Ramayana_VOLUME V with index

239
Thataki
thick over the ground—the banyan, the deodar, the pine, the holy
fig.
There was no path to guide the feet. They had to clear a track for
progress. Lakshmana could not contain his curiosity; he asked
Viswamitra, “Master! Who rules this fearful forest What is its
name” The Master replied, “Lakshmana! Where this jungle has
grown, there were formerly two little kingdoms, Malada and
Karosa. They shone like the region of the gods. In fact, people
spoke of the area as having been specially created and fostered
by the gods. They relate a story about the place. When the God
Indra killed Vritra, He suffered the contamination of sin and as a
consequence, he was stricken with insatiable pain of hunger.
Indra was brought in that pathetic condition by the sages to this
region, and given a bath in the holy Ganga. After that immersion,
they poured on His Head pots and pots of Ganga water, uttering
all the while, holy hymns and formulae. With that, the sin (of
killing a person of high caste) was washed away.
“Brahma was delighted that the contamination (Mala) as well as
the cry (Karosa) of hunger ended. So, He named these kingdoms
as Malada and Karosa. The kingdoms, too, rose to fame with his
blessing. The gods willed that the two areas be resplendent with
grain and gold, and all means of plenty and prosperity.
“Meanwhile, a cruel ogress named Thataki appeared in this
region and she started laying waste the rich and peaceful land.
She was a Yakshini who could transform herself into any form
she liked. It is rumoured that even as she was born, she was
endowed with the prowess of a thousand elephants! She brought
forth a son named Maricha. He had the might and heroism of