Ramanavami Spl: Essay series by Sri.Bannanje Govindacharya -3

March 22, 2010

doshhAtmabhUvashaturAshhADatikramaja doshhAtmabhartR^ivachasa | pAshhANabhUtamuniyoshhAvarAtmatanuveshAdidAyicharaNaH |

naishhAdhayoshhidhasubheshhAkR^idaNDajani doshhAcharAdi suhR^ido | doshhAgrajanmamR^itishoshhApaho & avatu sudoshhAN^ghrijAtahananAt.h ||

A small character in the Ramayana that reached great heights is that of ahalya.

It is not wrong to err. Weakness is human nature. But it is wrong not to correct the wrong doings. ahalya showed this to the whole world. She became one amongst the seven chaste women, whose very thought burns our sins away!

Why did ahalya fall? What was the significance of gautama’s curse? What was indra’s role in this episode? The third part of Shri Bannanje Govindacharya’s essay “saNNa pAtragaLa doDDa koDuge” explores the intricacies in life and relationships.

....”ahalye, gautama mattu indra”...a soul stirring writing about downfall, rise and the role of the divine in life...

Article courtesy: Sri. Dilip Sundar

Regards,

Dilip

rAma rAma rAma sItA rAmA ennirO

amarapatiya divya nAma aMdu odagadO||

March 26, 2010

||shrI haraye namaH||Below is the English translation of the 3rd part of Shri Bannanje Govindacharya’s essay ”ahalye, gautama mattu indra” by Dr. P.R. Mukund. The pdf file of the same is also attached.

Regards,DilipAhalya, Gautama & IndraBy pUjya Shri Bannanje GovindacharyaTranslated to English by P. R. Mukund

Ahalya is like that too. Shows up briefly once and disappears, in Ramayana. A cursed woman!But her curse turned into a boon, isn’t it? Even a shallow look shows the seeds of upliftment in her path. Because of her curse, she came in contact with Ramachandra’s blissful feet. She became worthy of remembrance early in the morning, everyday. Not everyone falls on a slippery slope; Ahalya showed that you can climb a slippery slope.

People make up all kinds of stories about Ahalya. They say she did not recognize Indra in disguise. There are those that argue that she enjoyed the company of Indra thinking that he was actually her husband Gautama.But, you know what? Valmiki did not make up colorful stories. He documented just the facts.

So, here is the gist of story: The sage Mudgala was originally a prince of Panchala region. He was the eldest of five brothers. It is because of these five brothers that the kingdom was called Panchala (pancha means five). Subsequently, Mudgala accepted the Brahmin’s way of life; and, became the root of the Maudgalya Gotra. His son was Divodasa; and, daughter was Ahalya.

Ahalya’s son was Shatananda. This Shantananda, product of the sweet relationship between Ahalya and Gautama, ended up in Mithila as the Royal priest to the king Janaka.Shatananda’s son was Satyadhruthi. His son was Sharadranta. Kripa and Kripi were his children.

Drupada was born, much later, in the lineage of Ahalya’s brother Divodasa. Drupada daughter, Draupadi of Panchala, was the one who took the hands of the five Pandavas.So, this Tapasa lineage has traversed through the ages; and is testimony to the linkage between Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The historical fact, as documented by Valmiki in Ramayana is as follows: In a forest near Mithila, Gautama was living in a hermitage and was engrossed in penance. Ahalya was there as his lifelong companion.Gautama was immersed in penance, having forgotten his wife and surroundings. His goal was spiritual upliftment. He was bent on reaching heights even beyond his reach. Sure, he went up. Even beyond his reach. But nature sets the bar for each one’s achievement. Going beyond that is contrary to the rules of creation. Neither God nor devates will forgive that.

One can only digest according to what one is supposed to acquire. Anything more will not stay. The excess will melt. So, Gautama’s excess spiritual wealth had to be vanquished. So, as per the dictates of destiny, Indra came up with a plan.

Indra waited for a time when Gautama had gone out, and casually approached the hermitage. He put on the guise of Gautama, approached Ahalya and said “come, let us have fun.”But, Ahalya was no ordinary woman. She was very advanced in the art of meditation. She knew; this is no Gautama; it is Indra in the guise of Gautama.

Having long lived the life of austerity, desire started taking root in Ahalya’s mind. When Indra himself is inviting, why refuse? After all, don’t these divine entities reside within us and take part in enjoying our experiences? That is not same as man enjoying himself, is it? It is the experience of the divine taking care of senses. So, what is wrong in pursuing divine experiences?

Now, her curiosity knew no bounds. The voice within her told her not to miss out on this once in a lifetime experience and regret later.Well, she surrendered to her inner desire. Telling herself that this is no ordinary human experience, and it was really an inner divine experience, she gave herself to Indra. She was ecstatic; and grateful. Wow! What a new experience! As if heaven had come down to earth. She thanked Indra profusely. She begged: “Gautama is about to come back. Spare me from his wrath. You too escape. Please go away. Oh, by the way, thank you so much for a sweet experience.”

Indra was about to leave, and guess who shows up? Gautama was back. That is exactly what Indra wanted. He pretended to leave, but did not. Gautama saw Indra, and realized what had happened. He cursed Indra: “May you become impotent like a castrated bull. This is your punishment for infatuation with women.” Then he turned towards Ahalya and said “Get out of the sight of people and survive as a rock near the hermitage till you get purified by contacting Shri Rama’s feet.”

