AHALYA-WIFE OF SAGE GOUTHAMA- COMPILED
Dear friends,
I found a very beautiful article on the above subject butvery detailed in
Wikipedia. This waswhen I was searching for the temple Thirukkovalur near
Sirkazhi where also there is a legend Indra gotSapamoksham from sage Gautama
other than Sucheendram.
So a compiled posting is done here. First information aboutthe temple is
provided. Then legend oh Ahalya.
Hope an interesting reading.
Gopalakrishnan 21-8-2025
The ** Thirukkovalur Temple**, located approximately 7 kilometresfrom Sirkazhi,
is associated with the sapamoksham (release from a curse) ofIndra, as it is one
of the Divya Desams where the deity is said to have relieved a curse through
aritual. The temple is located in Thirukkovalur, which is a villageknown for
its religious significance and for being a Thirunangur Divya Desam.
Here's what we know aboutthe temple and its connection to Indra:
Location:
The temple is situated in Thirukkovalur, a village in theoutskirts of Sirkazhi,
Tamil Nadu.
Deity:
The presiding deity is Purushotaman, an aspect of the Hindugod Vishnu, and his
consort is Lakshmi.
Divya Desams:
The temple is one of the 108 Divya Desams, which areconsidered holy abodes of
Vishnu mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham,the Tamil canon of the Alvar
saints.
Indra's Curse:
Legends surrounding the temple suggest that it is a placewhere Indra was freed
from a curse, making it a significant site for devoteesseeking to resolve
curses or obstacles in their lives.
Tirukkovalur andIndra's shapamoksham (liberation from curse)
The Tirukkovalur temple, also known as Ulagalantha PerumalTemple in
Tirukoyilur, Tamil Nadu, is associated with the liberation of Indrafrom Sage
Gautama's curse, though the primary legend of the temple revolvesaround Lord
Vishnu's Vamana avatar subduing King Mahabali.
Here's how the twonarratives connect:
1. Indra's Curse:
Indra, consumed by desire, disguised himself as Sage Gautamaand approached his
wife, Ahalya, with a lustful intent.
Even though Ahalya realized it was Indra, she, driven bycuriosity towards the
king of gods, yielded to his advances.
Returning from his ablutions, Sage Gautama discovered the actand cursed both
Indra and Ahalya.
Indra was cursed to have a thousand female sex organ on hisbody and to lose his
manhood.
Ahalya was cursed to turn into a stone and remain unseenuntil Lord Rama touched
her with his foot, according to India Today.
2. Indra's Liberationand Tirukkovalur:
The Gods, concerned by Indra's plight, appealed to LordBrahma for help.
Under Brahma's guidance,Indra performed severe penance at Tirukkovalur,
eventually seeking the grace ofLord Shiva.
Lord Shiva, pleased with Indra's devotion, transformed thethousand vulvas on
his body into eyes, earning him the name"Sahasraksha" (the thousand-eyed one).
This event is linked to the Tirukkovalur temple as a sitewhere Indra sought and
ultimately attained liberation from Gautama's curse.
Important Note: The legend of Indra's curse andliberation at Tirukkovalur
exists alongside the more prominent legend of Vamanaand Mahabali. Thesestories
enrich the spiritual significance and historical depth of the temple,offering
devotees multiple reasons for pilgrimage.
AHALYA
In Hinduism, Ahalya also spelt as Ahilya, is the wife of thesage Gautama
Maharishi. Many Hindu scriptures describe her legend of seductionby the king of
the gods Indra, her husband's curse for her infidelity, and herliberation from
the curse by the god Rama.
Brahma created Ahalayaas a small girl. Brahma handed over thegirl to on
looker sage Gauthama to bring up the child. On reaching maturity sageGauthama
took her to Brahma. Brahma asked sage Gauthama to marry her and live.So Ahalya
was married to the much older Gautama. Somehow Indra was interested in her but
failed to askBrahma at appropriate time. This is the most popular legend
aboutAhalya.
In the earliest full narrative, when Indra comes disguised asher husband,
Ahalya sees through his disguise but nevertheless accepts hisadvances. Later
sources often absolve her of all guilt; she falls prey toIndra's trickery.
In all narratives, Ahalya and Indra are cursed byGautama. The cursevaries from
text to text, but almost all versions describe Rama as the eventualagent of her
liberation and redemption. Although early texts describe howAhalya must atone
by undergoing severe penance while remaining invisible to theworld and how she
is purified by offering Rama hospitality, in the popularretelling developed
over time, Ahalya is cursed to become a stone and regainsher human form after
she is brushed by Rama's foot.
