Ahalyá

Role: Gautam’s wife · First appears: Book I, Canto 48 · Indra And Ahalyá

In Book I, Canto 48, Ahalyá was Gautam’s wife. Indra, disguised as Gautam, wooed her, and she yielded to his desire. Gautam cursed her to live alone and unseen in the grove “For countless years,” until Ráma came.

In Book I, Canto 49, Ráma freed Ahalyá from her hidden state, and she was reconciled with Gautam and became his consort again. In Canto 51, Śatánanda spoke of her as his mother, “Whom penance-rites have sanctified?”

Relationship record

Life events

• Indra, disguised as Gautam, wooed Ahalyá, and she yielded to his desire.(Book I, Canto 48 · Indra And Ahalyá)
  • With: Indra
  • “She knew him in the saint’s disguise, Lord Indra of the Thousand Eyes, But touched by love’s unholy fire, She yielded to the God’s desire.”
• Gautam cursed Ahalyá to live alone in the grove, unseen, until Ráma came and restored her.(Book I, Canto 48 · Indra And Ahalyá)
  • With: Gautam
  • “For countless years, disloyal spouse, Devoted to severest vows, Thy bed the ashes, air thy food, Here shalt thou live in solitude. This lonely grove thy home shall be, And not an eye thy form shall see. When Ráma, Daśaratha’s child, Shall seek these shades then drear and wild, His coming shall remove thy stain, And make the sinner pure again.”
• Ráma freed Ahalyá from her hidden state.(Book I, Canto 49 · Ahalyá Freed)
  • With: Ráma
  • “Prince Ráma came to set her free.”
• Ahalyá was reconciled with Gautam and became his consort again.(Book I, Canto 49 · Ahalyá Freed)
  • With: Gautam
  • “Through fervid rites no more defiled, But with thy husband reconciled.”

Book I, Canto 48 · Indra And Ahalyá

• married with Gautam “Here with Ahalyá at his side His fervid task the ascetic plied.”
• admirer: Indra “The sage’s form the God endued, And thus the fair Ahalyá wooed: ‘Love, sweet! should brook no dull delay But snatch the moments when he may.’”
• parent: Gautam (No parent relationship is stated; omitted.) “Then on his wife his fury burst, And thus the guilty dame he cursed:”
• with Gautam (Gautam curses and condemns Ahalyá to live in solitude.) “Then on his wife his fury burst, And thus the guilty dame he cursed: “For countless years, disloyal spouse, Devoted to severest vows, Thy bed the ashes, air thy food, Here shalt thou live in solitude.”
• enemies with Gautam “Then on his wife his fury burst, And thus the guilty dame he cursed: “For countless years, disloyal spouse, Devoted to severest vows, Thy bed the ashes, air thy food, Here shalt thou live in solitude.”

Book I, Canto 49 · Ahalyá Freed

• married with Gautam (Ahalyá is reconciled with her husband, Gautam.) “Through fervid rites no more defiled, But with thy husband reconciled.”
• with Ráma (Ráma frees Ahalyá.) “Till—such was Gautam’s high decree— Prince Ráma came to set her free.”
• protégé: Ráma (Ahalyá provides hospitality to Ráma.) “Then water for their feet she gave, Guest-gift, and all that strangers crave.”
• protégé: Lakshmaṇ (Ahalyá provides hospitality to Lakshmaṇ.) “Then water for their feet she gave, Guest-gift, and all that strangers crave.”

Book I, Canto 50 · Janak

• parent: Gautam (The passage calls Gautam her lord, not her father; no parent relation is established.) “Ahalyá seen and freed from taint; Their meeting with her lord the saint;”

Book I, Canto 51 · Visvámitra

• child: Śatánanda “My mother, glorious far and wide, Whom penance-rites have sanctified?”
• married with Gautam “Again to him, my sire and lord?”

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Extracted from the original text of The Rámáyan of Válmíki. Made with Rho MD.