The Birth and Curse of Tataka

Shloka 1 (bala.25.1)

अथ तस्याप्रमेयस्य मुनेर्वचनमुत्तमम् । श्रुत्वा पुरुषशार्दूलः प्रत्युवाच शुभां गिरम् ॥ २५.१ ॥

atha tasyāprameyasya munervacanamuttamam | śrutvā puruṣaśārdūlaḥ pratyuvāca śubhāṃ giram || 25.1 ||

Then, having heard those excellent words of that immeasurable sage, the tiger among men, Rama, replied with these gracious words.

Shloka 2 (bala.25.2)

अल्पवीर्या यदा यक्षी श्रूयते मुनिपुङ्गव । कथं नागसहस्रस्य धारयत्यबला बलम् ॥ २५.२ ॥

alpavīryā yadā yakṣī śrūyate munipuṅgava | kathaṃ nāgasahasrasya dhārayatyabalā balam || 25.2 ||

“O eminent sage, since it is said that a yakshi's strength is trivial, how then does this frail woman come to possess the strength of a thousand elephants?”

Shloka 3 (bala.25.3)

इत्युक्तं वचनं श्रुत्वा राघवस्यामितोजसा । हर्षयन् श्लक्ष्णया वाचा सलक्ष्मणमरिन्दमम् ॥ २५.३ ॥

ityuktaṃ vacanaṃ śrutvā rāghavasyāmitojasā | harṣayan ślakṣṇayā vācā salakṣmaṇamarindamam || 25.3 ||

Hearing this word spoken by Raghava of boundless energy, and cheering the foe-subduer, together with Lakshmana, with his gentle speech—

Shloka 4 (bala.25.4)

विश्वामित्रोऽब्रवीद्वाक्यं शृणु येन बलोत्कटा । वरदानकृतं वीर्यं धारयत्यबला बलम् ॥ २५.४ ॥

viśvāmitro'bravīdvākyaṃ śṛṇu yena balotkaṭā | varadānakṛtaṃ vīryaṃ dhārayatyabalā balam || 25.4 ||

Vishwamitra said, “Listen, by what means this frail woman came to possess such surpassing might: it is a power granted by a boon that lets her, though a woman, bear such strength.

Shloka 5 (bala.25.5)

पूर्वमासीन्महायक्षः सुकेतुर्नाम वीर्यवान् । अनपत्यः शुभाचारः स च तेपे महत्तपः ॥ २५.५ ॥

pūrvamāsīnmahāyakṣaḥ suketurnāma vīryavān | anapatyaḥ śubhācāraḥ sa ca tepe mahattapaḥ || 25.5 ||

“Long ago there lived a mighty yaksha named Suketu, of noble conduct but without children, and he performed intense austerities.

Shloka 6 (bala.25.6)

पितामहस्तु सुप्रीतस्तस्य यक्षपतेस्तदा । कन्यारत्नं ददौ राम ताटकां नाम नामतः ॥ २५.६ ॥

pitāmahastu suprītastasya yakṣapatestadā | kanyāratnaṃ dadau rāma tāṭakāṃ nāma nāmataḥ || 25.6 ||

“The Grandsire Brahma, well pleased with him, then gave that lord of yakshas, O Rama, a jewel of a daughter, named Tataka.

Shloka 7 (bala.25.7)

ददौ नागसहस्रस्य बलं चास्याः पितामहः । न त्वेव पुत्रं यक्षाय ददौ ब्रह्मा महायशाः ॥ २५.७ ॥

dadau nāgasahasrasya balaṃ cāsyāḥ pitāmahaḥ | na tveva putraṃ yakṣāya dadau brahmā mahāyaśāḥ || 25.7 ||

“The Grandsire also gave her the strength of a thousand elephants; but the illustrious Brahma did not, however, grant that yaksha a son.

