How 16 year old Lord Rama kills giant demoness Tataka (Tadaka) in his first major battle - Part 2 of 5 (Valmiki Ramayan)

Minor update on 11th Aug. 2019

This post continues from the post: How 16 year old Lord Rama kills giant demoness Tataka (Tadaka) in his first major battle - Part 1 of 5 (Valmiki Ramayan), https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2019/03/how-16-year-old-lord-rama-kills-giant.html, 14th March 2019

[I had initially thought this would be a two-part article but now I see that it is going to be more than 2 parts and I am not sure how many parts it will be.]

A small extract from the bottom of the above post:

After they cross the confluence of rivers Sarayu and Ganga, they see a horrendous forest without any trodden paths. Rama mentions the swarms of crickets, wild boars, tigers, elephants and vultures which were making fierce screeching noises, in this forest. Rama then asks Viswamitra what this wretched forest is.
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Viswamitra tells Rama that once this forest had two very good provinces, designed by gods, known as Malada and Karuusha, which were blessed by a special boon from Indra (a powerful god). These provinces were affluent and the people there were happy with wealth and grains. Ref: https://www.valmikiramayan.net/utf8/baala/sarga24/bala_24_frame.htm

Later a yaksha female called Tataka, who is the wife of Sunda, came to this place. Tataka has the capacity to change her form at will and has the strength of a thousand elephants. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaksha tells us that yakshas are nature-spirits which are usually benevolent but sometimes are mischevious or capricious. Ravi: So they are not fearsome creatures like rakshasas (demons).]

The malevolent Tataka stays in this place, blocking the route and is always destroying (human) inhabitations of Malada and Karuusha due to which this place has become a forest (Tataka's forest).

Sage Viswamitra then tells Rama that his (Viswamitra's) assignment to him (Rama) is that, based on his own strength (strength of his own arms), he (Rama) should kill this evildoer (Tataka), thereby freeing this province/region from the (thorny) menace. Ref:1-24-30

[Ravi: I think this is a very important verse in Valmiki Ramayana as, for the first time, we see Lord Rama, a 16 year old young warrior, being assigned or requested or instructed (whichever way one wants to interpret it) to kill an evil demon (demoness) who is tyrannizing human populace of a region. Tataka herself has not harmed Rama or Ayodhya. So this deals with the far-beyond-Ayodhya role that Lord Rama was born for. It deals with Lord Rama's mission of upholding Dharma and protecting good and pious people across large areas of Bharat (India), by defeating and/or killing demons (rakshasas) who were indulging in evil Adharma of killing the good and the pious.]

Sage Viswamitra says that the province has been made uninhabitable by the demoness with none being able to enter the province.

The manly-tiger Lord Rama asks Sage Viswamitra that as yakshas themselves are considered to be not strong creatures, how can a female yaksha (yakshi) possess the strength of a thousand elephants? Ref: 1-25-1 and 1-25-2, https://www.valmikiramayan.net/utf8/baala/sarga25/bala_5F25_frame.htm

Viswamitra explains that she got that strength through a boon bestowed on her. He explains that Tataka's father, a yaksha called Suketu had done great penance which pleased Lord Brahma due to which he gave a gem like daughter Tataka to him with the daughter possessing the strength of a thousand elephants.

She grew to be a beautiful female yakshi and was married to Sunda from whom she had a son called Mareecha.

Eminent Sage Agastya cursed Sunda which led to Sunda's death [Ravi: details are not provided]. Tataka and her son Mareecha wanted to take revenge on Sage Agastya.

Tataka, along with her son Mareecha, rushed towards the godly Sage Agastya as though she was going to eat him. Sage Agastya then cursed that her son Mareecha will become a demon (rakshasa).

The highly infuriated Sage Agastya cursed Tataka that she will lose her form of a beautiful female (yakshi) and become a cannibal (man eater) and have a monstrous form/body. Ref: 1-25-12 and 1-25-13

Maddened and infuriated by that curse, Tataka is destroying this province where once the (eminent and auspicious) Sage Agastya lived in and moved about in.

Sage Viswamitra continues, for the welfare of Brahmins and cows (Sanskrit: "गो ब्राह्मण हितार्थाय" 'go brahmana hitaarthaya (cha)'), you shall kill this evil and very powerful yakshii (Tataka). Ref: 1-25-15

Viswamitra says, "निहन्तुम् त्रिषु लोकेषु त्वाम् ऋते रघु नन्दन" 'Nihantum trishu lokeshu tvam rute Raghu nandan' which I think means other than you, Raghu's descendent (Lord Rama), there is nobody in the three worlds (Ravi: three worlds may be swarga (heaven), earthly plane and naraka (nether world)), who can kill (Tataka). The other part of the verse states that Tataka is well sheathed (protected) by the curse. Ref: 1-25-16.

[Ravi: I think the above words about Lord Rama alone, in the three worlds, having the ability to kill Tataka, are very important. It implies that Sage Viswamitra cannot kill Tataka. Nor can great warrior-heroes including Rama's father King Dasaratha (but excluding Rama, of course) kill her. And Rama is only a 16 years old warrior-lad! Viswamitra knows that God has taken Avatar as Lord Rama and so Lord Rama has superhuman and divine warrior-power even if he is only 16 years old! Viswamitra plays his role as the teacher and advisor who provides Rama with mantra-power (e.g. Bala and Atibala mantras) and gives him background knowledge about the powerful demoness Tataka. So the eminent Sage Viswamitra helps the young warrior-lad Rama but Viswamitra knows that he himself cannot kill Tataka and that it is Lord Rama and Lord Rama alone who will be able to kill Tataka. Extraordinary and fascinating aspect of the story of Lord Rama's divine advent.]

Viswamitra also tells Lord Rama not to spare Tataka just because she is a female. To protect people (from Tataka's murderous and cannibalistic ways), a protector has to execute such deeds (of killing grave evildoers).

"राज्य भार नियुक्तानाम् एष धर्मः सनातनः" 'Rajya bhar niyuktaanaam esha dharmah sanatanah' English translation: For those who bear the burden of ruling kingdom(s), this duty (of killing grave evildoers) is the age-old (eternal) duty. The other part of the verse instructs Lord Rama to kill this evildoer as there is no goodness in her. Ref: 1-25-19

[Ravi: The next part will cover how Rama reacts and responds to Viswamitra's words and then move on to the battle between Rama and Tataka.]

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[I thank valmikiramayan.net and have presumed that they will not have any objections to me sharing the above extract(s) & references from their website on this post which is freely viewable by all, and does not have any financial profit motive whatsoever.]