Bala Kanda, Sarga 25

Meaning

Hearing the noble utterance of the celebrated Viśwāmitra, possessed of immeasurable glory, Śrī Rāma, a tiger among men, forthwith asked the following sweetly-worded question : (1)

Meaning

“When Tāṭakā, the Yakṣa woman, is known, from what you say, to be a female (proverbially lacking in strength), O jewel among hermits, she must presumably be of poor might. How then does she wield the strength of a thousand elephants?” (2)

Meaning

Hearing the aforesaid question of Śrī Rāma, a scion of Raghu, possessed of infinite strength, Viśwāmitra addressed the following reply to the former, who was capable of chastising the enemy, gladdening him alongwith Lakṣmaṇa by his bland speech : “Hear the reason why she is richly endowed with strength. Though a frail woman by birth, she wields extraordinary strength conferred by a boon granted in her favour. (3-4)

Meaning

“Formerly there was a great and powerful Yakṣa, Suketu by name, who was issuless, though of virtuous conduct. He, therefore, practised great austerities with intent to please Brahmā. Highly gratified even in the course of his austerities, Brahmā (the progenitor of the entire creation, which sprang from his mind-born sons) gave him an excellent daughter, Tāṭakā by name : so the tradition goes. (5-6)

Meaning

“Brahmā further vouchsafed to her the strength of a thousand elephants. The illustrious Brahmā, however, did not deliberately grant a son to the Yakṣa (obviously thinking that a son of the kind desired by him would prove a great scourge to the world). (7)

Meaning

“Suketu for his part gave away as wife that glorious girl, rich in comeliness of form and exuberance of youth, even while she was growing apace to womanhood, to Sunda, son of Jambha, who, being a demon, was qualified to marry a Yakṣa girl, both being demigods. (8)

Meaning

“Now after some time Tāṭakā, the Yakṣa girl, actually gave birth to a son, Mārīca by name, who was hard to overcome and who turned to be an ogre (living on raw flesh) under a curse. (9)

Meaning

“Sunda having been killed by the sage Agastya by means of a curse, O Rāma, Tāṭakā alongwith her son sought to kill Agastya, the foremost of Ṛṣis. (10)

Meaning

“Her rage having been excited, she (as well as Mārīca) ran towards the sage in order to devour him. Seeing her rushing towards him, Agastya, the mighty Ṛṣi, however, said to Mārīca, “Attain the state of an ogre !” Full of extreme anger the aforesaid Agastya cursed Tāṭakā too in the following words : (11-12)

Meaning

“ ‘Dropping this comely form at once, get transformed into an ugly man-eating ogress with a mis-shapen countenance, a great Yakṣa woman as you are ! Let your personality assume a cruel aspect.’ (13)

Meaning

“Her indignation having been aroused by the execration, the aforesaid Tāṭakā, thus transformed and bewildered with anger, ravages this holy tract, once trodden by Agastya. (14)

Meaning

“For the good of the cows and the Brāhmaṇas, O Rāma, get rid of this most cruel Yakṣa woman of evil conduct and perverted valour. (15)

Meaning

“No man in all the three worlds other than you dare kill this woman, made formidable by a curse, O scion of Raghu ! (16)

Meaning

“No disgust should be felt by you for the act of killing a woman, O jewel among men ! For in the interest of the four grades of society, even a cruel deed has in any case to be perpetrated by a Kṣatriya prince as well as an act which is anything but cruel. For the protection of the people even that which is sinful or wrong must invariably be done by one whose duty it is to protect. (17-18)

Meaning

“Such is the eternal duty of those charged with the onus of administration. Make short work of the impious woman, O scion of Kakutstha; for there exists no righteousness in her. (19)

Meaning

“It is heard that in the former days Indra killed Mantharā, daughter of Virocana (son of Prahlāda), who desired to destroy the earth, O protector of men ! (20)

Meaning

“Again, the wife of the sage Bhṛgu and the mother of Śukrācārya (the well-known preceptor of the demons), who, though devoted to her husband, desired to see the world bereft of Indra, was disposed of by Lord Viṣṇu* in the past, O Rāma ! (21)

Meaning

“Women characterized by impiety were killed by all these as well as by many other high-souled Kṣatriya princes, who were the foremost of men. Therefore, shaking off all tenderness, despatch her by my command, O protector of men !” (22)