23. Story of Ahalya

      Once Lord Brahma created a beautiful lady called Ahalya. All the gods including Indra were attracted by her beauty and they wished to marry her. Lord Brahma put a condition that he was ready to make match to the one who come back first after revolving around the earth. Accordingly all the gods set out their journey. But sage Narada knew with his yogic powers that the great saint named Goutham was suitable to her. At that time, Goutham saw a Dwamukhi cow (Dwamukhi cow means the cow in the stage of giving birth to a calf) and did pradakshina around it as it is considered as a good thing. Without wasting time Narada met Goutham and described everything and told him to marry Ahalya. Goutham asked Narada how he could win the race because other gods had already set out their journey. Narada explained him that doing pradakshina to a Dwamukhi cow is equal to doing pradakshina to the earth.  Lord Brahma also agreed to give Ahalya to Goutham.

      Indra felt humiliated and had lecherous dreams about her. One day he took form of a rooster and imitate rooster's call during midnight. Goutham thought its early morning and went to near by river to perform morning ablutions. While Gautam was away, Indra disguised as Gautam, approached Ahalya and satisfied his lust. Finally Gautam on return caught them and cursed Indra to have female sexual organs (Vagina) all over his body and to loose his manliness. Gautam cursed Ahalya to become a stone and he left the hermitage. Indra did severe penance toward Shiva. Shiva gave him the boon to convert that mark of female organ to that of eye. From that day Indra is called Sahasraksha, one with thousand eyes. Ahalya became stone and was suffering.

      After several thousand years, as explained in Birth of Rama, Vishwamitra took Rama and Lakshmana and proceeded towards Mithila for attending Sita's Swayamvaram. On the way they walked through Goutham's hermitage. When Rama's foot touched a stone, it became Ahalya. Sage Goutham also reached there and told that Ahalya became pure after being touched by Rama's foot. Goutham accepted Ahalya as her wife again. Vishwamitra and other continued their journey towards Mithila to attend Sita's Swayamvaram.