SAGEGAUTHAMA-Part 1 Dearfriends,
This posting about sage GAUTHAMA is compiled from Googlesearch by asking many questions curious to me and posted in my style which isdesired by a few members than as QA posting. Information relevant from Wikipedia and other sourcesare also included. Thisposting is least intended to all knowing and criticizing and fault findingmembers. Hope the postings will be interesting and informative to manyof my friends. Since the information is more, it is posted in parts. Gopalakrishnan 21-02-2026 Introduction Sage Gautama (Maharishi Gautama) is a revered Vedic rishi,recognized as one of the Saptarshis(seven great sages) and a progenitor of the Gautama Gotra. Known for his intense penance, wisdom, and the authorship ofthe Gautama Dharmasutra, heis famously associated with bringing the river Godavari to earth and the storyof his wife, Ahalya, whom he cursed for infidelity and later redeemed throughLord Rama. Key Aspects of SageGautama: Lineage & Life: Son of Dirghatamas, he was a renowned sage inVedic times who discovered several mantras in the Rig Veda. He was known forhis vast knowledge and spiritual prowess. His mother’s name is not much told. The Story of Ahalya: Gautama married Ahalya, who wascreated by Lord Brahma or appeared during churning of Milky Ocean. According tothe Ramayana, when Indra disguised himself as Gautama to deceive Ahalya, thesage cursed both, turning Ahalya into stone and afflicting Indra. He laterpromised her redemption through Lord Rama. Godavari River: He is credited with bringing theGodavari River (also knownas Gautami) to Earth to cleanse himself of a false accusation ofkilling a cow (sin of Gau-hatya) and to end a 12-year famine. Literary Contribution: He is attributed with the GautamaDharmasutra, one of the earliest, most comprehensive law books of Hindutradition, containing 28 chapters on ethics, law, and duties. Family: Hewas the father of Satananda, who became the priest of King Janaka. He is often associated with the Brahmagiri Mountain in Maharashtra, wherehe resided and performed intense penance. Gautama is mentioned in theYajurveda, Ramayana, and Gaṇeśa Pūrana. Children According to the Ramayana, Gautama's eldest son with Ahalya is Shatananda. But according to the AdiParva of Mahabharata, he had two sons named Sharadvana and Cirakari. Sharadvana was also known asGautama, hence his children Kripa and Kripi were called Gautama and Gautamirespectively. A daughter of Gautama is referred too, but her name is neverdisclosed in the epic. In the Sabha Parva, heis described to beget many children through Aushinara (daughter of Ushinara), amongst whomthe eldest in Kakshivata. Gautama and Aushinara's wedding takes place at Magadha, thekingdom of Jarasandha. According to the Vamana Purana, he hadthree daughters named Jaya,Jayanti, and Aparajita. Gautama is also have said to be the ancestor of Shvetaketu, son ofUddalakaa and Aruni in theBrihadaranyaka Upanishad. Creation of Ahalya According to some Puranic traditions, Ahalya was not born from the Samudra Manthan(churning of the ocean), but was created by Lord Brahma as the most beautifuland virtuous woman to test Sage Gautama. Brahma entrusted her toGautama, asking him to raise her until she reached puberty, a test of thesage's detachment. Creation and Guardianship: Brahma created Ahalya to be theepitome of beauty and virtue. He left her in the care of Sage Gautama, arenowned sage, instructing him to protect and bring her up until she attainedmaturity. The Test of Sage Gautama: This arrangement was a test byBrahma to see if the sage would be tempted by her extraordinary beauty. Sage Gautama did not look at her with lust or a "rovingeye," proving his commitment toa life free from materialistic desire. Marriage: Once Ahalyareached maturity, Brahma was pleased with Gautama’s virtue and formally marriedher to him. Connection to Mythological Themes: While she was created tobe the most beautiful woman, she is sometimes associated with the themes ofbeauty and temptation that emerged during the cosmic churning, although notdirectly as a "treasure" from the ocean. Circumambulation race Indra, the King of the Devas, desired Ahalya as his wifebecause she was created by Lord Brahma as the most beautiful woman in theworld, embodying the best attributes of all living beings. Despite Indra’sintense desire and his attempts to woo her, Brahma denied his request to marryher and instead gave her in marriage to Sage Gautama. Why Brahma Denied IndraAhalya The Test of Character: According to some accounts, Brahmacreated Ahalya and placed her under the care of the elderly Sage Gautama totest his character. Because Gautama showed immense self-control and did notlook at her with lust while she grew up, Brahma considered him worthy of her,unlike the lust-driven Indra. The Circumambulation Race: In another popular version, Brahmadecided that whoever could circumambulate the earth and return first wouldmarry Ahalya. While Indra set off on a journey around the world,Sage Gautama, through his wisdom, realized that honouring the cow (Gaumata)Surabhi, who was giving birth, was equivalent to encircling the entire earth. Because of his superiorwisdom and merit, Brahma awarded Ahalya to Gautama, leaving Indra furious andenvious. Focus on Tapas (Penance): Gautama was a great rishi, andBrahma believed Ahalya belonged with a man of such high spiritual caliber anddevotion. Consequences of theDenial Indra, unable to forget Ahalya, eventuallyresorted to deceit, disguised himself as Sage Gautama, and seducedher. Upon finding this out, Gautama cursed both Ahalya and Indra, whicheventually led to the well-known story of her turning into a stone and herlater liberation by Lord Rama It is important to note that the story of Ahalya is oftenreferenced in the context of her later life, specifically