Shloka 8 (bala.25.8)

तां तु बालां विवर्धन्तीं रूपयौवनशालिनीम् । जंभपुत्राय सुन्दाय ददौ भार्यां यशस्विनीम् ॥ २५.८ ॥

tāṃ tu bālāṃ vivardhantīṃ rūpayauvanaśālinīm | jaṃbhaputrāya sundāya dadau bhāryāṃ yaśasvinīm || 25.8 ||

As that girl grew up, endowed with beauty and youth, her father gave the illustrious maiden in marriage to Sunda, the son of Jambha.

Shloka 9 (bala.25.9)

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य यक्षी पुत्रं व्यजायत । मारीचं नाम दुर्धर्षं यः शापाद्राक्षसोऽभवत् ॥ २५.९ ॥

kasyacittvatha kālasya yakṣī putraṃ vyajāyata | mārīcaṃ nāma durdharṣaṃ yaḥ śāpādrākṣaso'bhavat || 25.9 ||

After some time, that yakshi gave birth to a son named Maricha, formidable and unassailable, who later, through a curse, became a demon.

Shloka 10 (bala.25.10)

सुन्दे तु निहते राम सागस्त्यमृषिसत्तमम् । ताटका सह पुत्रेण प्रधर्षयितुमिच्छति ॥ २५.१० ॥

sunde tu nihate rāma sāgastyamṛṣisattamam | tāṭakā saha putreṇa pradharṣayitumicchati || 25.10 ||

But, O Rama, when Sunda was slain, Tataka, together with her son, sought to attack the most eminent sage Agastya.

Shloka 11 (bala.25.11)

भक्षार्थं जातसंरम्भा गर्जन्ती साभ्यधावत । आपतन्तीं तु तां दृष्ट्वा अगस्त्यो भगवानृषिः ॥ २५.११ ॥

bhakṣārthaṃ jātasaṃrambhā garjantī sābhyadhāvata | āpatantīṃ tu tāṃ dṛṣṭvā agastyo bhagavānṛṣiḥ || 25.11 ||

Roused with sudden desperation and roaring loudly, she rushed toward him meaning to devour him; and seeing her hurtling at him, the godly sage Agastya—

Shloka 12 (bala.25.12)

राक्षसत्वं भजस्वेति मारीचं व्याजहार सः । अगस्त्यः परमामर्षस्ताटकामपि शप्तवान् ॥ २५.१२ ॥

rākṣasatvaṃ bhajasveti mārīcaṃ vyājahāra saḥ | agastyaḥ paramāmarṣastāṭakāmapi śaptavān || 25.12 ||

said to Maricha, “Become a rakshasa!” Then Agastya, greatly incensed, cursed Tataka as well:

Shloka 13 (bala.25.13)

पुरुषादी महायक्षी विरूपा विकृतानना । इदं रूपं विहायाशु दारुणं रूपमस्तु ते ॥ २५.१३ ॥

puruṣādī mahāyakṣī virūpā vikṛtānanā | idaṃ rūpaṃ vihāyāśu dāruṇaṃ rūpamastu te || 25.13 ||

“O great yakshi, become a man-eater, misshapen and hideous of face; cast off this present form at once—let a monstrous form be yours!”

Shloka 14 (bala.25.14)

सैषा शापकृतामर्षा ताटका क्रोधमूर्च्छिता । देशमुत्सादयत्येनमगस्त्याचरितं शुभम् ॥ २५.१४ ॥

saiṣā śāpakṛtāmarṣā tāṭakā krodhamūrcchitā | deśamutsādayatyenamagastyācaritaṃ śubham || 25.14 ||

It is she, maddened by the fury born of that curse, who, convulsed with rage, now devastates this very land where the blessed Agastya once dwelt.

Shloka 15 (bala.25.15)

एनां राघवदुर्वृत्तां यक्षीं परमदारुणाम् । गोब्राह्मणहितार्थाय जहि दुष्टपराक्रमाम् ॥ २५.१५ ॥

enāṃ rāghavadurvṛttāṃ yakṣīṃ paramadāruṇām | gobrāhmaṇahitārthāya jahi duṣṭaparākramām || 25.15 ||

This yakshi, O Raghava, of wicked conduct, most terrible and malign in her prowess—for the welfare of cows and brahmins, slay her.

