← 1.25.11 · Bāla Kāṇḍa 25: Rāma kills Tāṭakā · 1.25.13 →

Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa 1.25.12

Bāla Kāṇḍa, sarga 25: Rāma kills Tāṭakā. Rāma’s bowstring draws her attack, he kills her with an arrow to the breast and the Devas ask Viśvāmitra to reward him with divine weapons

In the sequence: seeing the rākṣasī’s monstrous body, Rāma tells Lakṣmaṇa that he still intends to disable her rather than kill a woman: he proposes cutting her nose and ears and destroying her power to move and attack

1.25.12

na hy enām utsahe hantuṃ strīsvabhāvena rakṣitām
vīryaṃ cāsyā gatiṃ cāpi haniṣyāmīti me matiḥ

For I do not venture to slay her, protected as she is by her woman's nature; but I will destroy her strength and her power of movement — such is my intent.”

Words: na — not; hy — for; enām — her; utsahe — I venture, dare; hantuṃ — to slay; strīsvabhāvena — by her woman's nature; rakṣitām — protected; vīryaṃ — strength, might; cāsyā — and her; gatiṃ — power of movement, gait; cāpi — and also; haniṣyāmīti — ‘I shall destroy,’ thus; me — my; matiḥ — thought, intent

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.