Bal Kanda
Narration
Hearing the enthusiastic words of the sage, Prince Shri Ram—who firmly observed noble vows—joined his hands and replied, “O Lord, in Ayodhya, my father, the great king Dasharath, instructed me in the presence of other elders, saying: ‘Son, in order to honor your father’s command, obey the orders of Vishwamitra, son of Kushika, without hesitation. Never disregard his words.’
“So, remembering my father’s teaching, I consider it proper to carry out this task of killing Tadka as commanded by you, O noble, Brahmavadi Mahatma. There is no doubt about it. For the welfare of cows, Brahmins, and the entire country, I am prepared in every way to follow the order of a powerful sage like you.”
Having said this, Shri Ram, the destroyer of enemies, grasped the bow firmly at its middle and struck the string with force. The twang of the bow echoed through all directions. At that sound, all the creatures living in Tadka’s forest trembled. Tadka too was at first bewildered by this thunderous note, but quickly, thinking for a moment, she became filled with intense anger. Hearing the sound, the demoness became almost senseless with rage. The moment she heard it, she ran furiously toward the direction from which the sound had come. Her body was extremely tall, and her face appeared deformed. Looking at that terrible demoness approaching in fury, Shri Ram said to Lakshman:
“Lakshman, look at this demoness! Her body is so dreadful and frightening that even timid men may lose heart at the mere sight of her. Because she is empowered by magical abilities, she appears very difficult to conquer. Watch—I will cut off her ears and nose and force her to retreat. Because she is a woman, I do not feel enthusiastic about killing her. My thought is simply to destroy her strength, valor, and movement—meaning to cut off her hands and feet.”
Shri Ram was still speaking when the raging Tadka arrived and, roaring loudly, charged at them, raising a huge uprooted tree. Seeing this, Sage Vishwamitra scolded her with a mighty roar, saying, “May these two princes of the Raghu lineage be victorious! May their welfare be ensured!”
Then Tadka began throwing up terrible clouds of dust upon the two Raghu princes. A great cloud of dust spread all around. By this magic, she bewildered Shri Ram and Lakshman for two whole hours. Then, taking refuge in her illusion, she started a heavy shower of stones upon them. Seeing this, Shri Raghunath became enraged. With a shower of arrows, he broke the stone-storm she hurled and then cut off both her hands with sharp shafts as she rushed toward them. Losing her arms, Tadka stood near them, roaring loudly in exhaustion.
Seeing this, Lakshman, son of Sumitra, filled with anger, cut off her nose and ears. But she was a demoness capable of taking many forms at will. Assuming various shapes, she continued to bewilder Ram and Lakshman with her illusion and became invisible. Now, wandering in the sky, she again began showering heavy stones.
Seeing the stone-shower coming from all sides upon Ram and Lakshman, the radiant Vishwamitra said:
“Shri Ram, your compassion toward her is pointless. She is sinful and wicked. She always obstructs sacrifices. Before she regains strength through her magic, kill her. Evening is approaching. This work must be completed before dusk, for at dusk demons become very hard to overcome.”
When Vishwamitra spoke thus, Shri Ram demonstrated the power of the sound-seeking arrow. He shot arrows that blocked the demoness from all sides. Surrounded by his arrows, the demoness, empowered by magic, roared loudly and rushed upon Ram and Lakshman like the fierce bolt of Indra. Seeing her coming with such speed, Shri Ram shot an arrow that pierced her chest. Tadka fell to the ground and died.
Seeing the terrible demoness slain, Indra and the other gods praised Shri Ram, offering him salutations. Thousand-eyed Indra and all the gods, filled with joy, said to Vishwamitra:
“O sage, son of Kushika, blessings upon you! By this act, you have pleased all the gods, including Indra. Now bestow your affection upon Shri Ram, the glory of the Raghu lineage. Offer to him the divine weapons—your sons in the form of the sacred scriptures—powerful, true, and full of tapas. O best of Brahmins, he is deserving of receiving your divine weapons and always devoted to serving you. The great deeds of the gods will be accomplished through Prince Shri Ram.”
After saying this, the gods joyfully departed through the sky. Evening fell. Then the satisfied sage Vishwamitra gently touched Shri Ram’s head with affection and said:
“O auspicious-sighted Ram, tonight we shall stay here. Tomorrow morning, we will return to my ashram.”
Hearing Vishwamitra’s words, Prince Shri Ram was very pleased. They spent that night comfortably in Tadka’s forest, which became blessed and freed from its curse that very day, shining again with natural beauty like the Chaitra-ratha forest.
