Tatta occupies the lowest Pariah caste, beneath even Shudra slaves in ancient India's rigid hierarchy. His profound bond with nature manifests as a supernatural ability to project his consciousness into animals, granting him their sight or control over creatures like eagles and horses.

A defining trauma scars his youth: soldiers from Kosala raze his village, murdering his mother and sister. This atrocity ignites an unrelenting thirst for vengeance against Kosala. Amidst the ashes, he encounters the slave Chapra and Chapra's mother. Tatta intervenes to rescue Chapra's mother from being sold, forging a bond with them. He later witnesses Kosalan soldiers execute both Chapra and his mother after Chapra's low-caste origins are revealed, further hardening Tatta's resolve.

Maturing into a bandit leader, Tatta devises a plan to manipulate Prince Siddhartha (the future Buddha), aiming to use the sheltered prince to overthrow Kosala by exposing him to the world's suffering. Though he initially abandons his bandit path seeking change, he encounters Siddhartha again after the prince embarks on his spiritual journey. Drawn to the Buddha's teachings, Tatta becomes a lay disciple but grapples internally. He rejects full monastic vows, partly refusing to cut his hair, but more profoundly because he cannot reconcile Buddha's compassion with his own enduring hatred for the Kosalans who destroyed his family.

His personal life intertwines with Migaila, previously involved with Siddhartha and blinded by his father's command. Together, they endure the loss of a stillborn child. Migaila later survives a severe, disfiguring illness with assistance. They ultimately raise triplets. Unable to relinquish his vengeance, Tatta joins a renegade Shakyan army battling Kosala. He dies fighting these same forces he swore to destroy, consummating his tragic arc.