Gautama Maharishi ( sa, महर्षिः गौतम, ), was a sage in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

, who is also mentioned in Jainism and Buddhism. Gautama is mentioned in the

Yajurveda The ''Yajurveda'' ( sa, यजुर्वेद, ', from ' meaning "worship", and ''veda'' meaning "knowledge") is the Veda primarily of prose mantras for worship rituals.Michael Witzel (2003), "Vedas and Upaniṣads", in ''The Blackwell C ...

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages e ...

, and Gaṇeśa Pūrana and is known for cursing his wife Ahalyā, after she unknowingly had sex with Indra. Another important story related to Gautama is about the creation of river

Godavari The Godavari (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''Godāvarī'' Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �od̪aːʋəɾiː is India's second longest river after the Ganges river, Ganga river and drains into the third largest basin in Indi ...

, which is also known as Gautami.

Children

According to

Valmiki Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages e ...

, Gautama's eldest son with Ahalyā is Satananda. But according to Adi Parva of Mahabharata, he had two sons named Saradvan and Cirakari. Saradvan was also known as Gautama, hence his children Kripa and Kripi were called Gautama and Gautami respectively. A daughter of Gautama is referred too but her name is never disclosed in the epic. In Sabha Parva, he begets many children through Aushinara (daughter of Uśīnara), amongst whom eldest in Kakshivat. Gautama and Aushinara's marriage takes place at Magadha, the kingdom of Jarasandha. According to Vamana Purana, he had three daughters named Jaya, Jayanti and Aparajita. Gautama is also have said to have fathered Śvetaketu with Uddālaka Āruṇi in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad.

Ahalyā's curse

Gautama cursed his wife Ahalya for allowing Indra into her hermitage

The ''Gaṇeśa Purāṇa'' and ''Ramayana'' describes Ahalyā as his wife. Their marriage is recorded in the Uttara Khaṇḍa, which is believed as an interpolation to the epic. As per the story

Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...

, the creator god, creates a beautiful girl and gifts her as a bride to Gautama and a son named Shatananda is born. The ''Upāsanā Khaṇḍa'' mentions Gautama cursing Indra when he comes home and finds Indra in an arguement with his wife. It is revealed that she had sex with Indra disguised as Gautama and he curses Indra with 1000 vaginas and turns Ahalyā into a stone until Rāma steps on her. Indra is eventually returned to normal after Gautama recites a mantra, and finds greatness in Gaṇeśa that he reveals to the

Devas Devas may refer to: * Devas Club, a club in south London * Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter * Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist * Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club * Devas (band) Deva ...

. and Ahalyā is graced by Rāma's foot. The ''Bala Khaṇḍa'' mentions that Gautama spots Indra, who is still in disguise, and curses him to lose his

testicles A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testostero ...

. Gautama then returns to his ashram and accepts her.

Upaniṣads

Gautama is mentioned in two tales inside Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad. He speaks to Yajñavalkya with Uddālaka Āruṇi, Gārgī Vāchaknavī and other Kuru and

Pañcāla Panchala ( sa, पञ्चाल, IAST: ) was an ancient kingdom of northern India, located in the Ganges-Yamuna Doab of the Upper Gangetic plain. During Late Vedic times (c. 1100–500 BCE), it was one of the most powerful states of ancient ...

sages in King Janaka's kingdom to test to see if Yajñavalkya is a great sage. He also has a conversation with Pravāhaṇa Jaivali after Jaivali meets Śvetaketu and requests to meet his father. Jaivali promises to grant Gautama a boon, and describes the beauty and depth of the physical world, and teaches him how to perform yajña. Inside the Kṛṣṇa (black) book of the

there is brief mention of Gautama in the Brahmavidya Upaniṣad where a sage suggests killing Gautama instead of him in a conversation regarding androphilic intercourse and attractions.

References

External links

Rishis Characters in the Ramayana Saptarishi {{DEFAULTSORT:Maharishi_Gautama