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Ahalya
Wife of the sage Gautama Maharishi in Hinduism / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ahalya, often spelled Ahilya, is the name of the sage Gautama Maharishi's wife in Hinduism. According to several Hindu texts, she was seduced by Indra (the ruler of the gods), her husband cursed her for being unfaithful, and Rama freed her from the curse (7th avatar of the god Vishnu). [1]
Quick Facts Affiliation, Abode ...
Ahalya | |
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Member of Panchakanya | |
![]() Ahalya by Raja Ravi Varma (1848–1906) | |
Affiliation | Rishi (sage), panchakanya |
Abode | Gautama's hermitage |
Personal information | |
Consort | Gautama Maharishi |
Children | Shatananda (according to Ramayana) |
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She was the most beautiful lady ever created by the deity Brahma, and she was wed to the much older Gautama. Ahalya recognizes Indra's disguise when he appears as her husband in the oldest complete story, but she nevertheless consents to his advances. She is frequently exonerated of all blame in later texts, which explains how she is duped by Indra. In every story, Gautama curses Ahalya and Indra.[2][3]