Taraka (goddess)

Tārakā or Tārā is the Hindu goddess of felicity and sanguineness. Taraka is also the second consort of Hindu god Brihaspati, the god of planet Jupiter. According to the Puranas, Tara sired or mothered a child named Budha, the god of mercury through Chandra and had a son named Kacha through Brihaspati.

Tara
Brihaspati with Tara
Affiliation	Devi
Personal information
Consorts	Brihaspati(legitimate) Chandra(illegitimate)
Children	Budha (illegitimate) Kacha (legitimate)

Story

Tara was the second wife of Brihaspati, the guru of Devas. As her husband spent most of his time with the problems and matters of Devas, she felt being ignored by her husband. One day, Chandra, the moon god visited Brihaspati. There he saw Tara and was captivated by her beauty. Tara also saw Chandra and she was attracted to him. After some time, Chandra kidnapped Tara.[1]

Brihaspati has infuriated and demanded Chandra to returned his wife. Chandra told Brihaspati that Tara was happy and satisfied with him. He told that how can an old man be husband of a young woman. This made Brihaspati more annoyed and he warned Chandra for battle. Indra and other Devas gathered to fight a war. Chandra was not ready to give Tara back and he took help of the Asuras. The Devas and Asura were about to fight a war, but Brahma, the creator god, stopped them and convinced Chandra to return Tara.

After some time, Brihaspati found out that Tara was pregnant and questioned her who the father of the child was. But Tara remained silent. After the boy was born, both Chandra and Brihaspati claimed to be his father. At last, Tara revealed that he was Chandra's son.[2] The boy was named Budha.

References

• Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology

External links

• http://mythfolklore.net/india/encyclopedia/taraka.htm

1. Patel, Utkarsh (5 June 2020). "Tara and Chandradev: If a Dissatisfied Partner Has An Affair, Who Is To Be Blamed?". Bonobology.com. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
2. https://glorioushinduism.com/2016/02/16/budha/