her curse by Gautamadue to Indra’s deception and her subsequent liberation by Lord Rama The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa andRamayana describes Ahalyā as his wife. Theirmarriage is recorded in the Uttara Khaṇḍa, which is believed as aninterpolation to the epic. As per the story Brahma, the creator god, creates a beautifulgirl and gifts her as a bride to Gautama and a son named Shatananda is born. Based on the Valmiki Ramayana (specifically Balakanda,Sarga 51), the sage Shatananda was born before the Indra-Ahalya incident, not after it. Shatananda as Elder: In the text, Shatananda is described asthe "eldest" son of Sage Gautama and Ahalya. Presence at Mithila: When Rama, Lakshmana, and Vishwamitraarrive in Mithila (prior to the wedding), Shatananda is already present as the chief priest of KingJanaka. Chronological Proof: The incident where Indra seducesAhalya, followed by Gautama’s curse turning Ahalya into stone, happens earlier.Ahalya is only restored to her human form when Rama touches the stone. SinceShatananda is already a grown man, a sage, and serving as a royal priest whenRama arrives, he must have been born while Gautama and Ahalya were livingtogether before the incident. Post-Curse Scenario: After the incident, Sage Gautama leftthe ashram, meaning no children were born to the couple after the curse. Therefore, Shatananda was the legitimate son of Sage Gautamaand Ahalya, born prior to the incident with Indra. Sage Gauthama cursingIndra The Upāsanā Khaṇḍa mentions Gautama cursing Indra whenhe comes home and finds Indra in an argument with his wife. It is revealed that Indra disguisedas Gautama had sexual intimacy with Ahalyā and he curses Indra with1000 vaginas and turns Ahalyā into a stone until Rāmasteps on her. Indra is eventuallyreturned to normal after Gautama recites a mantra, and finds greatness in Gaṇeśathat he reveals to the Devas. and Ahalyā is graced by Rāma's foot. The Bala Khaṇḍa mentions that Gautama spots Indra, who isstill in disguise, and curses him to lose his testicles. Gautama then curses Ahalya to stay in the Aashram for thousands ofyears, eating and drinking nothing but air and to be absolved only by Ram(verses 29-31). Ramayana descriptionof Indra incident Contrary to popular belief Ahilya(wife of Sage Gautama)verymuch knew it was Indra in disguise of her husband but still proceeded to havesexual intercourse with him as per Ramayana r/mahabharata - Contrary to popular belief Ahilya(wife ofSage Gautama)very much knew it was Indra in disguise of her husband but stillproceeded to have sexual intercourse with him as per Ramayana Ahalya recognized Indra upon his arrival itself not at thelast moment. Indra wearing the guise of sage Gautama, arrived at the hermitagewhen the sage went out to get the items required for performing ritual. Indraapproached Ahalya and said this to her: Oh, Ahalya, Brahma crafted you so well that all your limbsare symmetrically conjoined, so who in the universe will not yearn to haveintercourse with you... and on seeing your slender waist and thickset hips Iwish to copulate with you now itself and let there be no fear of safe period orunsafe period for I do not wish to have any progeny of mine from you. She knew that he was Indrain the guise of her husband since Gautama rishi never asks her like this. She thought when King of Godsexpresses such a desire, he cannot be refused, let him have it. After she wassatisfied, she warned Indra to leave the spot immediately as her husband maycome anytime. Then Indra comes out of the cottage with the fear that Goutamamight return and to his shock he sees Gautama was entering. On seeing him, the lord of the gods was terrified. His facebore the marks of distress. Seeing the one with the one thousand eyes, attiredin the garb of a sage, the sage, full of good conduct, became angry. He spokethese words to the one with evil conduct. “O evil-minded one! You have assumed my form and have donethis. Since you have done what should not have been done, you will become infertile.” The great-souled sage, Goutama, said this in rage andinstantly, the testicles of the thousand-eyed one fell down on the ground.Having cursed Shakra, he also cursed his wife. “You will reside here for many thousands of years. Subsistingon air and without food, you will torment yourself through austerities. Youwill sleep on ashes. You will live in this hermitage, unseen by all creatures.When the invincible Rama, Dasharatha’s son, arrives in this terrible forest,you will be purified. O one who is evil in conduct! When he becomes your guest,you will lose your avarice and confusion. You will then regain your own formand find delight with me.” The extremely energetic Goutama spoke in this way to the onewho was evil in conduct. He abandoned his hermitage, once frequented by siddhasand charanas. The great ascetic performed austerities on a beautiful summit inthe Himalayas. Valmiki Ramayana - Baala Kanda - Sarga 48 Indra worshipping atSuchindram temple near Nagerkovil The Suchindram Thanumalayan Temple is directly related toLord Indra as the place where he was purified and relieved of a curse. According to legend, Indraworshipped the Trimurti linga here to cleanse himself of sins, leading to the name"Suchi" (purification) + "Indram" (Indra), and he isbelieved to perform midnight Ardhajama Pooja daily. Key connections toIndra: Purification Site: Indra attained Suchi (purification) atthis site after being relieved of a curse. Mythological Story: Indra committed sins and was guided tothis spot for redemption, where he worshipped the Linga. Daily Worship: It is believed that Indra comes to the templeto perform the Ardhajama Pooja (midnight prayer) daily. I will continue asnext posting -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/548191504.507029.1771658077238%40mail.yahoo.com.
