renuka
Well-known member
Renukaji
I appreciate your knowledge on these; it is very interesting to exchange views with knowledgeable persons;
You say Ahalya ...poor thing..suffered the most..being turned into stone when she was technically innocent.
Being a Patni of a great Rishi she would definitely recognised an alien.
Here you see:
Ahalya is not innocent
Ahalya knew who was before her, she understood it was Lord Indra; she was happy to be seduced by Indra
This is in VALMIKI RAMAYANA.
Valmiki Ramayana, Balakanda, 1-48-19:
'muni vesam sahasraaksam vijnaaya raghunandana |
matim cakaara durmedhaa deva raaja kutuuhalaat ||
"Oh, Rama, the legatee of Raghu, though knowing him as the Thousand-eyed Indra in the guise of her husband Gautama, she is inclined to have union ill-advisedly, only to satisfy the impassion of the King of Gods.
(Her thinking is: 'This is none but Indra in the guise of my husband, for my husband never asks me like this nor he violates times... I heard that Indra is seeking me for a long time... and when King of Gods expresses such a desire, it cannot be refused... let him have it…)
Valmiki Ramayana, Balakanda, 1-48-20, 21a:
"She felt fulfilled in her heart of hearts and then she said this to that best god Indra, 'I am gratified in complying with your wish, oh, best of gods, get going oh, lord, from here quickly, oh, ruler of gods, always safeguard yourself and me from Sage Gautama.' Thus, Ahalya said to Indra.
I will come back to counter your views about Draupati also.
Please take this as an exchange of views only.
Dear Sir,
I am aware that Ahalya's case is controversial..in the sense was she aware that it was Indra and not her husband?
Ok let's look at this case at a different angle.
Sages are well known of neglecting their wives otherwise there would have not been the rule made that "one should not violate the bed of the Guru..meaning one should not copulate with the Guru's wife"
The age difference between sages and their wives used to be quite a difference too.
The wives were much younger and would have needed more attention which their sage husbands would often neglect.
So I feel may be Ahalya was experimenting with her sexuality if at all she was found to be guilty in this case..but should we not blame Gautam also in this case cos why was his wife attracted to someone else if he had payed her attention?
Now there is another version that Ahalya was a piece of Barren Land..and not really a woman to start with.
read this:Another interpretation for Ahalya
According to the story of Ahalya (in the Ramayana), sage Gautama’s wife supposedly had turned into a pillar of salt because of her liaison with Indra (the giver of rain) and Rama restored her back to life. Ahalya basically could represent the un-plow-able (a-hal-ya) and infertile land belonging to Gautama near his hermitage. It probably had turned barren through over-use and excessive rains. The excess water from Indra’s rains could have inundated this land (belonging to Gautama) -- churning and bringing up the chemicals in the soil to the surface as salt -- making it completely infertile. This perhaps explains the symbolism behind story of Ahalya being cursed into a pillar of salt because of her association with Indra (or his rainwater). Note that, only later, when Rama (during his exile) would visit the dead (barren) Ahalya and touch her with his feet (or work on the barren land), Ahalya (or a-hal-ya) would be restored to life (making the land fertile again). Moreover, according to some Ramayana versions, restoration of ahalya to life by Rama was so complete and successful as if the previously barren ‘lady’ (land) underwent thousands of ‘vaginal birthings’ (vegetation sproutings). Needless to say, this story also shows prince Rama’s preparedness to perform any task (high, low or even manual) and adhere to his duty.
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