Tara (Ramayana) - Birth and Early Life

Birth and Early Life

In the Ramayana, Tara is addressed by Vali as the daughter of the vanara physician Sushena. Sometimes, verses are added in the Bala Kanda, the first book of the Ramayana, which describe principal monkeys created by various deities: Vali and Sugriva are described as sons of the king of the gods, Indra and the sun-god Surya respectively; while Tara is described as the daughter of Brihaspati, the guru of the gods. The 12th century Tamil Ramavataram and the Telugu Ranganatha Ramayana state that Tara and Ruma rose, along with other apsaras, from the ocean of milk during its churning by the gods and the demons, to acquire the elixir of life (amrita). In the Theyyam drama tradition of Kerala, the gods tire and request Vali to help in the churning. When Vali just starts churning, Tara rises from the ocean and thus is gifted to Vali.

According to the Javanese wayang puppet tradition, Tara (Dewi Tara) is the apsara daughter of Indra and his wife Wiyati. Her siblings include a sister called Dewi Tari, the consort of the demon-king of Lanka, Ravana (Rahwana) and brothers Citarata, Citragana, Jayantaka, Jayantara, and Harjunawangsa.

While the Ramayana states that Tara first weds Vali, some Ramayana adaptations sometimes present a polyandrous relationship between Tara, Vali and Sugriva. The Ranganatha Ramayana states that Tara is given to Vali and Sugriva as a reward for helping the gods. A Tamil folk tale tells that after the amrita emerged, Tara rises and is given as a common wife to both Vali and Sugriva. In the Mahabharata, there is a reference to Vali and Sugriva fighting over an unnamed woman, who the mythologist Bhattacharya believes to be Tara.

Some Ramayana retellings including some Mahabharata versions, the Narasimha Purana and the Mahanataka portray Tara as originally Sugriva's wife that Vali snatched. The Thai Ramakien says that the gods give Vali and Sugriva a trident and Tara respectively, but Vali grabs Tara too and marries her. The Balinese dance Kebyar and the wayang tradition also tells that Tara was married to Sugriva (Sugriwa) initially, but appropriated by Vali (Subali).

In all versions, Angada is born from Tara's marriage to Vali.

In the Ramayana, Vali goes to fight the demon Mayavi in a cave and instructs Sugriva to close the door of the cave if blood flows out from the cave, implying that he has been killed, but if milk flows out, it indicates that Mayavi is dead. After a year of combat, the dying demon turns the colour of his milky blood to red by sorcery. Sugriva believes that Vali is dead and closes the only opening to the cave. Sugriva also appropriates—sometimes interpreted as marriage—Vali's "widow" Tara. After Vali returns, rejecting Sugriva's explanation, he exiles Sugriva and not only re-acquires Tara, but also seizes Ruma, Sugriva's wife, in retaliation. While Vali's act of usurping Ruma when her husband is alive is universally criticized by Ramayana commentators, they excuse Sugriva's taking of Tara, as his wife, as he believed she was widowed.

In the wayang variant, Vali (Subali) goes to battle the demon brother-rulers of Kishkinda, Jatasura and Lembusura, in the cave. Similar to the Ramayana, Sugriva (Sugriwa) presumes Vali dead. The gods crown Sugriva the king of Kishkinda and grant him Tara as a reward for aiding his "dead" brother. Vali returns and instigated by Ravana, seizes Tara and the kingdom.