After the granting of the desired boon, both Brahma and Taarak went back to
their respective homes. When the news spread that Taarak has successfully acquired a
unique boon which would make him virtually immune from defeat and death, all the
known famous demons of the time, viz. Mahish, Kaalnemi, Jambha, Grasan,
Shumbha etc., came and joined forces with him, vowing their allegiance to him and
declaring him as their chief. [Refer: ‘Matsya Puran’, Chapter 148, and Chapter 154,
verse nos. 20-26, 47-49.]
Thus emboldened, Tarkaasur unleashed mayhem and terror in the heaven:
rampaging and plundering, imprisoning the gods and terrorizing them. The entire
composite army of the gods failed to dent his strength and stop his seeking revenge
from the gods. The gods approached their patriarch Brahma to help them. Brahma
told them about the boon he had to grant Taarak, and advised them that since only a
child below the age of seven days could kill the demon, they should make an effort in
this direction and see how Shiva can be motivated to marry and beget a son. Brahma
then told them (the gods) about Parvati’s Tapa with the intention of marrying Shiva,
and that he has already granted her wish alongside Lord Ram requesting Shiva to
forgive her for her past sins in her previous life as Sati (when she had defied Shiva
and had assumed the form of Lord Ram’s wife Sita in order to test the integrity of
Lord Ram) and marry her.
Meanwhile, Shiva is submerged in doing meditation, so the gods must try to
devise a method whereby Shiva would marry Parvati. Their son would then kill
Tarkaasur. [Refer—(i) ‘Matsya Puran’, Chapters 146 and 154; and (ii) Kalidas’
‘Kumar Sambhav’, Canto 2, verse nos. 57, 59, 61.]
In Goswami Tuslidas’ epic story of Lord Ram by the name of ‘Ram Charit
Manas’, this entire episode of Tarkaasur is narrated in Baal Kand, (i) from Chaupai
line no. 4 that precedes Doha no. 82—to Chaupai line no. 6 that precedes Doha no.
89; and (ii) Chaupai line nos. 3-8 that precede Doha no. 103.
The Tapa done by Parvati and the reason for it is narrated in Ram Charit Manas,
Baal Kand, from Chaupai line no. 5 that precedes Doha no. 65—to Chaupai line no. 5
that precedes Doha no. 75.
The sin of Parvati in her previous life as Sati is also narrated in Ram Charit
Manas, Baal Kand, from Chaupai line no. 1 that precedes Doha no. 48—to Chaupai
line no. 4 that precedes Doha no. 65.
(^2) “The three worlds”—The three worlds are the three divisions of creation
consisting of the heaven, the earth and the nether world.
Each world has its patron gods and presiding deities. When the demons
conquered any part of the world, the gods and the deities were to the first to be chased
away or prisoned by them so that they could rule over the inhabitants of that world
ruthlessly and cruely in the manner that suited them. Later on in the narration of Ram
Charit Manas we learn that when the demon Ravana successfully did Tapa and
succeeded in getting boons from Brahma, the creator, he had also went on the
rampage, pillaging, killing and causing general mayhem so much so that the gods and
all the living beings on earth were tormented beyond measure. The Gods and the
Mother Earth had then prayed to Lord Vishnu to help them and salvage the creation
from complete annihilation. It was then that the Lord promised them that he would
come down to earth as Lord Ram to eliminate this scourage of the demons.
Similarly, in the case of Tarkaasur, the son of Lord Shiva was destined to
eliminate him, but Shiva lived alone after the death of Sati. Hence, it became
imperative that Shiva marries once again and begets a son (Kartikeya) who would
then kill Tarkaasur.]