Storytelling for Week 4: Ahalya's Plight

     Ahalya was created as the most beautiful woman in the world.  Her beauty was so great that she attracted the attention of the god Indra.  Unfortunately for him, he was unable to talk to her or meet her before she was married off to the hermit Guatama.  This led Indra to obsess over the woman who caught his attention.  He could not forget about her, no matter what he tried to do to forget.  At the same time, Ahalya was devoted to her husband.  She knew that Indra had an interest in her, though she did not know the extent of his devotion.  Guatama also knew of Indra's attention.  He ignored it completely, believing his wife would remain faithful to him.  One day Indra appeared at Ahalya's home, disguised as her husband.  Guatama was away bathing, so he would not catch the duo.  Ahalya was able to tell that something was wrong.  Knowing that Indra was after her, she suspected that he was attempting to trick her.  Rather than turning him away, however, she went along with it.  When Guatama reappeared, he caught Indra leaving.  He cursed him, making him flee to ask Agni, god of fire, for help.  He twisted the story to seem as if he was doing something good for the gods.  By forcing Guatama to feel anger and curse him, he forced him to abandon his merit as a hermit.  Guatama's curse caused Indra to lose his manhood, though it was restored to him by Agni. Ahalya was punished more than Indra was, as Guatama took her beauty from her, granting it to the world.  This caused her to disappear, becoming invisible, though Guatama's anger was slightly soothed when she told him that Indra had taken his image and they were hermits living alone in the forest.  This made him realize that he had overreacted in his punishment of her, making him give an end to the punishment when Rama came to the forest clearing where Ahalya lost her beauty.
     I decided to retell this story to showcase the differences between this story and how it was told in the other version of the Ramayana.  Ahalya is still punished for her infidelity, though in a different manner.  Indra also is punished in a different manner.  Rather than being turned to stone, Ahalya is stripped of her beauty and becomes invisible.  Indra seeks refuge with Agni rather than hiding away until the gods go to Guatama and ask him to remove his curse.  One of the major differences in this story, however, is that Ahalya is actually aware of what is going on.  She knows that Indra is not her husband, whereas she was completely unaware in the other version.  I thought it was interesting how the different authors portray the same story. 
Buck, William (1976).  Ramayana: King Rama's Way.

(Ahalya; Image source: Wikipedia)