| RAMAYAN Book 1- Baal khand
Chapter 48 - Gautam’s hermitage
[Full title : They come to Gautam’s hermitage and Vishvamitra relates its story].
King Pramti having enquired as to the well-being of Shri Vishvamitra, said :-
“O Holy Sage, may the Lord protect those two youths; be gracious enough to tell me who they may be. These princes, equal to the gods in power, walking with the gait of an elephant, fearless as lions or bulls in combat, whose eyes resemble lotuses, who are armed with swords, bows and quivers, who rival the heavenly Asvins in beauty and who, in the flower of their youth, appear like gods, visiting the earth. Why are they travelling on foot? Whose sons are they? Why are they come? Enhancing the earth as the sun and moon illumine the sky; their manner of address and bearing showing them to be kinsmen, why are these two heroes of high descent, bearing mighty weapons, found on this hard path? I long to hear.”
Shri Vishvamitra related to the king the whole story of the visit to the Siddh Ashram and the slaying of the asurs.
The king was highly gratified to meet the princes, and perceiving them to be virtuous, entertained them with the greatest respect. Shri Ramcandra and Lakshman having received hospitality from King PRamti, passed the night there. The following day they left for Mithilapuri, the capital of King Janak.
When they beheld the city at a distance, they cried out: “How beautiful, how beautiful it is!” Thereafter, finding a charming hermitage which was uninhabited, Ram enquired of the Rishi Vishvamitra as follows: “O Sage, how can it be that this beautiful hermitage is unfrequented? O Lord, tell us whose has been this hermitage?”
Shri Vishvamitra, chief among the eloquent, answered Ram, saying: “O Prince, hear the true story of this hermitage, I will relate to you who was its author and how he cursed it in anger.
“O Ram, this place, a source of wonder even to the gods, belonged to the Rishi Gautam and resembled the abode of the celestials. Here with Ahalya, the sage practised Yog for thousands of years.
“O Ram, one day, the sage having gone to a distant place, Indra, finding Ahalya alone, assumed his form, and said to her :
‘O Fair One, I am overcome by desire, let us carry out our conjugal duty.’
“O Raghav, though Ahalya recognized Indra disguised as her lord, yet she acceded to his request.
Then Ahalya addressed Indra saying :
‘O Indra, I am highly gratified, now depart quickly, unobserved. O Chief of the gods, preserve me and thyself from Gautam.’
“Indra laughed and answered :
‘O You of beautiful waist, to-day I rejoice, I will now depart for my own region.’
On this, he sought to leave the hut of Ahalya.
“O Ram, at that instant he observed the Rishi Gautam entering the hut and he became agitated and anxious. Seeing the holy sage unconquered by dev's or danav's, endowed with the power of Yog, drenched with holy water, shining like fire, holding the sacred fuel and kush grass in his hands, Indra was terrified and grew pale.
“Shri Gautam perceiving Indra in his own guise and judging by his guilty looks that he was leaving his spouse having committed sin with her, cursed him saying :-
“‘O Wicked Wretch, assuming my form, you have committed this sinful act. Be you impotent.’
Cursed by the Rishi Gautam, Indra was instantly deprived of his manhood.
Then the Sage Gautam cursed Ahalya also saying :
‘You shalt remain immovable in this place for thousands of years, your food the wind alone. You shalt be as dust, invisible to all creatures. When Ram, the son of Dashrath visits this forest, then shalt you be cleansed from your sin. Having served him, O Deluded One without desire for personal gain, you shalt be restored to me in your present body.’
“Thus did the illustrious Gautam curse the wicked Ahalya and, abandoning the hermitage, began his yogic penances, on the beautiful peak of Himalaya, inhabited by siddh's.”
Chapter 49 - Shri Ram liberates Ahalya from Gautam’s curse
[Full title : Shri Ram liberates Ahalya from Gautam’s curse and departs for Mithila].
Deprived of his virility, Indra grew melancholy, and addressing Agni and the other gods, said: “By obstructing the ascetic practices of the Mahatma Gautam, who sought to usurp my power, I have verily served the purpose of the gods. Evoking his wrath, by causing him to curse me and denounce Ahalya, I have robbed the rishi of his spiritual power, therefore, O Devas, O Divine Beings, help me now to recover my manhood.”
