Word

Marica

Sanskrit

मारीच

IAST

mārīca

In General

The uncle of Ravana who disguised as an antelope helped Ravana to abduct Sita. He was born to the demon Sunda in his fierce wife Tataka. He got a brother called Subahu.

Purana

Marica and Subahu were two inseparable brothers. They learned all tactics of war and their hobby was to torment the sages of the forests. When the exploits of Marica became unbearable, Visvamitra brought Rama and Laksmana from Ayodhya for help. The instant Marica heard the fierce twang of Rama's bow he fled to the other shore of the sea. From that day onwards Marica grew matted hair and wore barks of trees and spent his life in an asrama.

While Rama and Laksmana were living in the Dandakaranya with Sita Marica was still leading an ascetic life. One fine day Ravana approached him with the novel idea to help him abduct Sita. Marica tried his best to make Ravana understand the strength of Rama but was in vain. At last Marica agreed to disguise himself as a mayamriga, a beautiful antelope of golden color with white spots and went near the hut where Rama and Sita were living. The instant Sita spotted the mayamriga she expressed her desire to get it. Rama went behind the animal to catch it. But the antelope is very fast and took Rama far away. Rama finally understood it as the asura Maricha and killed it. Meanwhile the last cry of Marica was another trick to take away Lakshma way from Sita. When everything went as planned by Ravana, he approached Sita as a Sage and abducted her.

Marica in his previous birth was one of the two gate-keepers of Vaikunda, the abode of Vishnu. One day Mahavisnu was displeased by a conduct of his gatekeepers cursed them to be born as demons on earth. When Vishnu was born as Sri Rama, the two gate keepers Jaya and Vijaya were also born as Kumbhakarna and Marica.