Bakasura ( sa, बकासुर, ), also rendered Baka or kuaishwa, is a

rakshasa Rakshasas ( sa, राक्षस, IAST: : Pali: ''rakkhaso'') lit. 'preservers' are a race of usually malevolent demigods prominently featured in Hindu mythology. According to the Brahmanda Purana, the rakshasas were created by Brahma when ...

featured in the

Hindu epic Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, ev ...

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

. The rakshasa lives in a forest near the town of Ekachakrapura. In exchange for protecting the kingdom from invaders, he terrorises its citizens, eating them at will. The weak king is rendered helpless. The people come to an arrangement with their tormentor: They would send him large provisions of food every week, which he would consume, along with the cart-driver who delivered them. In order to save the life of their

Brahmin Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers ( ...

host when it is his turn to deliver the cartload,

Bhima In Hindu epic Mahabharata, Bhima ( sa, भीम, ) is the second among the five Pandavas. The '' Mahabharata'' relates many events that portray the might of Bhima. Bhima was born when Vayu, the wind god, granted a son to Kunti and Pandu. ...

is eventually sent out to kill Bakasura, under the direction of his mother,

Kunti Kunti ( sa, कुन्ती, ), named at birth as Pritha ( sa, पृथा, ), is one of the prominent characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is best known as the mother of the Pandavas and Karna, the main protagonists of the epi ...

. The slaying of Bakasura by Bhima is commemorated on the occasion of Bhimana Amavasya.

Legend

The

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

and Kunti travelled to Ekachakrapura after Bhima's wedding to

Hidimbi Hiḍimbī (Sanskrit: , IAST: ''Hiḍimbī''), or Hiḍimbā, is the rakshasi wife of the Pandava Bhima and the mother of Ghatotkacha in the ''Mahābhārata''. She meets Bhima in the 9th sub-parva (Hidimva-vadha Parva) of the Adi Parva. She i ...

, welcomed in the house of a Brahmin family. One day, Kunti heard the lamentations of the members of the family, and sought to identify the source of their distress. She overheard the husband speak of his woe that he would have to sacrifice himself in order to protect his wife and children. His wife, daughter, and son all desired to be the ones to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their family. Curious, Kunti approached them and sought some details regarding their troubles. The Brahmin informed her of the rakshasa named Bakasura, who defended the people from attackers, in exchange for a weekly delivery of a cartload of food. The person who delivered the cartload would also be devoured by the rakshasa. Disturbed, Kunti declared that no Brahmin should have to die for the depredations of the creature, and that her son, Bhima, would go in their stead. She assured the Brahmins that Bhima was of great prowess. Bhima immediately agreed to vanquish the rakshasa in gratitude for his hosts. That night, he was dispatched with the food that was to be delivered to the rakshasa, and carried the cartload to the forest, where Bakasura dwelt. The aroma of the food overpowered the Pandava so much that he started to consume it. When Bakasura saw his provisions being consumed, he was enraged, and rushed to attack Bhima. The two uprooted trees and hurled them at each other, and then proceeded to drag each other against the earth. Finally, Bakasura grew tired, and Bhima was able to plunge his knee against the former's spine, breaking his body into two. When Bakasura's friends and family arrived and grew terrified by the sight, Bhima assured them that they would be safe as along as they gave up human flesh, to which they agreed. Bhima secretly placed Bakasura's corpse upon the cartload near the town's gates and described the incident to the grateful Brahmins.

References

* {{HinduMythology Rakshasa in the Mahabharata Hindu mythology Rakshasa