Ahalya's seduction by Indra and its repercussions form thecentral narrative of
her story in all scriptural sources for her legend. Although theBrahmanas (9th
to 6th centuries BCE) are the earliest scriptures to hint at herrelationship
with Indra, the 5th- to 4th-century BCE Hindu epic Ramayana – whose protagonist
is Rama – isthe first to explicitly mention her extra-marital affair in
detail.Medieval story-tellers often focus on Ahalya's deliverance by Rama,
which isseen as proof of the saving grace of God. While ancient narratives
areRama-centric, contemporary ones focus on Ahalya, telling the story from
herperspective. Other traditions focus on her children after redemption from
thecurse and again joining with sage Gauthama and having children .
Panchakanya
In traditional Hinduism, Ahalya is extolled as the first ofthe panchakanya
("five maidens"), archetypes of female chastity whose namesare believed to
dispel sin when recited. While most praise her loyalty to her husband and
herundaunted acceptance of the curse and gender norms a few condemn her.
Etymology
In the Uttar Kanda book of the Ramayana, the god Brahmaexplains the meaning of
the Sanskritword Ahalya as "one without the reprehension of ugliness", or"one
with an impeccable beauty".
Creation and marriage
Ahalya is often described as an ayonijasambhava, one not bornof a woman. The
Bala Kanda of the Ramayana (5th to 4th century BCE) mentionsthat Brahma moulds
her "with great effort out of pure creativeenergy". The Brahma Purana (401–1300
CE) and the Vishnudharmottara Purana(401–500 CE) also record her creation by
Brahma.
According to theMahari dance tradition Ahalya is created from the ashes of the
sacrificial fireby the Saptarishi (seven seers) and gifted to Gautama. In
contrast, theBhagavata Purana (501–1000 CE) and the Harivamsa (1–300 CE) regard
Ahalya as aprincess of the Puru Dynasty, the daughter of King Mudgala and
sister of KingDivodasa.
In the Uttara Kanda book of the Ramayana (regarded by mostscholars as a later
addition to the epic), Brahma crafts Ahalya as the mostbeautiful woman and
places her in the care of Gautama until she reachespuberty. When that time
arrives, the sage returns Ahalya to Brahma, who,impressed by Gautama's sexual
restraint and asceticism, bestows her upon him. Indra, who believes that the
bestwomen are meant for him, resents Ahalya's marriage to the
forest-dwellingascetic.
The Brahma Purana gives asimilar account of Ahalya's birth and initial custody,
recording that hermarriage was determined through an open contest. Brahma
declares that the firstbeing to go around the three worlds (heaven, earth and
the underworld) will winAhalya. Indra uses his magical powers to complete the
challenge, finallyreaching Brahma and demanding the hand of Ahalya. However,
the divine sageNarada tells Brahma that Gautama went around the three
worldsbefore Indra. Narada explains that Gautama circumambulated the
wish-bearing cowSurabhi while she gave birth, as part of his daily puja (ritual
offering),making the cow equal to three worlds according to the Vedas.
Brahma agrees and Ahalya marries Gautama, leaving Indraenvious and infuriated.
A similar, but shorter, version of Ahalya's early lifeappears in the Padma
Purana (701–1200 CE).
In all versions of the tale, after marrying Gautama, Ahalyasettles into his
ashram (hermitage), which generally becomes the site of herepic curse. The
Ramayana records that Gautama's ashram is in a forest(Mithila-upavana) near
Mithila, where the couple practices asceticism togetherfor several years. In
other scriptures, the ashram is usually near the riverbank.
The Brahma Purana saysthat it is near the river Godavari and the Skanda Purana
(701–1200 CE) places it near the river Narmada. The Padma Purana andthe Brahma
Vaivarta Purana (801–1100 CE) describe the ashram as near the holycity of
Pushkar.
Hints of arelationship with Indra
The Brahmanas (9th to 6th centuries BCE) are the oldestscriptures to mention a
relationship between Ahalya and Indra in the"subrahmanya formula", a chant used
by Vedic priests "at thebeginning of a sacrifice to invite the main
participants: Indra, the gods andthe Brahmins" (priests).
The Jaiminiya Brahmanaand the Sadvimsha Brahmana from the Samaveda tradition,
the Shatapatha Brahmanaand the Taittiriya Brahmana from the Yajurveda tradition
and two Shrautasutras(Latyayana and Drahyayana) invokeIndra, the "lover of
Ahalya ... O Kaushika [Brahmin], who calls himselfGautama". The Samaveda
tradition identifies her as Maitreyi,who the commentator Sayana (died 1387)
explains is "the daughter of [thegod] Mitra".
