“Vaishampaayana continued, ‘Having heard these words
of his mother, Yudhishthira said, ‘O mother, what you have deliberately done,
moved by compassion for the pained Brahmana, is indeed, excellent Bhima will
certainly come back with life, after having slain the Rakshasa, to the extent
as you are, O mother, always compassionate to Brahmanas. O mother, but tell the
Brahmana that he does not do anything by which the dwellers in this town may
know anything about it, and make him promise to keep your request.’
“Vaishampaayana continued, ‘Then, when the night
passed away, Bhimasena - the Pandava, taking with him the Rakshasa's food set
out for the place where the cannibal lived. The mighty Pandava, approaching the
forest where the Rakshasa stayed, began to eat himself the food he carried,
calling loudly to the Rakshasa by name. The Rakshasa, inflamed with anger at
Bhima's words, came out and approached the place where Bhima was.
“Of huge body and great strength, of red eyes, red
beard, and red hair, he was terrible to see, and he came pressing deep the
earth with his walk. The opening of his mouth, was from ear to ear and his ears
themselves were straight as arrows. Of horrible face, he had a forehead wrinkled
into three lines. Seeing Bhima eating his food, the Rakshasa advanced, biting
his lower lip and expanding his eyes in anger.
“Addressing Bhima he said, ‘Who is this fool, who
desiring to go to Yamaloka, eats in my very sight the food intended for me?’
“O Bharata (Janamejaya), hearing these words, Bhima smiled in mockery
and disregarding the Rakshasa, continued eating with face turned away. Seeing
this, the Rakshasa uttered a frightful yell and with both arms upraised ran at
Bhima desiring to kill him, there and then. Even then disregarding the Rakshasa
and looking only a single glance at him, Vrikodara (Bhimasena), that slayer of hostile heroes continued
to eat the Rakshasa's food. Filled with anger at this, the Rakshasa struck,
from behind with both his arms a heavy blow on the back of Vrikodara – the son
of Kunti. But Bhima, though struck heavily by the mighty Rakshasa, with both
his hands, did not even look up at the Rakshasa but continued to eat as before.
Then the mighty Rakshasa, inflamed with wrath, tore up a tree and ran at Bhima
for striking him again.
“Meanwhile the mighty Bhima, that bull among men had
leisurely eaten up the whole of that food and washing himself stood cheerfully
for fight. O Bharata, then possessed of great energy, Bhima, smiling in mockery,
caught with his left hand the tree hurled at him by the Rakshasa in anger. Then
that mighty Rakshasa, tearing up many more trees, hurled them at Bhima, and the
Pandava also hurled as many at the Rakshasa. O king, then the combat with trees
between that human being and the Rakshasa, became so terrible that the region
around soon became empty of trees.
“Then
the Rakshasa, saying that he was none else than Baka, sprang upon the Pandava
and catched the mighty Bhima with his arms. That mighty hero also clasping with
his own strong arms the strong-armed Rakshasa, and exerting himself actively,
began to drag him violently. Dragged by Bhima and dragging Bhima also, the Rakshasa
was overcome with great tired. The earth began to shake in consequence of the
strength they both exerted, and large trees that stood there broke in pieces.
Then Bhima, seeing the Rakshasa overcome with tiredness, pressed him down on
the earth with his knees and began to strike him with great force. Then placing
one knee on the middle of the Rakshasa's back, Bhima catched his neck with his
right hand and the cloth on his waist with his left, and bent him double with
great force. The Rakshasa then roared frightfully. O monarch (Janamejaya),
he (Baka) also began to vomit blood
while he was being thus broken on Bhima's knee.’”
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