Passage 1
पथि प्रगच्छतो रामसौमित्रेयकुमारयोः। अभवद्रोधको मध्ये बलिष्ठो गर्दभासुरः॥१॥
As Rāma and the young son of Sumitrā proceeded along the road, a powerful donkey-demon appeared in their path and blocked the way.
Passage 2
तमायान्तं हरिर्वीक्ष्य शरेणोरस्यताडयत्। स चाविगणयित्वैव रामं पश्चाच्चामताडयत्॥२॥
Hari saw him charging and struck him in the chest with an arrow. Disregarding the blow, the demon struck Rāma from behind.
Passage 3
वक्त्रेण चादशद्वक्षः स तं दोर्भ्यामताडयत्। ताडितस्तस्य हस्तेन पपात स धरातले॥३॥
The demon bit Rāma’s chest with his mouth, and Rāma struck him with his arms. Struck by his hand, the demon fell upon the ground.
Passage 4
पुनर्निश्वस्य वै पश्चात्पादाभ्यां समताडयत्। दूरे स्थित्वा ततो रामस्तं विव्याध शितैः शरैः॥४॥
Recovering his breath, he kicked again with his hind legs. Rāma then stood at a distance and pierced him with sharp arrows.
Passage 5
नेत्रयोश्च मुखे चैवं सोऽवमद्रुधिरं ततः। अन्धीकृतस्ततस्तेन दुधाव स्वशिरो दृशः॥५॥
Blood poured from his eyes and he vomited blood from his mouth. Blinded by the wounds, he rushed headlong without sight.
Passage 6
गर्जयन् हरितः सर्वाश्चुक्रोध बहुधोऽपि सः। पुनर्गर्जन् पुनर्धावन् पुनः संताडयन् खरः॥६॥
Roaring toward every quarter, he grew furiously enraged. Khara roared again, charged again, and struck again.
Passage 7
चकार समरं घोरं रामेण सह राक्षसः। ततो रामः स्ववीर्येण तं पश्चात्पादयोर्बलात्॥७॥
The rākṣasa waged a terrible battle with Rāma. Then Rāma, exerting his own might, forcibly seized him by his hind legs—
Passage 8
गृहीत्वा शैलशृङ्गाग्रे ताडयामास राघवः। एकवारं द्विवारं च त्रिवारं च पुनः पुनः॥८॥
—and dashed him against the summit of a mountain. The Rāghava struck him once, twice, three times, and then again and again.
Passage 9
यावत् स व्यसुतां याति कामरूपोऽपि राक्षसः। ततस्तत्परिवारोऽपि युयुधे हरिणा सह॥९॥
He continued until the shape-shifting rākṣasa lost his life. Then the demon’s retinue also fought against Hari.
Passage 10
स ताभ्यां रघुपुत्राभ्यां क्षयं नीतो बलोद्धतः। मुमुचुश्च तयोर्मूर्ध्नि पुष्पवृष्टिं दिवौकसः॥१०॥
That strength-proud host was destroyed by the two sons of Raghu, and the celestials released a shower of flowers upon their heads.
Passage 11
शेषास्तत्परिवारस्था राक्षसाः सिन्धुमभ्यगुः। लङ्कापुरीं ययुः सर्वे शरणं राक्षसेश्वरम्॥११॥
The surviving rākṣasas of his retinue went toward the ocean. They all reached the city of Laṅkā and sought refuge with the lord of the rākṣasas.
Passage 12
अग्रे पथि ततः काचित्ताडका नाम राक्षसी। मध्येऽग्रहीद्रामचन्द्रं विश्वामित्रानुयायिनम्॥१२॥
Farther along the road, a rākṣasī named Tāḍakā seized Rāmacandra while he was following Viśvāmitra.
Passage 13
प्रभुस्तस्याः सुतौ पूर्वं हतवानिति सा जवात्। क्रोधेन राक्षसी तत्राभ्यगाद्रामजिघांसया॥१३॥
Because the Lord had previously killed her two sons, the rākṣasī rushed there in fury, intent upon killing Rāma.
Passage 14
कपालहारिणी घोरा शवांत्रस्तोममालिनी। कपालकुण्डलधरा क्षुत्क्षामा निम्नतोदरी॥१४॥
Terrible Tāḍakā bore a necklace of skulls and a garland made from masses of the entrails of corpses. She wore skulls as earrings, was emaciated by hunger, and had a sunken belly.
Passage 15
व्याघ्रचर्मपरीधाना दंष्ट्रादन्तुरिताम्बरा। भीषयामास सा रामं कालस्यापि च भीषणम्॥१५॥
Clad in a tiger skin and bristling with fangs, she tried to terrify Rāma, who is himself terrifying even to Death.
Passage 16
निश्वसन्ती विषश्वासैः प्लोषयामास पादपान्। क्षणेन तद्वनतृणं प्राज्वलद्विषमारुतैः॥१६॥
Breathing out venomous breaths, she scorched the trees. In an instant the grass of that forest blazed beneath her poisonous winds.
Passage 17
रामो विव्याध मार्गेण ताडकामथ वक्षसि। साभ्येत्य दृढमुष्ट्यैनं गाढं वक्षस्यताडयत्॥१७॥
Rāma then pierced Tāḍakā in the chest with an arrow. She came forward and struck him hard in the chest with her clenched fist.
Passage 18
रामस्य निशितैर्बाणैस्ताडकायाश्च मुष्टिभिः। अभूद्रौद्रतरं युद्धं देवविस्मयकारकम्॥१८॥
With Rāma’s sharp arrows and Tāḍakā’s fists, an exceedingly fierce battle arose that filled the gods with wonder.
Passage 19
ततो राघवशार्दूलो बाणं धनुषि संदधे। तस्याः प्राणहरं घोरं उक्षितं विषपाथसा॥१९॥
Then the tiger of the Rāghavas set upon his bow a dreadful arrow destined to take her life, steeped in liquid poison.
Passage 20
सा ताडिता तेन शरेण ताडका विषोल्बणेनासुहरेण तेजसा। पपात भूमौ सहस्रात्मकुल्यैः साकं विदीर्णास्यभयानकाकृतिः॥२०॥
Struck by that fiery, venomous, life-taking arrow, Tāḍakā fell to the earth together with thousands of her own clan, her mouth torn open and her form terrifying. --- Thus ends the seventy-second chapter, entitled “The Slaying of Khara and Tāḍakā,” in the dialogue of Brahmā and Bhuśuṇḍa in the Śrīmad Ādi Rāmāyaṇa. Textual notes The chapter begins on source leaf 441 below Chapter 71’s colophon, occupies leaves 441–443, and ends with its colophon on physical PDF page 444. All twenty passages were transcribed directly from the 1975 scan; archive OCR was used only as a locating and typing aid. The scan confirms a clean sequence from 1 through 20: archive OCR had dropped the marker for passage 9 and split the printed १३ in passage 13. Passage 17 prints मार्गेण, while the edition’s own note queries मार्गणेन, “with an arrow”; the root text is preserved and the intended instrumental sense is rendered in English. Passage 20’s dense printed compound सहस्रात्मकुल्यैः is preserved and read contextually as referring to thousands of Tāḍakā’s own clan. No modern translation was used.