The Bala Kanda of theRamayana
The Bala Kanda of the Ramayana is the earliest text todescribe Ahalya and
Indira relation in detail. It states that Indra becomesenamoured by Ahalya's
beauty, learns of her husband's absence and comes to theashram disguised as
Gautama to request relationship with her, praising her beauty. She seesthrough
his disguise, but consents owing to her "curiosity".According to another
interpretation, Ahalya's pride in her beauty compels her.Having satiated his
lust, Ahalya requests that Indra, her "lover" andthe "best of gods", flee and
protect them from Gautama's wrath.
Although the Bala Kanda mentions that Ahalya consciouslycommits adultery, the
Uttara Kanda of the Ramayana and the Puranas (compiledbetween the 4th and 16th
centuries CE) absolve her of all guilt.
In one allusion in theMahabharata, King Nahusha reminds Brihaspati, Indra's
guru, how Indra "violated" the "renowned" rishi-patni(wife of a sage) Ahalya.
The Puranas introduce themes that are echoed in later works,including the
deception of the unsuspecting Ahalya by Indra's devious disguiseas Gautama in
his absence. ThePadma Purana states that after Gautama leaves for his ritual
bath, Indramasquerades as Gautama and asks Ahalya to satisfy him. Ahalya,
engrossed inworship, rejects him, considering it inappropriate to have sex at
the cost ofneglecting the gods. Indra reminds her that her first duty is
toserve him. Finally Ahalya gives in, but Gautama learns of Indra'sdeception
through his supernatural powers and returns to the ashram. Asimilar account is
found in the Brahma Purana.
At times, Indra takesthe form of a cock that crows to dispatch Gautama for his
morning ablutions, asin the 18th-century Telugu rendition of the tale by the
warrior-poet VenkataKrishnappa Nayaka of the Madurai Nayak Dynasty.
In other versions, he uses an accomplice, such as the moon-god Chandra,to
distract Gautama.
In the Brahma Vaivarta Purana,Ahalya comes to bathe in the Svarnadi (heavenly
river) and Indra becomesinfatuated with her when he sees her.
In some versions, though initially deluded by Indra'sdisguise, Ahalya
eventually recognises the impersonator. In the Skanda Purana,Ahalya smells
Indra's celestial fragrance and realises her folly as he embracesand kisses her
and "so forth" Threatening Indra with a curse, shecompels him to reveal his
true form.
However, Kamban's12th-century Tamil adaptation of the Ramayana, the
Ramavataram, narrates thatAhalya realises that her lover is an imposter but
continues to enjoy thedalliance. Here, Ahalya agrees to have relation with the
disguised Indra because she has long been craving affection fromher ascetic
husband.
Curse and redemption
While most versions agree that Gautama curses Ahalya afterdiscovering the
affair, the curse varies from text to text. However, almost allversions
describe Rama as the agent of her liberation and redemption.
Punishments of Ahalyaand Indra
The Bala Kanda mentions that Gautama spots Indra, who isstill in disguise, and
curses him to lose his testicles. Gautama then cursesAhalya to remain invisible
to all beings for thousands of years, fast bysubsisting only on air, suffer and
sleep in ashes and be tormented by guilt.Nevertheless, he assuresher that her
sin will be expiated once she extends her hospitality to Rama, whowill visit
the ashram. Thereafter, Gautama abandons the ashramand goes to the Himalayas to
practise asceticism.
The Ayodhya prince Rama, his brother Lakshmana and theirguru, the sage
Vishvamitra pass Gautama's desolate ashram while travelling toKing Janaka's
court in Mithila. As they near the ashram, Vishvamitrarecounts the tale of
Ahalya's curse and instructs Rama to save Ahalya.
Although Ahalya is cursed, Vishvamitra nevertheless describesher as
goddess-like and illustrious repeatedly calling her mahabhaga, a
Sanskritcompound (maha and bhaga) translated as "most illustrious and
highlydistinguished";
Following Vishvamitra,the princes enter the ashram to see Ahalya, who, up till
then, had been hiddenfrom the universe. Ahalya is described as glowing from the
intensity of herascetic devotion, but hidden from the world like the Sun
obscured by darkclouds, the light of a full moon hidden by mist or a blazing
flame masked bysmoke. Under the direction of his guru, Rama considers Ahalya
pure andunblemished and, accompanied by Lakshamana, gives her obeisance by
touching her by his feet, an actthat restores her social status. She greets
them, recalling Gautama'swords that Rama would be her redeemer. Ahalya extends
her warmest reception,making a "welcome offering" of forest fruits and washing
their feet,an act of respect according to the rites of that era. The gods and
other celestial beings shower Rama andAhalya with flowers and bow to Ahalya,
who has been purified through herpenance. Gautama then returns to his ashram
and accepts her.
My note- I will continueas part 2. Most important is different puranas gives
different versions. Theyall come by oral tradition. Hence insisting one version
is correct does nothold water.
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