By slaying the yaksha maiden Tadka, Shri Ram became worthy of praise from gods and Siddhas. Awaiting the morning, he stayed in Tadka’s forest with Vishwamitra.
Vishwamitra granting divine weapons to Shri Ram
After spending the night in Tadka’s forest, the greatly renowned Vishwamitra, smiling sweetly, said to Shri Ram:
“O illustrious prince, blessings upon you! Because of the slaying of Tadka, I am deeply pleased with you. Therefore, with great joy, I now give you all kinds of divine weapons. Through their power, you will be able to subdue and conquer your enemies—whether gods, asuras, gandharvas, or nagas—in the battlefield.”
“O Raghunandan, blessings upon you. Today I grant you the divine and mighty Danda-chakra, Dharma-chakra, Kala-chakra, Vishnu-chakra, and the fearsome Indra-chakra. O best of the Raghus, I also give you Indra’s Vajra, Shiva’s mighty Trishul, and Brahma’s Brahmashir weapon. O strong-armed one, I also grant you the Aeshika weapon and the supreme Brahmastra.
“In addition, I offer you two very bright and beautiful maces named Modaki and Shikhari. O lion among men, I also give you the Dharma-pasha, Kala-pasha, and Varuna-pasha, all excellent weapons. O Raghunandan, take the two Ashvini weapons, the Pinaka, and the Narayana weapon. I also grant you the Agneya weapon—dear to Agni—which is also known as Shikhara. O sinless one, I give you the mighty Vayavya weapon, chief among missiles.
“O ornament of the Kakutstha lineage, I grant you the Haishira weapon, the Kaika weapon, and two mighty Shaktis. The terrifying Musala, Kapala, and Kikini weapons—all useful for slaying demons—are offered to you.
“O strong-armed prince, I also give you the Vidyadharas’ great Nandaka weapon and the excellent sword. O Raghunandan, I give you the Gandharvas’ Sammohana weapon, the Prasvapan, Prashamana, and the gentle Saumya weapon.
“O mighty lion among princes, I give you the Varna, Shoshana, Santapana, Vilapana, and Kama’s beloved weapon, the powerful Madana. Also take the Gandharvas’ Manava weapon and the Pisachas’ Mohana weapon.
“O noble prince, I offer you the Tamas, Mahabali, Soman, Samvata, Durjaya, Mousala, Satya, and the supreme Maya-filled weapons. I give you Surya’s radiant Prabha weapon, which destroys the enemy’s brilliance, Soma’s Shishira weapon, Tvashta-Vishwakarma’s fierce weapon, Bhag-deva’s terrible weapon, and Manu’s Shiteshu weapon.
“O strong-armed prince Shri Ram, all these divine weapons can assume forms at will and possess immense power. Receive them quickly.”
The sage then purified himself through bath and rites, sat facing the east, and with great joy instructed Shri Ram in the knowledge of all these weapons—knowledge difficult even for the gods to obtain. As soon as he began, those divine weapons appeared in embodied form before Shri Ram, glowing with divine radiance. Filled with joy, they joined their hands and said:
“O generous Raghunandan, blessings upon you. We are your servants. Command us, and we shall perform whatever service you desire.”
Shri Ram, pleased, accepted them, touched them with his hand, and said, “Dwell within my mind and come to my aid whenever required.”
After circling Shri Ram and taking leave, they departed, as they had come.
Ram questions Vishwamitra about the nearby forest and ashram
Having received the knowledge of all weapons, Shri Ram’s face glowed with joy. Walking along, he asked Vishwamitra:
“O Lord, by your grace I have received these weapons and become unconquerable even for the gods. Now I wish to learn the knowledge of withdrawing these weapons.”
Hearing this, Vishwamitra taught Ram the process of withdrawing the weapons. Then he said:
“O Raghunandan Ram, blessings upon you. You are worthy of all weapon-knowledge. Therefore, receive these additional weapons as well.”
He then gave many more named divine beings who served as weapons.
After Ram accepted them all, they appeared radiant—some glowing like embers, some dark like smoke, some shining like the sun or moon—each with folded hands saying:
“O lion among men, we are your servants. Command us.”
Ram told them to return to their abodes and assist him whenever needed. They circled him and departed.
Walking on, Shri Ram asked Vishwamitra:
“O Lord, near that mountain, this region filled with dense trees like masses of clouds—what is this place? The herds of deer make it beautiful. Birds enhance its charm with their sweet calls. It seems we have left behind the dreadful Tadka forest. Please tell me—whose hermitage is this?
