THE LIVING ARCHIVE
About Gautama
Shatananda later serves in Janaka’s realm. He asks Vishvamitra about the restoration of his parents’ life together and about their reception of Rama. His questions show how the hermitage events affect a son beyond the immediate scene.
Gautama is also a widespread sage and lineage name. Ahalya’s husband is not automatically the authorial figure of the Nyaya philosophical tradition or every teacher bearing the same name. Their settings identify different uses of it.
AT A GLANCE
Identity & Context
- Identity
- Rishi
- Form
- Rishi / teacher / narrator
- Tradition
- Puranic · Mahabharata
- Also Known As
- Gautama (Ahalya consort)
- World & Associations
- Hermitage
Gautama Maharishi — Sage associated with Ahalya; distinguish philosophical Gautama authors and other namesakes.
Family & Relationships
- ConsortAhalya
Family Context
These relationships follow the traditions described here. Some details remain uncertain and should not be treated as a single universal genealogy.
THE STORY
Life & Stories
Story Connections
- Ahalya episode
ROLE & ESSENCE
Attributes & Significance
The account does not end with Gautama’s curse. Understanding his role requires the condition of release and the return to hospitality and family life, while retaining the severity of the suffering that came before.
Role
Sage associated with Ahalya; distinguish philosophical Gautama authors and other namesakes.
Attributes & Abilities
- Tapas
- Curses in associated accounts
TRADITION & MEANING
Traditions & Interpretations
These Bala Kanda verses describe Ahalya as unseen and living amid ashes. The familiar transformation into stone belongs to other tellings and changes the way the ordeal is pictured.
The episode remains difficult because its renewal does not erase the punishment. Different traditions interpret Ahalya’s part differently, and the severity within this account is part of what readers have to understand.
From the Sacred Texts
Explore the sacred texts behind these stories in the Suvarnaveda library.
Artwork & Archive Notes
Objects & Emblems
No named weapon or artifact is specified in this profile’s reference record. This does not establish that the figure never used one.
Visual Identity
Where artwork is shown, it is a contemporary illustrative interpretation. This reference record does not establish a fixed portrait, colour scheme, or complete set of iconographic attributes for this figure.
Tradition Note
The accounts belong to Puranic / Mahabharata. Genealogy, theological interpretation, and portrayal can differ between texts and regional retellings.
FOLLOW THE THREADS
Connected Cards
11 connected profiles. Every path leads to an original record.
The Sacred Library5
Earthly Sacred Locations1
Gautama obtains water and asks for the river’s presence.
Characters & Cosmic Entities5
Ahalya’s separation and reunion shape the hermitage narrative.
Rama’s arrival fulfils the condition Gautama had pronounced.
Indra’s assumption of Gautama’s form precipitates the crisis.
Gautama worships the manifestation beside the river.
Gautama asks for the river following the accusation against him.