Ramayana-15 ((Rama slays the Monsters- contd...) After crossing Ganga,Viswamitra and the princes entered the dense forest. This, Viswamitra said,is the Dandaka forest.What is now a terrible forest was once a well -peopled country.Once upon a time ,Indra was contaminated by sin,having killed Vritra,and had therefore to exile himself from the world of the Devas. the Devas set to themselves the task of cleaning Indra. they brought waters from the sacred rivers and bathed him to the accompaniment of mantras . The waters which cleansed Indra flowed in to the ground and enriched the earth and the land became tremendously fertile. All dead things -rotting corpse or stinking garbage-when returned to the earth are transformed in to things of beauty such as fruits,and flowers and the wholesome things that nourish life.Such is the alchemy of Mother earth. Viswamitra continued....For long people lived happily till TATAKA (wife of Sunda,a yaksha) and her son Maareecha wrought havoc and changed this into the dreadful wilderness it now is.They are still in this forst.and none dare enter it for fear of Tataka. She is equal in strength to a score of elephants.I have brought you here to rid the forest of this great enemy.There is no doubt that this monster,who is a source of trouble to the rishis,will be destroyed by you. Rama,who listened to this ,asked the sage: you say she is a Yaksha.I have never heard that Yakshas are particularly strong.What is more,how does a woman happen to possess so much strength?.... Viswamitra told him that she aquired her strength from a boon from Brahma..There lived a yaksha by name Suketu.Having no progeny he performed tapas and won a boon from Brahma thus.you will have a beautiful daughter of great strength of body,but you will have no son.Suketus daughter ,Tataka,beautiful and strngwas married to Sunda,a Yaksha,and their child is Maareecha.Sunda at one time incurred Sage Agastyas curse and died.Provoked by this Tataka and son pounced on Agastya who cursed them to be monsters living in the carcasses of men. So Tataka is now an ugly monster.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 14:47:56 +0000
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