Scriptures say that man has duties and responsibilities at every stage of his life. Wasn’t the sage’s curse for Ahalya to become a stone ironic in itself?She, who was known as Ahalya since birth, became unploughable only after the curse! Subsequently, we are told that Indra comes in the form of Gautama (her husband). In Sanskrit it means “one who has impeccable beauty”.Then Brahma places her in the care of Rishi Gautam until she reaches puberty. He has been writing a blog, for close to six years now, and is a founder member of , an online archive of traditional tales from the Indian Subcontinent. Turned to stone in one version. The Gods intervened and the 1000 marks are converted into eyes, Ahalya is created by Lord Brahma out of the water as the most beautiful woman in order to break the pride of Urvashi, the foremost celestial nymph. Jealousy, itself a sin, and opposed to sadacara (behaviour of good people), a faulty emotion, takes the blame, and also the sting out of the adultery (intentional or unintentional).And so the issue remains unresolved in my mind, at least. And if she thought he was out or sorts, does that mean she knew it was another man? The Mahabharata, on the other hand, is a text in which ethical principles and cynical policies are in constant conflict. But in the retelling of the story in the film, the punishment is visited on the character based on Indra alone, while the woman is shown to be an accomplice in the seduction game. So perhaps she does, or doesn't know it's not her husband? And are there others way of looking at the episode?Life, Thought and Culture in India: Centre for Studies in Civilisations; Vol 1, Part 2, ed GC Pande; 2000.Vora, DP, 1959; Evolution of Morals in the Epics; Popular Book Depot, Bombay.Sanskrit junkie&founder #SanskritAppreciationHour.Indian Army.Womens' Empowerment.Justice for #1984.Devout Hindu.Egalitarian.Liberal. So if a man leads a woman to adultery, the woman is not to blame. Did she really not know that the man in front of her wasn’t her husband? In myths, on the other hand, the woman is almost always to blame and is cursed, mutilated or killed.In this post I'm going to compare briefly, versions that appear in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. It has been mentioned, told and retold in Hindu scriptures from the Brahmanas (9th-6th century BC) right upto the Puranas, which continued to be written well in to the medieval period (5th to 15th century AD). Why bother with Sanskrit? The deed done, Indra rushes out of the hut and runs straight into Gautama, who is returning from a bath in the Ganges, blazing forth with his ascetic power. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of DailyO.in or the India Today Group. It is my own "yoga" (concentration) that is to be blamed... because jealousy is the source of all unhapiness... and I am submerged deeply in sin by entertaining jealousy". Knowing that all women are seductive, the male adulterer is at fault when a woman is allowed to do what she is naturally inclined to do. Didn’t the Supreme Creator find it necessary to ask her if she wanted a husband who had been a father figure? )In this version, Indra comes to Gautama's asrama in the disguise of a brahmin, and when the sage is away, takes his form and asks Ahalya to have sex with him. What does the word Ahalya mean? Indra took the opportunity to seduce Ahalya and she was flattered by it. And if she knew what she was doing, is Indra to blame in any way - after all he's not married to Gautama, is he? (Later restored with the testicles of a ram... ) Another version of the curse makes Indra sahasrayoni (possessing 1,000 female genitals).Ahalya is also cursed. She has to suffer in the form of a stone.My question to my readers: Was Ahalya’s act an act of transgression or was it a case of an individual transcendence?Bonobology.com is the couple-relationship destination for couples everywhere! And when Rama, who is unassailable, comes to this terrible forest, then you will be purified. At the prime of her youth, she had to live with an old man whose attention was elsewhere.Some say Ahalya wasn’t to be blamed, as she didn’t know about Indra’s disguise. He curses Indra to have 1000 marks of what he covets the most on his body, and as the woman who couldn’t distinguish the touch of her husband was no better than a stone, curses Ahalya to turn into a stone herself. Follow us at:@2020 - All Right Reserved. Couple relationships…the pains and pleasures, the anxieties and comforts, the craziness and calm. Although the narrative of the epic states clearly that Sita is pure, Rama compares her to a sacrificial offering that has been licked by a dog, and tells her she is free to go her own way (Check it out if you don't believe me!). The inevitable distance between two people in love, the restless neediness of love. Living life according to traditional norms and morality is the leading idea of the epic. Indra, as himself, simply takes her by force - she was raped. By receiving him as a guest you will become free of greed and delusion, you evil woman, and you will take on your own form in my presence, full of joy." The story of Ahalya and Indra: Was it really adultery? Despite moralising, didactic portions, "realpolitik" is not given up in practice, and the whole atmosphere is one of bold questioning and intellectuality. To add to this, Gautama considers: "If examined from the point of view of dharma, neither my wife, nor myself, nor Indra is to be blamed. Wendy Doniger points out that the law books of ancient India (the dharma-texts) blame the man squarely. (Ramayana 1.47.15-31. If that was so, was Ahalya happy? How was the inertness different after the curse, since prior to that she was no different from a living stone?How had her life changed, except that she didn’t have to breathe and due to the lack of feeling, she didn’t have to undergo the trauma of a neglectful husband who was confining her in the moral clutches of a lifeless matrimony? Brahma created Ahalya. Her decision to yield to sexual curiosity was seen as an assertion of her femininity, a threat to the patriarchal double standards where the co-offender male gets away with a minor punishment and the woman is punished for eons. Rama's comment to Sita after he kills Ravana would definitely seems to indicate so. When the sage returns Ahalya, Where did Ahalya fit in?
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