Shloka 16 (bala.25.16)

न ह्येनां शापसंसृष्टां कश्चिदुत्सहते पुमान् । निहन्तुं त्रिषु लोकेषु त्वामृते रघुनन्दन ॥ २५.१६ ॥

na hyenāṃ śāpasaṃsṛṣṭāṃ kaścidutsahate pumān | nihantuṃ triṣu lokeṣu tvāmṛte raghunandana || 25.16 ||

O delight of the Raghus, save for you, there is no man in the three worlds who dares to slay her, so bound is she by that curse.

Shloka 17 (bala.25.17)

न हि ते स्त्रीवधकृते घृणा कार्या नरोत्तम । चातुर्वर्ण्यहितार्थाय कर्तव्यम् राजसूनुना ॥ २५.१७ ॥

na hi te strīvadhakṛte ghṛṇā kāryā narottama | cāturvarṇyahitārthāya kartavyam rājasūnunā || 25.17 ||

O best of men, you need feel no scruple in the killing of a woman here; a king's son must act for the welfare of all four orders of society.

Shloka 18 (bala.25.18)

नृशंसमनृशंसं वा प्रजारक्षणकारणात् । पातकं वा सदोषं वा कर्तव्यं रक्षता सदा ॥ २५.१८ ॥

nṛśaṃsamanṛśaṃsaṃ vā prajārakṣaṇakāraṇāt | pātakaṃ vā sadoṣaṃ vā kartavyaṃ rakṣatā sadā || 25.18 ||

For the sake of protecting his subjects, a protector must always be ready to do what is needed, whether it seems cruel or kind, however sinful or blameworthy it may appear.

Shloka 19 (bala.25.19)

राज्यभारनियुक्तानामेष धर्मः सनातनः । अधर्म्यां जहि काकुत्स्थ धर्मो ह्यस्यां न विद्यते ॥ २५.१९ ॥

rājyabhāraniyuktānāmeṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ | adharmyāṃ jahi kākutstha dharmo hyasyāṃ na vidyate || 25.19 ||

This is the eternal duty of those charged with bearing the burden of a kingdom. Slay this embodiment of unrighteousness, O Kakutstha, for no righteousness whatever is found in her.

Shloka 20 (bala.25.20)

श्रूयते हि पुरा शक्रो विरोचनसुतां नृप । पृथिवीं हन्तुमिच्छन्तीं मन्थरामभ्यसूदयत् ॥ २५.२० ॥

śrūyate hi purā śakro virocanasutāṃ nṛpa | pṛthivīṃ hantumicchantīṃ mantharāmabhyasūdayat || 25.20 ||

We have indeed heard, O king, that Indra of old slew Manthara, the daughter of Virochana, when she sought to destroy the earth.

Shloka 21 (bala.25.21)

विष्णुना च पुरा राम भृगुपत्नी पतिव्रता । अनिन्द्रं लोकमिच्छन्ती काव्यमाता निषूदिता ॥ २५.२१ ॥

viṣṇunā ca purā rāma bhṛgupatnī pativratā | anindraṃ lokamicchantī kāvyamātā niṣūditā || 25.21 ||

And, O Rama, in ancient times Vishnu slew even the devoted wife of sage Bhrigu, the mother of Shukra, when she wished the world to be rid of Indra.

Shloka 22 (bala.25.22)

एतैरन्यैश्च बहुभी राजपुत्रैर्महात्मभिः । अधर्मसहिता नार्यो हताः पुरुषसत्तमैः । तस्मादेनां घृणां त्यक्त्वा जहि मच्छासनान्नृप ॥ २५.२२ ॥

etairanyaiśca bahubhī rājaputrairmahātmabhiḥ | adharmasahitā nāryo hatāḥ puruṣasattamaiḥ | tasmādenāṃ ghṛṇāṃ tyaktvā jahi macchāsanānnṛpa || 25.22 ||

By these and many other great-souled princes, by the noblest of men, women given to unrighteousness have been slain. Therefore, O prince, cast aside your scruple and, at my command, slay her.