Encyclopedia for Epics of Ancient India

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Taraka (Thataka)

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TARAKA. [Source: Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology] Son of Vajranaka. A Daitya whose austerities made him formidable to the gods, and for whose destruction Skanda, the god of war, was miraculously born.

TARAKA. [Source: Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology] A female Daitya, daughter of the Yaksha Suketu or of the demon Sunda, and mother of Maricha. She was changed into a Rakshasi by Agastya, and lived in a forest called by her name on the Ganges, opposite the confluence of the Sarju, and she ravaged all the country round. Vishvamitra desired Ramachandra to kill her, but he was reluctant to kill a woman. He resolved to deprive her of the power of doing harm, and cut off her two arms. Lakshmana cut off her nose and ears. She, by the power of sorcery, assailed Rama and Lakshmana with a fearful shower of stones, and at the earnest command of Vishvamitra, the former killed her with an arrow. - Ramayana.

TARA, TARAKA. [Source: Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology] Wife of Brihaspati. According to the Puranas, Soma, the moon, carried her off, which led to a great war between the gods and the Asuras. Brahma put an end to the war and restored Tara, but she was delivered of a child which she declared to be the son of Soma, and it was named Budha.


Modern Languages MLLL-4993. Indian Epics. Laura Gibbs, Ph.D. The textual material made available at this website is licensed under a Creative Commons License. You must give the original author credit. You may not use this work for commercial purposes. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one. No claims are made regarding the status of images used at this website; if you own the copyright privileges to any of these images and believe your copyright privileges have been violated, please contact the webmaster. Page last updated: October 16, 2007 12:22 PM