Puneet Varma (Editor)

Suketu

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Suketu

'Suketu was a Yaksha King in the epic Ramayana, and the father of the demoness, Thataka. After being childless for many years, Suketu meditated upon the Creator, Brahma and was granted the gift of a beautiful daughter. News of the girl's beauty reached the Asura King, Sumali, who wooed and successful wed her.

Thataka and Sumali had three children; two sons, Subahu and Mareecha, and a daughter, Kaikesi. Kaikesi would eventually become the second wife of Rishi Vishrava and through him, the mother of Ravana (the mighty demonic King of Lanka), and his brothers Kumbhakarna, Vibhishana and sister Shurpnakha. Suketu and Sumali were both cursed by Rishi Agastya to death after they ridiculed the sage's short stature. Thataka's attempts to avenge the deaths of her father and husband, with Subahu's aid, resulted in the sage transforming both mother and son into ugly, demonic creatures. Mother and son would eventually be slain by Rama, the 16-year-old Prince of Ayodhya, when they attempted to destroy one of Vishvamitra's many Yagnas with rains of human flesh and blood.

References

Suketu Wikipedia