As Rama and his companions journeyed onward, they entered a forest so forbidding that it seemed alive with menace. All around, the air was pierced by the harsh, dreadful cries of wild birds, and the place teemed with fierce beasts. Lions, tigers, boars, and elephants made their home there, moving amidst thickets of dhava, ashvakarna, kakubha, bilva, tinduka, and patala trees. Jujube trees grew in tangled profusion, adding to the wildness. Rama, beholding the dreadful scene, wondered aloud, “Why is this forest so fearsome?” The great sage Vishvamitra, radiant with his immense spiritual power, turned to Rama and said, “Listen, child of the Kakutstha line, and I will tell you why this forest has become so terrible. Long ago, two prosperous regions flourished here—Malada and Karusha—both created by the gods themselves. “In ancient times, after Indra, the thousand-eyed king of the gods, had slain the demon Vritra, he was afflicted with great impurity. Hunger and the sin of Brahma-hatya entered him, polluting his being. The gods and ascetic sages, seeing Indra so defiled, bathed him with sacred water in vessels, washing away his impurity. Here, upon this very earth, they deposited that impurity, and thus the regions of Malada and Karusha were formed, born from Indra’s own body. “Once Indra was purified, the gods rejoiced, and Indra, pleased, granted these lands a boon: ‘You shall be renowned throughout the world as Malada and Karusha, bearing my impurity, yet praised by the gods.’ For a time, these regions prospered, rich in wealth and grain, and their people lived joyfully. “But then, a terrible yakshini of changing form came to trouble them. She possessed the strength of a thousand elephants and was called Tataka, wife of the wise Sunda. Her son Maricha, a rakshasa of great might, was terrifying to behold, with massive limbs and a monstrous visage. These two, mother and son, began to terrorize the people, destroying the prosperity of Malada and Karusha. Tataka herself, wicked in her deeds, devastated the land and blocked the road ahead, dwelling at a distance of half a yojana from here. “Therefore, Rama, you must go to the forest of Tataka. Rely on your own strength and destroy this wicked being. By my command, make this land free from thorns once more, for none can safely pass through as things stand now. This region has been laid waste by the fierce and intolerable yakshini; all that you see is the result of her wrath.” Having heard the sage’s words, Rama, the tiger among men, spoke with gentle humility, “O revered sage, it is said that this yakshini is of little strength. How is it that such a one bears the power of a thousand elephants?” Vishvamitra, pleased by Rama’s question, replied with a gentle smile, “Hear how she became so powerful. Once, there was a mighty and virtuous yaksha named Suketu, who longed for a child. He performed great austerities, and his father, the lord of the yakshas, was pleased and granted him a jewel among daughters—Tataka. She was given the strength of a thousand elephants, but no son was granted to Suketu. “As Tataka grew in beauty and youth, she was wed to Sunda, the illustrious son of Jambha. In time, Tataka bore a son, Maricha, who, by a curse, was transformed into a rakshasa. When Sunda was slain, Tataka and her son, driven by rage and hunger, attacked the sage Agastya. The venerable Agastya, seeing them rush upon him, spoke to Maricha, ‘Assume the form of a rakshasa!’ and, filled with anger, cursed Tataka as well, saying, ‘O great yakshini, devourer of men, monstrous and deformed, abandon your present form and take on a dreadful appearance!’ “Thus transformed by the curse, Tataka, seized by wrath, began to devastate this region, once sanctified by Agastya’s presence. Now, Rama, for the welfare of the cows and Brahmanas, you must slay this wicked and terrible yakshini, Tataka, whose evil deeds are great. No man in the three worlds, save you, O delight of the Raghus, can kill her, for she is empowered by a curse. “O best of men, do not hesitate because she is a woman. For the sake of the welfare of all four orders of society, a prince must act, whether the act is gentle or harsh. For the protection of the people, it is the eternal duty of kings to destroy the unrighteous, even if the act seems cruel or sinful. There is no righteousness in her. “Even in ancient times, O king, Indra slew Manthara, daughter of Virocana, when she sought to destroy the earth. And Vishnu himself slew Kavyamata, the wife of Bhrigu, when she wished for a world without Indra. In the same way, O Rama, you must act for the good of the world.” Thus, Vishvamitra revealed to Rama the origin of the dreadful forest and the curse of Tataka, urging him to fulfill his duty for the welfare of all.