The sage lost some of his merits due to giving in to anger and cursing. Indra’s job was done. Indra, like a culprit, walked away with his head bowed. The sage went to the forest for penance. Ahalya alone got transformed to a rock, as stable as a rock, as unnoticeable as a rock, her mind as steady as rock, focusing only on Him.

Ahalya slipped and climbed; Gautama climbed and slipped. Indra, who made her climb, and made him slip, remained untouched and unaffected by all this. That is the secret of the divine.Then, why is Indra punished by a curse? Gautama was dealt with for trying to go to spiritual heights beyond his reach. Ahalya was dealt with because she allowed her mind to wander in lust. But, for taking part in this divine play, the doors to her salvation were opened. That’s’ why Ramachandra came looking for her. But, why punish Indra for carrying out a divine plan? In reality, the curse, the punishment, it is all play acting. Don’t forget that Indra had control over the mind as well. He is the one who messed up Ahalya’s mind. He is the one who brought anger to the Sage’s mind, making him curse. The saintly couple was mere actors in this play. Indra was the director.

Then, as the director, why punish himself? Well, reality is different. Indra is a divine being far, far above Gautama. Curses can only come downwards. Those above can reject the curses of those below; they can stand above them. Yet, Indra acted as if he was bound by the curse. That too is a divine scheme.

Indra could have naturally rejected Gautama’s curse. But, if he did, the sage’s curse would not have been a crime. The one above had to be cursed; the one above had to accept it; and as a result,, Gautama’s acquired merit had to go down. That was God’s will.

And so, Indra accepted the curse; but it turned around and pierced Gautama himself. He lost his hard earned spiritual strength. For following the dictates of fate, Indra acquired merit even as he experienced the curse.

Spiritual demerits and merits are not as simple as they appear on the surface. What appears as demerit to us could be actually merit, and vice versa.For the sake of bringing down Gautama’s merit, Indra got castrated; became impotent. Oops! What about his wife Shachi? What should all the damsels in heaven do? Why should they suffer from Gautama’s curse?

Hmm… actually, facts are different. Even though he got neutered, he did not become a eunuch for good. Did not Arjuna act as Brihannale during the hidden phase in Mahabharata? Well, in the original form of Arjuna, this too is just a small play.

The Pitru devates (the divine beings that guide us after death) took the source of virility from sheep and offered them to Indra. This turned Indra’s fortune again to male hood. Phew! He was potent again. He became “Mesha Vrishana.”

Wait a second. So, it was the poor lamb that became the proverbial sacrificial lamb to Gautama’s curse? Why did the divine plan involve the poor lamb? But, here is a diving secret as well.To castrate a bull is a crime. But to neuter a lamb is not as big a crime. And, the reason for this? Kshatriyas are meat eating people. They would offer meat to Indra and Pitru devates during yagnya. So, the Pitru devates decided to extract the virility of sheep and offer it to Indra during sacrifice, and gave the spiritual merit to the lamb. Here, the population of the sheep was controlled; and there, they got the spiritual merit.

So, the sheep got their well being take care of. And the world was taken care of. Sometimes, the actions of the divine appear worse than kidding around. But, understanding the divine action is no child’s play. When we dig, we may or may not find the hidden treasure. But beware! Never judge the action of the divine by the understanding of our world.

So, here is poor Ahalya sitting in penance. Her body and mind having been purified by penance. She has climbed far more than she has slipped. So here comes our Ramachandra, with Vishwamitra. The very contact of Ram’s feet brought Ahalya back to life and natural form. Showing respect to a Rishipatni, Ramchandra touches her feet! As the great one who emancipated her, Ahalya touched Rama’s feet. This was a very touching scene.

Translated to English by P. R. MukundGautama had been waiting for this moment for a long time, since he loved his wife very much. His inner eye saw what had happened. He too came back. Now that this happy couple was united, Ramachandra went towards Mithila to find his own consort.

This story, that can unravel the many layers of life, is great psychology. Ahalya is a great lady for having offered herself at the feet of Rama’s incarnation. “It is not a mistake to make a mistake. But, to not correct a mistake is a mistake” such is the lesson that this ideal lady offered to the world. She has to be remembered not only at the start of the day, but forever.

You know, even the very names of this couple are very interesting. The name of the Sage is Gautama or Gotama. Her name is Ahalya. Gautama or Gotama means one who can control the cattle: a farmer. Ahalya means barren land that has not seen a plough. But even this barren land, in the hands of a good farmer, can be fruitful. The fruits of eternal bliss! When the earth starts bearing golden flowers, life becomes a string of wonders. The whole life will be blissful.

Looking at the beauty of the barren land, even the clouds started drooling. It rained cats and dogs. Not having seen rain for quite some time, all the plants in the land got washed away in the storm. The whole land became a swamp. The farmer got mad and left the land he loved. And the rain stopped too.

Not having the farmer to irrigate, and the rains having stopped, the land became barren again. Hard as a rock!Finally, once, the Divine eyes opened, the blessings of the Guru flowed like a river nearby. The land softened. The rock melted. The land looked like a young woman. Excitement with the farmer, too! He returned. He established a family on this land.

Who knows if these thoughts ran through Valmiki’s mind? Perhaps coincidental. But, these unusual names makes you wonder, does it not?

*********************On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 9:31 AM, Dilip Rathnakar <diliprathnakar wrote:

doshhAtmabhUvashaturAshhADatikramaja doshhAtmabhartR^ivachasa |

pAshhANabhUtamuniyoshhAvarAtmatanuveshAdidAyicharaNaH |