Valmiki Ramayana 1.25.11-12: Bala Kanda, Sarga 25, Shlokas 11-12
ताटकावृत्तान्तः · The Account of Tāṭakā and the Royal Duty to Protect
अगस्त्यः परमक्रुद्धस्ताटकामपि शप्तवान् ॥११॥
पुरुषादी महायक्षी विरूपा विकृतानना ।
इदं रूपं विहायाथ दारुणं रूपमस्तु ते ॥१२॥
agastyaḥ paramakruddhastāṭakāmapi śaptavān ||11||
puruṣādī mahāyakṣī virūpā vikṛtānanā |
idaṃ rūpaṃ vihāyātha dāruṇaṃ rūpamastu te ||12||
अगस्त्य बहुत गुस्सा हो गए। उन्होंने ताटका को श्राप दिया। बोले, अब से तू बड़ी यक्षी नहीं, डरावनी राक्षसी बन जा। जो लोग खाती है, और चेहरा भी बुरा कर दे।
Mighty angry, Agastya cursed Tataka saying, 'Abandon this form of a great yakshini and assume the terrible figure of a rakshasi, a cannibal with distorted appearance and a hideous countenance'.
FAQs
The verse demonstrates the Dharma of righteous wrath against those who threaten the virtuous. Agastya's curse, though severe, serves the cosmic purpose of protecting sages and punishing those who misuse power, showing that consequences follow evil actions and that the righteous must sometimes take strong measures.
After Sunda's death, Tataka and her son Maricha attempted to attack the great sage Agastya. Seeing Tataka rushing to devour him, the enraged sage cursed her to lose her beautiful yakshini form and become a hideous, man-eating rakshasi, transforming her very nature as punishment for her evil intent.
The virtue of protective power exercised by the righteous is emphasized. Agastya, as a guardian of dharma, uses his spiritual authority to neutralize a threat to the sages, demonstrating that true spiritual power includes the capacity to restrain evil when necessary for the protection of the innocent.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free sign-in with Google or Apple keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Valmiki Ramayana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.