Then the gods with Agni at their head, approached the pittris, kavyavahans and other beings and said to them: “Indra has been deprived of his virility; this ram of yours is in full possession of its powers, allow us to graft the testicles of the ram on to Indra, we can compensate the ram in this wise-from to-day, let those who desire to propitiate you, offer the sacrifice of a castrated Ram and receive the reward of great merit at your hands.”
The pittris did as requested by Agni and grafted the testicles of the ram on to Indra. From that time, O Ram, they have accepted the sacrifice of a gelded ram.
This event proves the immeasurable power of the practices of the holy sage. Now let us enter his hermitage. O Ram, do you liberate the unfortunate Ahalya, so that she may once more resume her nymph-like form.”
Shri Ram accepted the command and entered the hermitage, preceded by the Sage Vishvamitra. There they beheld Ahalya, by virtue of her yogic practices. Unperceived by devas, asur's or men, it seemed as if Brahma had created her with his own hands as a great mistress of occult powers. Resembling the full moon veiled in mist or the reflection of the sun in water or a bright fire wreathed in smoke, by the curse of the Rishi Gautam she remained invisible and thus it was ordained she should remain till she beheld Shri Ramchandra and till that hour, none in the three worlds should look on her.
With the deepest reverence did Shri Ram and Lakshman touch the feet of Ahalya and she, remembering the words of the Rishi Gautam fell down in devotion before them. Thereafter, she entertained them with due hospitality, as enjoined in the scriptures, while the two princes acknowledged the honour paid to them. At this moment a rain of flowers fell from the sky, scattered by the gods; heavenly musicians sang and celestial nymphs danced whilst all rejoiced and paid homage to Ahalya.
The illustrious Sage Gautam becoming aware of the matter through his divine powers, repaired to the hermitage and rejoiced to behold Ahalya restored to her former state. Re-united, they both worshipped the glorious Ram and then resumed their spiritual life together.
Shri Ram, having accepted the homage offered to him, departed thence for Mithila.
Chapter 50 - The place of sacrifice by King Janak
[Full title : They are welcomed at the place of sacrifice by King Janak].
Preceded by Shri Vishvamitra, Shri Ram and Lakshman came to the king’s place of sacrifice. Beholding the sacrificial pavilion, they said to the holy sage: “How well has the great Janaka prepared for the sacrifice! O August Rishi, thousands of brahmins learned in the Vedas, from many lands, with hundreds of bullock carts transporting their possessions, can be seen here. O Holy Father, let us choose a place where you mayest rest.”
The Sage thereupon selected a place which was secluded and supplied with water.
Hearing of the arrival of Shri Vishvamitra, King Janak, accompanied by his illustrious priest, Shri Shatanand, and many others, hastened to that place and humbly offered obeisance to the holy sage. Then the king placed the traditional gifts of water sweetened with honey before him and he, accepting the gifts, enquired as to the king’s welfare and further whether the sacrifice was proceeding without hindrance; he then duly inquired concerning the welfare of Shri Shatananda and other holy men in attendance on their sovereign.
The king received all with a cheerful countenance and with joined palms said to Shri Vishvamitra: “O August Lord, please be seated with the other great sages.” Thus requested, they sat down, after which Janaka with his family priest, brahmins and counsellors occupied their places, the king seated in the midst of his ministers.
Having attended to the due placing of his guests, the illustrious sovereign said: “O Lord, to-day, by the grace of the gods, all the preparations for the sacrifice have been carried out, now by thine advent here I have acquired merit equal to the fruit of my sacrifice. Blessed am I that you have honoured the place of sacrifice with your presence. O Divine Sage, the high priests have informed me that the sacrifice will be completed in the course of twelve days, the gods will then come to take their share; You, O Illustrious Lord, shalt behold them.”
Having thus addressed the sage, the king again earnestly enquired of him, saying: “May prosperity attend you! O Sage, who are these two illustrious princes, equalling the gods in power, whose bearing resembles the majesty of an elephant, or a lion, who are valiant and whose eyes are like lotuses, who are armed with swords, bows and quivers and whose beauty rivals the Ashvini-Kumar, who are youthful and appear to have descended from heaven to earth like the gods? Have they come here on foot? Whose sons are they? They, whose eyes are wide set and who are armed with sacred weapons, who wear their hair like Karttikey and who captivate the hearts of men by their magnanimous and virtuous qualities? Surely they are come hither to exalt our hearts and add to the fame of our dynasty? Adorning the earth as the sun or moon adorn the sky, in stature and bearing resembling each other, O Great Sage, whose sons are they? Please tell me all!”
