Ahalya Set Free

After the yagya, Vishwamitra told the brothers that King Janak of Mithila was holding a great yagya, and that he kept a wondrous bow of Lord Shiv. The brothers set out with their guru. On the way they crossed the Ganga, and the guru told them the story of how the Ganga came down to earth.

Near Mithila they saw a lonely, empty ashram. No birds sang there and no creature moved. Ram asked, ‘Gurudev, why is this ashram so deserted?’ Vishwamitra told them it had been the ashram of the sage Gautam. His wife Ahalya was very beautiful and pure of heart.

One day Indra, king of the gods, deceitfully took Gautam's form and entered the ashram. When Gautam returned and learned the truth, he cursed Indra, and he cursed Ahalya too: she would remain here for thousands of years, unseen, without food, doing penance. But Gautam also said that when Shri Ram came to this ashram, Ahalya would be freed.

As soon as Ram stepped into the ashram, Ahalya appeared in her radiant form. In Valmiki's Ramayan she had been invisible because of her penance. In Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas she had turned into a stone, and became a woman again at the touch of Ram's feet. This second version is the one most people know.

Ram and Lakshman touched Ahalya's feet and bowed to her. She welcomed them with loving hospitality. Just then the sage Gautam returned and accepted his wife once more. A woman who had been alone and neglected for years was given back her honour by Ram. This episode is known as Ahalya's uddhar.