Intro
Baka parva tells the story of Bhima’s fight with a cannibal named Baka.
https://crackpot.substack.com/t/baka
As It Rhymes
1.
The broken Baka lay in a twist.
Bakasura’s mountainous body lay dead.
2.
Other cannibals heard Baka’s death cry in the night.
The cannibals raced from their homes to the site.
3.
After seeing Baka’s remains the cannibals lost their wit.
Bhima consoled the cannibals for the loss of their chief.
4.
Bhima told the cannibals to renounce violence or get hit in the head.
Bhima said, “If you take one more life, you’re next.”
5.
O’ Bharata! The cannibals paid grave respect to Bhima’s threat.
The rakshasas near Ekachakra gave up eating human flesh.
6.
The cannibals honored the arrangement without duplicity.
7.
Then Bhima dragged Baka’s corpse to the city.
Bhima threw Baka down at the city gate in the dawning light.
8.
The cannibals fled in panic to the night after seeing what Bhima’s might did to Baka in the fight.
9.
Then Bhima returned to the Brahman’s house.
Bhima told Yudhisthira all about the fight he won.
10.
Soon people saw Baka’s breathless broken bloodied corpse with broken arms and neck wrung.
11.
People felt joy seeing someone destroy Baka though the corpse was hair-raising gore.
12.
People went to Ekachakra to peek at Bhima’s flex.
13.
Men, women, elderly patrons and cherished children felt astonished by the superhuman feat.
14.
Soon the people worked out whose turn it was for Baka to eat.
They approached the Brahman and popped the question.
15.
The brahman kept his word to protect the Pandavas’ secret.
The brahman sold a snake tale to the perplexed.
16.
The Brahman said,
“We were crying about fate when a great-souled Siddha approached us with mantras wanting to know our sorrow.
17.
We grudgingly told him about Baka’s demand due tomorrow.
Smiling the siddha told us to have faith in the universe.
18.
He said, ‘I work the wicked and am at your service.
You don’t need to fear. I will deliver Baka’s due.’
19.
Then he went on foot to the wood where Baka lived with the wagon of food.
20.
The mystery Brahman did it, I guess.”
To a person kshatriya, shudra and vaishya were astonished then at the vast power of the Brahmins’ word.
21.
The gawkers returned home with arms raised to praise the lord.
The Pandavas lived well in Ekachakra after sorting the Baka mess.
Notes
[5] Rakshasa means cannibal, or demonic being.
[9] A brahman is priest, or spiritually minded sage.
[20] The four life paths are warrior (ksatriya),
priest (brahman), merchant and farmer (vaishya) and laborer (shudra).
People of all walks of life gawked at Baka's death.