Hearing the words of King Janak, Shri Vishvamitra said: “These are the sons of King Dashrath.”
He then told the king of their residence in the Siddh-Ashram and of the slaying of the demons, of their visit to Vishala and the rescue of Ahalya, also of their meeting with the Sage Gautam. Then he said: “Now have we come to see the great bow.”
Having related all this to the king, the great muni became silent.
Chapter 51 - Gautam’s son Shatanand
[Full title : Gautam’s son, Shatanand, relates more of the story of the Sage Vishvamitra].
Having heard the words of the wise Vishvamitra, Shri Shatanand, the eldest son of the Sage Gautam, resplendent by virtue of his practice of Yog, was filled with wonder and delight and, beholding Shri Ram was astonished.
Seeing the two princes sitting at their ease, Shri Shatanand said to the Sage Vishvamitra: “O Holy Sage, was my mother, so long involved in the practice of austerity, shown by you to Shri Ramchandra? O Illustrious One, did my mother entertain these two heroes worthy of adoration with fruits and those things she was able to obtain in the hermitage?
“O Holy Rishi, didst you relate the story of the improper behaviour of Indra to my mother in bygone days, to Shri Ramchandra? O Holy One, by virtue of the advent of Shri Ram, did my mother obtain my father’s favour once more? O Kaushik, did my father duly honour Shri Ramchandra and is this Illustrious One, having received the hospitality of my parents, really come hither? O Holy Sage, please tell me; when my tranquil-minded sire entered the hermitage, was he honoured by Shri Ram?”
Shri Vishvamitra, skilled in the art of converse and acquainted with the laws of rhetoric, answered Shri Shatanand saying :-
“O Great Muni, I did that which should be done, by speaking that which was proper to the occasion, and patiently listening to that which was spoken, recollecting my duty. As Jamadagni, who first cursed Renuka and was then reconciled to her, so has your father shown favour to your mother and received her again.”
Hearing the words of Shri Vishvamitra, the great Shatanand addressed Shri Ramchandra, saying: “O Great One, may your coming be the source of prosperity to hll. It is fortunate indeed that you didst visit my father’s hermitage and restore my mother to her former state. How can I sufficiently praise that mighty Sage Shri Vishvamitra, reverenced by all the sages. O Ram, enlightened are his actions; by virtue of his holy practices he has become a brahmarishi though previously a royal sage. Among brahmarishis he is unique, he is known to me as one who is ever concerned with the good of all. O Ram, none is equal to you on earth, since you are protected by so great a sage as Vishvamitra. Hear while I relate the story of the great Kaushika to you :-
“In the past, this holy sage was a virtuous monarch, versed in all branches of learning, delighting in the welfare of his subjects and the destroyer of his foes.
“Kusha, the righteous and powerful king, was the son of Prajapati, and his son was Gadhi, and the great and illustrious Sage Vishvamitra is the son of Gadhi.
“On ascending the throne, King Vishvamitra ruled the earth for many thousands of years. At a certain time, King Vishvamitra, assembling his army, set out to range the earth. O Ram, he passed through many cities and kingdoms and crossed innumerable rivers, mountains and forests, visiting many hermitages till he came to the one belonging to Shri Vashishth. This hermitage was thickly planted with many-branched trees with dense foliage in which birds of every kind dwelt. Many species of beasts frequented that place, and the siddhas also came there-dev's, gandharv's and other celestial beings added to the peace and beauty of that hermitage by their presence. Beautifiil birds flew about and peaceful deer wandered here and there. Many learned brahmins also dwelt in that hermitage.
“Brahmin sages and also celestial rishis inhabited that place, so that it shone like fire by virtue of their presence. This hermitage sheltered many great Vedic scholars equal to Brahma, some living only on air, some on water, some on dry leaves. Other sages lived on fruit and roots, and there were in addition thousands of brahmacaris fully self-subdued.
“Each sage observed the sacred traditions, performing his morning and evening devotions, repeating the silent prayer (japa) offering water to the spirits of his ancestors, and pouring oblations into the sacrificial fire.
“Many retired householders practising Yoga, dwelt there with their wives. Verily that hermitage resembled the abode of Brahma, and the great and powerful King Vishvamitra rejoiced to behold it.”
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