“This is the place where your sacrifice is performed, where those sinful, evil, brahmin-killing demons come to disturb the ritual, and where I must protect the sacrifice and kill those demons. O Lord, I wish to hear everything about your ashram.”
Vishwamitra narrates the history of Siddhashram
Hearing Shri Ram’s words, the radiant Vishwamitra replied:
“O strong-armed Ram, in ancient times, Lord Vishnu, worshiped by the gods, lived here for many years and hundreds of ages to perform great penance. He attained great accomplishment here. This place was known as Siddhashram.
“When he was performing penance, King Bali, son of Virochana, conquered Indra and all the gods, taking over their kingdom. He became famous throughout the three worlds. That mighty asura king began a great sacrifice.
“While Bali was engaged in the sacrifice, Agni and other gods approached Vishnu here and said:
‘O all-pervading Lord, Virochana’s son Bali is performing a great yajña. Before he completes it, we must fulfill our purpose. Whoever comes to request anything is granted cows, land, gold—whatever they desire. O Vishnu, for the good of the gods, take refuge in your Yoga-maya, adopt the form of Vamana, and go to that sacrifice to help us.’
“At that moment, Sage Kashyap and his wife Aditi arrived here, glowing with the brilliance of their austerity. They had just completed a vow lasting a thousand divine years. They praised the Lord, saying:
‘O Lord, embodiment of tapas, source of knowledge, I see the entire universe within your form. Be pleased with me. May you be born as our son and assist the gods.’
“The Lord granted their wish. Thus, Vishnu was born as Aditi’s son and went to Bali in the form of Vamana. For the welfare of all beings, he requested three paces of land, accepted it, and with three strides reclaimed the three worlds, restoring them to Indra.
“This is the sacred place where he lived. Therefore this ashram removes all suffering. Out of devotion to Vamana, I also use this place. Demons come here to disturb my sacrifice, and here you must slay them.
“O Ram, now we are approaching this supreme Siddhashram. This ashram is yours as much as mine.”
Saying this, Vishwamitra lovingly took the hands of Ram and Lakshman and entered the ashram. Their radiance resembled the moon shining between the two Punarvasu stars.
Seeing Vishwamitra return, all the ascetics of Siddhashram joyfully rushed to him and honored him, and also welcomed the two princes.
After resting for two hours, Shri Ram and Lakshman folded their hands and said:
“O sage, please undertake the initiation for the yajña today. May all be auspicious. Let Siddhashram prove true to its name, and may your words about the destruction of demons come true.”
Hearing this, Vishwamitra entered the vow of the sacrifice with controlled senses. The princes kept vigil that night and performed morning rites at dawn.
Ram protects the yajña and destroys the demons
Then the princes said to the elders:
“O Lord, tell us at what time those two demons attack, so that we may prevent them from coming. Do not let the moment pass unnoticed.”
The sages blessed them and said:
“Sage Vishwamitra has taken the vow of silence. For six nights, you must protect this yajña with vigilance.”
The princes kept guard for six days and nights without sleep. On the sixth day, Shri Ram said to Lakshman:
“O Sumitra’s son, concentrate and be alert. Battle is near.”
Just then the sacrificial fire blazed forth—an omen of the demons’ arrival. The ritual began with Vedic chants. Suddenly a terrifying sound filled the sky. Like storm clouds, the demons Maricha and Subahu rushed toward the yajña, spreading illusion everywhere. Their followers came too. They began raining streams of blood upon the altar.
Seeing the blood-soaked ground, Shri Ram rushed forward. Looking around, he saw the demons in the sky. He said to Lakshman:
“Look, the flesh-eating demons have arrived. I will drive them away with the Manava weapon, just as the wind scatters clouds.”
He fitted the brilliant Manava weapon and shot it at Maricha’s chest. Struck by it, Maricha was hurled a hundred yojanas away into the ocean, senseless but alive.
Shri Ram said, “Lakshman, see—Manu’s Shiteshu weapon has stunned him and carried him away, but not taken his life. Now I will destroy the others.”
Then he fitted the fierce Agneya weapon and struck Subahu in the chest, killing him instantly. With the Vayavya weapon he destroyed the remaining demons.
The sages rejoiced. They honored Shri Ram just as the ancient sages honored Indra after he defeated the demons.
When the yajña concluded and all directions were free of obstacles, Vishwamitra said:
“O Ram, I am fulfilled by your presence. You have obeyed your guru completely. You have truly sanctified Siddhashram.”
Thus praising Ram, the sage performed evening rites with the two brothers.