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Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.24.4

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 24: Story of Tāṭakā: Birth, marriage and Agastya’s curse. Brahmā grants Suketu a powerful daughter, Tāṭakā marries Sunda and bears Mārīca, their attack on Agastya brings his transforming curses

In the sequence: Viśvāmitra explains that the childless yakṣa Suketu performed austerities → pleased, Brahmā gave him a daughter, Tāṭakā → he also gave her the strength of a thousand elephants, but gave Suketu no son

1.24.4

pūrvam āsīn mahāyakṣaḥ suketur nāma vīryavān
anapatyaḥ śubhācāraḥ sa ca tepe mahat tapaḥ

Formerly there was a great yakṣa named Suketu, valorous, childless, of pure conduct; and he practised great austerity.

Words: pūrvam — formerly; āsīn — there was; mahāyakṣaḥ — a great yakṣa; suketur — Suketu; nāma — by name; vīryavān — valorous; anapatyaḥ — childless; śubhācāraḥ — of pure conduct; sa — he; ca — and; tepe — practised (austerity); mahat — great; tapaḥ — austerity

Composed by Maharṣi Vālmīki, the ādikavi of the ādikāvya: the first poet of the first poem. Sanskrit: The Vālmīki-Rāmāyaṇa: Critical Edition, Oriental Institute, Baroda, 1960–1975 (gen. eds. G. H. Bhatt, U. P. Shah); IAST from GRETIL (Göttingen). Translation and word glosses: Claude Opus 4.6–4.7; summaries and sequences: ChatGPT Astra (machine-made). Numbering follows the Critical Edition, not the vulgate (e.g. Gita Press, valmikiramayan.net), so sarga and verse numbers can differ from those editions.