As Rāma listened attentively, the great sage Viśvāmitra, renowned for his wisdom and eloquence, responded to the prince’s inquiry. “Rāghava,” he said, “I will truly tell you whose hermitage this is—a place once cursed in anger by a noble soul. “This was the dwelling of the illustrious sage Gautama, O best of men. His brilliance rivaled the divine, and he was revered even by the gods. Here, together with his wife Ahalyā, Gautama practiced severe austerities for thousands of years, O renowned prince. “One day, when Gautama was absent, Indra—the lord of Śacī—assumed the guise of a sage and approached Ahalyā. He spoke, ‘Those who desire union, O slender-waisted one, wait for the proper season with patience. But I desire union with you now.’ Ahalyā recognized Indra in his disguise, yet, lacking judgment and moved by curiosity about the king of gods, she consented. “After Indra had fulfilled his desire, Ahalyā said to him, ‘I am satisfied, O lord of gods; go quickly from here, O master. Protect both yourself and me from Gautama.’ Indra laughed and replied, ‘O beautiful-hipped one, I am satisfied and will depart as I came.’ Thus, after their union, he hastily left the hut. “In his haste and fear, Indra tried to escape, but he saw the great sage Gautama entering. Gautama, radiant from his ritual bath and carrying sacred fuel and kuśa grass, shone like blazing fire—difficult to approach for gods and demons alike, endowed with the power of austerity. The lord of gods became fearful, his face pale upon seeing the sage. “Recognizing Indra in disguise, Gautama, though righteous himself, spoke in anger to the wicked one: ‘Assuming my form, you have committed this wrongful act, O wicked-minded one. Therefore, you shall become fruitless.’ As Gautama uttered his curse, Indra’s testicles immediately fell to the ground. “Then Gautama cursed his wife as well: ‘For many thousands of years you shall dwell here, sustained only by air, fasting, scorched by penance, lying on ashes, unseen by all beings. You shall remain in this hermitage. When Rāma, the son of Dasharatha, comes to this dreadful forest, then you shall be purified. By receiving him as a guest, O wicked one—free from greed and delusion—you shall, with joy, regain your own form and come to me.’ Having spoken thus, Gautama, possessed of great austerity, left the hermitage, frequented by Siddhas and Charanas, and went to perform penance on the beautiful peak of the Himalaya. “Now, O Rāma, listen to the next chapter in the glorious Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa. “Indra, rendered fruitless and fearful, approached the gods, led by Agni, and the Siddhas, Gandharvas, and Charanas. He pleaded, ‘By causing an obstacle to the penance of the great-souled Gautama and provoking his anger, I have performed this act for the sake of the gods. Yet, by his wrath, I have been made fruitless, and Ahalyā has been rejected. His great curse has deprived him of his penance. Therefore, O best of gods, with the sages and Charanas, make this act fruitful for me.’ “Hearing Indra’s words, the gods, with Agni at their head, approached the Pitṛs, accompanied by the Maruts, and said, ‘This ram is intact, while Indra has been rendered without testicles. Take the testicles of the ram and quickly give them to Indra. The ram, made fruitless, will bring supreme satisfaction, and those men who offer rams will obtain inexhaustible fruit, and you shall grant them abundant rewards.’ “The Pitṛs, hearing Agni’s words, took the testicles of the ram and implanted them in Indra, the thousand-eyed one. From that time on, O descendant of Kakutstha, the Pitṛs eat fruitless rams, and the fruit is assigned to them. And since then, O Rāghava, Indra has the testicles of a ram, by the power of Gautama and his great penance. “Now, O radiant prince, go to the hermitage of the virtuous one and deliver Ahalyā, who is blessed and divine in form.” Having heard Viśvāmitra’s words, Rāma, accompanied by Lakṣmaṇa, entered the hermitage, with the sage leading the way. There, Rāma beheld the highly blessed Ahalyā, whose radiance, intensified by her austerity, was difficult to behold even for gods and demons gathered together. Created with effort by the Creator, seemingly divine and woven of illusion, her body was enveloped in smoke, like a blazing tongue of fire. Like the full moon’s brilliance veiled by frost and clouds, she shone in the midst of waters, difficult to approach, like the radiant sun. By Gautama’s words, she had become invisible to all three worlds; but Rāma’s sight brought an end to her curse, and she became visible to them. Then, the two descendants of Raghu joyfully took hold of her feet, and, remembering Gautama’s words, Ahalyā accepted them. With full composure, she offered water for washing feet, hospitality, and gifts; Rāma accepted them according to the prescribed rites. Thus, the curse was lifted, and Ahalyā’s radiance and dignity were restored.