Ramayana_VOLUME V with index

Ramayana: A Divine Drama – Vol. V
who is waiting for a chance to foil your fortune gets such an
opportunity, will he keep quiet I am Indra come in this form.
You prayed for a son who would kill me, didn’t you The foetus
in the womb was to destroy me and so I took that chance to foil
my foe. And I did not destroy him through condemnable tactics.
You know that strict observance of the vow was essential for the
success of your plan. You had to ensure that you did not violate
the code. The foetus has been cut into seven fragments and I
have spoken ‘Maaruda’ to them. So they will be born as the
seven Godly Maruthas, (Wind Gods); I am conferring on you
this boon,’ Indra said thus and returned to Heaven.
Rama! This is the place where Indra and Diti had this dialogue
and this compromise. (RKRV Part I p.144-150)
Gautama’s Hermitage:
During the journey, Viswamitra narrated to them the past history
of the Ashrams that they came across on the way. At last, they
reached the hermitage of Gautama where Gautama’s wife,
Ahalya 166 , lay in one place like a stone, having been earlier
cursed by her husband. Rama, the incarnation of Lord Narayana,
knew everything, but pretended as though He did not know
anything. As He moved toward Ahalya, the vibrations that
emanated from His feet brought a new surge of life into her
petrified form. She immediately clung to the feet of Rama, and
prayed to Him to forgive her and shower grace on her. At that
very instant, Sage Gautama arrived on the scene and accepted the
166
See Chapter, Ahalya
440