# Bāla Kāṇḍa 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* Portion: Tāṭakā’s forest · Verses: 19 · Ref format: 1.24. ## Sequence - Rāma asks how Tāṭakā can possess such extraordinary strength (24.1–2) - 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 (24.3–6) - she grew in beauty and youth, was given in marriage to Sunda, son of Jambha, and later bore Mārīca (24.7–8) - after Sunda was slain, Tāṭakā and Mārīca sought to attack Agastya → he cursed Mārīca to become a rākṣasa and Tāṭakā to lose her beauty and become a hideous puruṣādī (man-eater) (24.9–11) - enraged by the curse, she laid waste this region associated with Agastya (24.12) - Viśvāmitra tells Rāma that protecting the population requires killing her despite her being a woman (24.13–16) - he cites Indra killing Virocana's daughter Mantharā when she threatened to destroy the earth, and Viṣṇu killing Bhṛgu's wife, the mother of Śukra, when she sought a world without Indra (24.17–19). ## Verses **1.24.1** atha tasyāprameyasya muner vacanam uttamam śrutvā puruṣaśārdūlaḥ pratyuvāca śubhāṃ giram Then, having heard the excellent speech of that immeasurable sage, the tiger among men replied with an auspicious word: **1.24.2** alpavīryā yadā yakṣāḥ śrūyante munipuṃgava kathaṃ nāgasahasrasya dhārayaty abalā balam “Since yakṣas are heard to be of little valour, O bull among sages, how does a (mere) woman hold the strength of a thousand elephants?” **1.24.3** viśvāmitro 'bravīd vākyaṃ śṛṇu yena balottarā varadānakṛtaṃ vīryaṃ dhārayaty abalā balam Viśvāmitra spoke this word: “Hear by what she, a woman superior in strength, holds a might born of the granting of a boon. **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. **1.24.5** pitāmahas tu suprītas tasya yakṣapates tadā kanyāratnaṃ dadau rāma tāṭakāṃ nāma nāmataḥ And the Grandsire (Brahmā), well pleased, then gave to that lord of yakṣas a jewel of a daughter, O Rāma, Tāṭakā by name. **1.24.6** dadau nāgasahasrasya balaṃ cāsyāḥ pitāmahaḥ na tv eva putraṃ yakṣāya dadau brahmā mahāyaśāḥ And the Grandsire gave her the strength of a thousand elephants; yet the greatly renowned Brahmā gave no son to that yakṣa. **1.24.7** tāṃ tu jātāṃ vivardhantīṃ rūpayauvanaśālinīm jambhaputrāya sundāya dadau bhāryāṃ yaśasvinīm And her, born and growing up, graced with beauty and youth, he gave as wife — the illustrious one — to Sunda, son of Jambha. **1.24.8** kasya cit tv atha kālalsya yakṣī putraṃ vyajāyata mārīcaṃ nāma durdharṣaṃ yaḥ śāpād rākṣaso 'bhavat And after some time the yakṣī bore a son, Mārīca by name, invincible, who by a curse became a rākṣasa. **1.24.9** sunde tu nihate rāma agastyam ṛṣisattamam tāṭakā saha putreṇa pradharṣayitum icchati And when Sunda was slain, O Rāma, Tāṭakā, together with her son, sought to assail Agastya, the best of seers. **1.24.10** rākṣasatvaṃ bhajasveti mārīcaṃ vyājahāra saḥ agastyaḥ paramakruddhas tāṭakām api śaptavān “Take on rākṣasa-hood!” — thus he uttered to Mārīca; and Agastya, exceedingly enraged, cursed Tāṭakā as well. **1.24.11** puruṣādī mahāyakṣī virūpā vikṛtānanā idaṃ rūpam apahāya dāruṇaṃ rūpam astu te “Man-eating great yakṣī, misshapen and hideous of face — casting off this (present) form, let a dreadful form be yours!” **1.24.12** saiṣā śāpakṛtāmarṣā tāṭakā krodhamūrchitā deśam utsādayaty enam agastyacaritaṃ śubham This Tāṭakā, indignant at the curse and senseless with rage, lays waste this fair region once frequented by Agastya. **1.24.13** enāṃ rāghava durvṛttāṃ yakṣīṃ paramadāruṇām gobrāhmaṇahitārthāya jahi duṣṭaparākramām This ill-conducted yakṣī, exceedingly dreadful and of wicked prowess, slay, O Rāghava, for the good of cows and brahmins. **1.24.14** na hy enāṃ śāpasaṃsṛṣṭāṃ kaś cid utsahate pumān nihantuṃ triṣu lokeṣu tvām ṛte raghunandana For no man in the three worlds, save you, O delight of Raghu, dares to slay her, bound as she is by the curse. **1.24.15** na hi te strīvadhakṛte ghṛṇā kāryā narottama cāturvarṇyahitārthāya kartavyaṃ rājasūnunā You should feel no pity on account of the killing of a woman, O best of men; for the good of the four castes it must be done by a prince. **1.24.16** rājyabhāraniyuktānām eṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ adharmyāṃ jahi kākutsha dharmo hy asyā na vidyate This is the eternal dharma of those charged with the burden of kingship; slay the unrighteous one, O Kākutstha, for no dharma is found in her. **1.24.17** śrūyate hi purā śakro virocanasutāṃ nṛpa pṛthivīṃ hantum icchantīṃ mantharām abhyasūdayat For it is heard that of old Śakra (Indra) slew Mantharā, the daughter of Virocana, when she sought to destroy the earth, O king. **1.24.18** viṣṇunā ca purā rāma bhṛgupatnī dṛḍhavratā anindraṃ lokam icchantī kāvyamātā niṣūditā And of old, O Rāma, by Viṣṇu was slain the wife of Bhṛgu, of firm vows, the mother of Kāvya (Śukra), when she wished to make the world without an Indra. **1.24.19** etaiś cānyaiś ca bahubhī rājaputramahātmabhiḥ adharmaniratā nāryo hatāḥ puruṣasattamaiḥ By these and by many other great-souled princes, the best of men, women bent on unrighteousness have been slain.