Ṛṣi Viśvāmitra and the two princes had hardly entered the forest when a frightening demoness (rākṣasī) named Tāḍakā suddenly appeared. The first part of her name, ‘Tāḍ’ signifies ‘to beat or strike’. She was the daughter of a gandharva and because of a curse, had become a demoness. Earlier, in the section entitled The Glory of the Name of Rāma, Gosvāmi Tulasīdāsa mentions that Tāḍakā was the daughter of Suketu. She was such a terror that no one dared venture into the forest.
Ṛṣi Viśvāmitra directed Śrī Rāma to slay her. At first Rāma hesitated because, although a rākṣasī, she was, nonetheless, a woman. The ṛṣi, however, explained that gender was of no relevance if one acted against dharma and the interests of society, if one was bent on the destruction of others. There is an extensive description of this topic in Vālmīki’s Rāmāyaṇa. Here, however, the poet simply states that Śrī Rāma shot an arrow and Tāḍakā was killed. Recognizing her to be pitiable and helpless, Rāma bestowed on her His own abode. That is precisely what the ṛṣi had desired.
Ṛṣi Viśvāmitra was now fully convinced that it was the Lord Himself who had come in the form of Rāma. And, when one recognizes the Lord, one wants to offer everything unto Him. Thus, Viśvāmitra, the repository of knowledge of all arms and armaments (astra-śastra), passed on this expertise to Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa. He also taught them how to conquer hunger and thirst.
Ṛṣi Viśvāmitra brought the princes to his āśrama and served them a variety of tubers, root vegetables and fruit, without forgetting the butter and crystallized sugar (miṣrī)! Thereafter, he sat down and appeared very relaxed.
Śrī Rāma was surprised that, although He and His brother had been brought there to protect the yajña, there was no sign of any preparation for such a ritual. On being questioned, Viśvāmitra explained how all yajñas, charitable offerings (dāna) or tapa, were done only for the purpose of attaining the Supreme Lord. Once He had been attained, where was the requirement for any ritual? At that, Śrī Rāma clarified that, even if Viśvāmitra no longer felt the need, it was necessary for him to perform the yajña for the benefit of others. Even if the purpose of his life had been fulfilled, and that was commendable, serving others was still very important. (BG 3.25)
Preparations for the yajña were, thus, begun. The fire had hardly been lit and the first offerings poured into it accompanied by the chant of the customary ‘svāhā’, when two demons (rākṣasas), Mārīca and Subāhu, appeared. Both were the sons of Tāḍakā. The text describes how Śrī Rāma shot an ordinary arrow at Mārīca and he was flung 800 miles away. Keeping in mind the location of Sidhāśrama in Bihar, it would appear that Mārīca landed somewhere in the region of Mumbai. Then, with a fire tipped arrow, Śrī Rāma reduced Subāhu to ashes.
Gosvāmī Tulasīdāsa explains the symbolism of this episode: Tāḍakā represents ignorance. It is ignorance that creates false hopes in the mind and these, in turn, give rise to sorrow. False hopes are at the root of the numerous flaws in our personality. The two sons of Tāḍakā, therefore, represent sorrow and erroneous thinking. Lakṣmaṇa destroyed the other rākṣasas and then, for the first time after a very long period, the yajña was successfully completed.
One may wonder why failure to conclude one specific yajña was given so much importance. The yajña is the symbol of Dharma; and, it is to re-establish Dharma, that the Lord appears age after age–dharma saṅsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge (Bhagavad Gītā.4.8).
The significance of this episode is that only when the yajña is successfully performed, can Dharma be restored. Dharma is that which ensures the wellbeing of all: that is, material progress as well as spiritual unfoldment. That is why it is imperative that Dharma be protected. Ignorance in the form of Tāḍakā and her offspring sorrow (Subāhu) were destroyed; erroneous thinking (Mārīca), however, can be rectified. That is why Mārīca was only flung far away and not killed.
The ṛṣis and munis were delighted and wondered what they could offer Rāma and Lakṣmaṇa in return. Then, recognizing that their wealth lay in the knowledge of numerous stories from the Vedas, Purāṇas and other scriptures, they decided to share these with the two youth. Visiting the different āśramas, Śrī Rāma delighted the hearts of all their inmates. Gosvāmī Tulasīdāsa describes how even though Śrī Rāma knew the stories He never spoiled the joy of the narrators by saying so. On the contrary, He listened as though He was hearing them for the first time.
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