How Tataka and Her Sons Became Demons

Sage Vishwamitra, Rama, and Lakshmana began their arduous journey. Upon entering the dense and shadowy Tataka forest, they could hear the terrifying shrieks of wild animals. Vishwamitra told the princes how the forest—once home to sages, saints, and hermits—had become a desolate woodland due to the terror caused by the demoness Tataka and her sons, Subahu and Maricha.

He said that a powerful yaksha king called Suketu lived long ago. He prayed earnestly to Lord Brahma for a child. Brahma blessed him with a yaksha daughter named Tataka, who was exceptionally beautiful and possessed the strength of a thousand elephants. Suketu had Tataka married to a demon called Sunda. The couple had two yaksha children, Maricha and Subahu.

Once, Sunda attacked Sage Agastya's hermitage while he was intoxicated. The sage killed him using his meditative powers. Sunda's wife, Tataka, and their sons, Maricha and Subahu, went to the hermitage to seek revenge. Agastya cursed them, turning them into grotesque demons who consumed human flesh.

As they walked through the jungle, Vishwamitra warned Rama and Lakshmana to be alert. Rama plucked his bowstring, causing a twang that reverberated throughout the forest. Angered by the sound, a gigantic and menacing demoness emerged from the trees. This was Tataka; she attacked Rama and Lakshmana, and a dreadful battle ensued. Rama was unperturbed by her ghastly appearance. He finally shot an arrow that pierced her heart, and she fell lifeless to the ground. 

The news of Rama's victory reached the gods in Svarga. Overjoyed, Vishwamitra embraced and blessed him, granting powerful weapons such as the Brahmastra.