Now we will have to dress up,” he said. “We cannot be recognized, otherwise Duryodhana would immediately send his army to eliminate us. It is better not to face him so openly yet.”
“We will dress up as poor Brahmanas,” concluded Yudhisthira, “and seek hospitality from someone who can offer it to us. As for our maintenance, we will beg as all those who belong to this order do.”
Thus, disguised, the Pandavas and their mother entered the town and looked for a place to stay; they soon found hospitality with a family of simple and pious Brahmanas, who put at their disposal some rooms.
Quiet days passed.
Apart from Bhima, who had the problem that the amount of food was always insufficient for him, the Pandavas were happy and spent their time in a profitable way studying the sacred scriptures and going to begging but only enough for their survival. But even that period of serenity was at a certain point shaken by a drama that would have involved them.
It happened that one day, Kunti, involuntarily heard heartfelt lamentations coming from the rooms of the host family. It was a very convulsive and desperate weeping, so she got worried and wanted to know the cause.
“What happened so bad? Why are you crying so much? Tell me the reasons,” she asked gently.
“Is it possible that you do not know what calamity is making us suffer? Our existence has been hell for so many years, and living in this region has now become impossible. What is happening is terrible,” replied the Brahmana who was holding tight to him his wife and two children.
With difficulty, Kunti managed to get them to tell her what was making her new friends’ lives so painful.
“Some time ago a strong Rakshasa named Baka arrived in Ekachakra and immediately began terrible raids. He entered the villages and massacred the inhabitants, stealing and taking away whatever he wanted. Our king tried to intervene, but having understood that he was too strong for him, he did not even try to fight and like a coward he fled far away. At that point the situation had become unbearable. It was not known how to put an end to the massacres and the raids, when the elders of the village managed to make a deal with that devil. In the end, he agreed to cease his nefarious deeds, but on the condition that every week a family sends a cart full of food, pulled by eight mules, to the cave where he lives. As you can imagine, the Rakshasa eats everything, including the driver. This week it is my family’s turn to sacrifice someone, and one of us will have to die.”
So much pain struck Kunti that she thought of repaying the Brahmana for the hospitality she had received.
“Please, don’t cry anymore,” Kunti told them, “don’t worry about the Rakshasa anymore. I will solve the problem that haunts your country. My son will take the place of the person who is supposed to go and will lead the chariot to the Baka’s cave; then he will put an end to that evil existence.”
The Brahmana was astonished. On the one hand, he wanted to cling to what seemed like a glimmer of salvation for himself and his family, but on the other hand he did not intend to endanger the life of the young man, who he thought was an ordinary person. So, he said:
“It’s suicide, I can’t accept your proposal.”
“My son will not be in danger,” Kunti replied. “You do not know of his great strength, which knows no rivals. Do not fear, there is no risk for him; on the contrary, it is the Rakshasa who must be afraid.”
The Brahmana, convinced by these arguments, accepted.
That same evening the mother told everything to Bhima.
“Son,” Kunti concluded, “we have a duty of gratitude to these people who have offered us asylum for so long and also to the virtuous people of this country. You, who are Kshatriyas, warriors, have a duty to defend the weak people and to kill all those who disturb the peace and religious life. So, I believe that you should go to the Rakshasa and destroy him. Besides, you are always hungry and the food we get by begging is always scarce. Going with Baka’s cart you could satiate your appetite with what is destined for him.”
Bhima did not flinch, on the contrary he accepted that task with exultation. He was happy to have this opportunity to do something for the family that had always been so kind to them, and at the same time he also felt relieved at the prospect of finally being able to feed himself satisfactorily.
He left the same day.
It took a few hours of travel to reach the place where Baka’s cave was located. At first, he thought of causing some noise to call the the Rakshasa’s attention, but he immediately thought better:
“If I kill the Rakshasa now then I will have to fast the whole day to purify myself from the contact with that unclean being. During this time I have eaten too little to wait any longer, so it would be better to eat first and face him afterwards.”
The powerful Pandava began to voraciously eat the excellent food, causing loud noises with his jaws. The Rakshasa heard the strange sounds coming from outside and went out to see what was happening. What lay ahead of him left him for a moment petrified by surprise: the victim, instead of crying and asking for mercy as the others had always done, not at all worried about the danger, was eating all his food.
Overcome by the surprise, Baka thundered against Bhima and getting no answer he threw himself against him with unprecedented fury; but Bhima did not get upset and continued to eat until he had finished. Then, Bhima got up and went wild. At the end of the furious struggle, the Rakshasa fell lying to the ground lifeless.
Then the heroic Pandava dragged the gigantic body to the gates of the village and left it there for all to see. Then, before anyone could see him and suspect who he really was, he fled. Certainly that could not have been a feat made by a poor Brahmana.
There was a great celebration for Baka’s death and the end of that nightmare. Thanks to Bhima, it was now possible to live peacefully.
This is a section of the book “Maha-bharata, Vol. 1”.
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