The Brahmana Explains Baka's Death Protecting the Pandavas
Pressed by the townspeople, the Brahmana whose turn it was to feed Baka tells a story that protects the five strangers in his home. He describes a great-souled, smiling Brahmana who volunteered to carry the food and who must, for the welfare of the worlds, have slain the demon.
Thus repeatedly asked, the bull among Brahmanas protected the Pandavas, but told the citizens everything else.
He said that when he had been ordered to supply the food, he was weeping with his family. A great-souled Brahmana, learned in the mantras, saw him. This stranger asked about the cause and learnt about the calamity that had befallen the city. That best among Brahmanas then reassured them. Smilingly, he comforted them. He said that he would himself carry the food to the evil-hearted one and that they should not be frightened for his sake. After taking the food, he set out for the forest where Baka lived.
“For the welfare of the worlds,” the Brahmana concluded to the crowd, “he must have been the one who performed this deed.”
It was an explanation that revealed the act but concealed the actors. The identity of the smiling volunteer — Bhima, the middle Pandava brother, in the guise of a Brahmana — remained safe. The presence of the five brothers and their mother, Kunti, in the Brahmana's house remained a secret.
Thereupon, all the astonished and delighted people — Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras — held a feast in honour of the Brahmana who had, in their eyes, borne the terrible duty and been the instrument of their salvation. All the inhabitants of the country came to the city to witness this extraordinary miracle.
And Pritha’s sons, the Pandavas, went on living there, hidden in plain sight, their safety secured by a story that was true in every detail except the names.