After the death of the demons, sage Vishwamitra told Rama about a dhanur yagya that was going to be held in Mithila for the swayamvar of princess Sita. Hearing this, Rama and Laxman started their journey towards Mithila accompanying sage Vishwamitra. On their way, they saw a deserted hut. The hut belonged to sage Gautama and his wife, Ahilya who was a very pious woman. Indra in absence of sage Gautama disguised himself as Gautama and spent a night with Ahilya. When Gautama came to learn of this sinful deed, he cursed Ahilya to turn into a stone. Vishwamitra knew that Rama could relieve Ahilya of the curse, so he begged Rama to do so. As Rama entered the ashram, his feet touched the stone and it was transformed into a beautiful lady. Ahilya had come back to her own orignal form. In a moment, the ashram too came alive with colourful flowers, green trees, and the twittering of birds. Ahilya thanked Rama and Laxman and offered them her warm hospitality. Meanwhile, sage Gautama also forgave Ahilya and returned to live with her in the ashram. He then blessed the two brothers and thanked sage Vishwamitra for his sound advice.
THE ACCURSED AHILYA
