SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

SRI RAMACHARITRA MANJARI

(In this edition, Vishamitra narrates the story of Gautama cursing Ahalya. Please read, comment and share. SDN)

AhalyAshApam cha vimOchya — VidEhadEsham prati gamanasamayE mArgasTha GautamAshramE IndrakrutaDharShaNAparADhanimittEna patyA GautamEna shaptAm shileekrutAm swadarshanEna mAnuShatAm prAptAm patyA samyOjya|

There is always a constraint on everything, including the positive energy one attracts from good deeds called PuNya. Whenever that constraint is ignored or breached, the salvation becomes a distant proposition. The excessive positive energy acquired through good deeds can be brought to its prescribed limit in two ways: Firstly, one can enjoy all comforts and luxury to have that Punya dissolved or reduced.   Secondly, a large portion of the accumulated Punya can be lost by merely abusing a person of better rank and file or of virtues of higher value or by cursing a more virtuous person.

Of these two ways, the first one warrants the person concerned to take innumerable births to indulge in such acts as spending the Punya little by little by way of doing favour to others, who might not otherwise deserve such gratis. There is another danger in this process because every good act will certainly attract more Punya or positive energy. This will be a chain reaction and therefore, the person concerned may end up taking births after births and thereby getting caught in the spiral of births and deaths. It is almost impossible for anyone to reduce the Punya through the first method.

A large portion of Punya can be burnt almost instantly by cursing or abusing a person of higher value. Therefore, the second mode is most effective in burning the Punya.

Lord Hari is very kind to his devotees and he will make the virtuous lose their Punya by instigating them to curse a better person.

The deities and Rishis, who are all devotees of Lord Hari, will create a situation for the devotees of Lord Hari in the lower string to get cursed by them so that their excess Punya diminishes quickly. Lord Indra, a devotee of Sri Hari wanted to get cursed by Sage Gautama through some disdainful act so that the excess Punya that Sage Gautama had acquired could be destroyed, which would, in fact, be like doing a favour to the sage. Earlier, every deity had been attracted by the charm and beauty of Ahalya and Indra was not an exception. By having intercourse with her under some pretext, Indra thought, he could fulfil his desire and also get cursed from Gautama. He executed his plan to perfection. He went to the hermitage of Sage Gautama when the sage was not there. To hoodwink Ahalya, Indra went in the guise of Gautama. Ahalya had no clue and she was cooperating with Indra, thinking that he was her husband Gautama. However, she could sense some foul play and immediately rejected Indra, who forcibly had intercourse with Ahalya.

The narration of this incident has been slightly altered in Sri Valmeeki Ramayana where it appears as though Ahalya immediately identified Indra and voluntarily and willingly cooperated with him. This version is with the intention of misleading the demons to think wrongly about Ahalya, Indra and sage Gautama. This factor will be clear by going through Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya by Sri Madhwacharya and the commentary provided on it by Sri Vadirajaru.

When Devendra was leaving the hermitage, Sage Gautama was just entering the hermitage. He was enraged after knowing what had transpired and cursed Devendra: “You disguised as myself, cheated my innocent wife and spoiled her character. Genitals are the cause of interest in women and therefore you henceforth be deprived of genitals.” The sage then turned towards his wife and said: “You have spoiled your character and therefore you will assume the form of a stone and spend thousands of years in ashes till Srirama looks at you with empathy. Only then will you get back your original form.”

As a consequence of the curse of Gautama, Indra lost his genitals. He returned to heavens and narrated everything, including the loss of his genitals, to the deities. He also said that his intention behind that act was to relieve Sage Gautama from the excessive Punya he had earned. “I have succeeded in accomplishing the task by making Sage Gautama curse me,” he said. The deities immediately consulted Pitru Devatas or the ancestors who had become divine. Those Divine Ancestors suggested that the genitals of their vehicle, Sheep, be removed and fixed for Indra. The deities did as directed by the Divine Ancestors. From then on, Indra came to be known as Meshavrushana, where Mesha means Sheep.