Bakasura (, ), also rendered Baka, is a

rakshasa Rākshasa (, , ; ; "preservers") are a race of usually malevolent beings prominently featured in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Folk Islam. They reside on Earth but possess supernatural powers, which they usually use for evil acts such as ...

featured in the Hindu epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

. The rakshasa lives in a forest which nowadays known as "Gangani" located near Garhbeta town of the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. 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 (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

host when it is his turn to deliver the cartload,

Bhima Bhima (, ), also known as Bhimasena (, ), is a hero and one of the most prominent characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. As the second of the five Pandava brothers, Bhima was born to Kunti—the wife of King Pandu—fathered by Vayu, the ...

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

Kunti Kunti (, un̪t̪iː ), also known as Pritha (, ">r̩t̪ʰaː/nowiki>, ), is a prominent female character in the ancient Hindu epic '' Mahabharata''. She is chiefly recognised as the mother of the central characters—the five Pandavas—h ...

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

History

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

and Kunti travelled to Ekachakrapura after Bhima's wedding to Hidimbi, 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 long 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