“It is sufficient at first to have full force of the faith, for we cannot from the beginning of the Yoga have full illumination. Then, however, we err & stumble, our force of faith will sustain us. When we cannot see, we shall know that God withholds the light, imposing on us error as a step towards knowledge, just as he imposes on us defeat as a step towards victory.” — Sri Aurobindo
The modern renditions of the Ramayana tell us the story of Ahalya as follows.
The wife of rishi Gautama, she was so beautiful that Indra disguised himself as her husband to exploit her modesty without her knowledge. When rishi Gautama caught them red-handed, he cursed her to turn into a stone and abandoned her. Many years later, Rama arrived, kept his foot on the stone that was her, and she was free of the curse.
Actually, this is an embellishment. What happened as per Valmiki’s Ramayana is as follows.
Ahalya knows it is Devraj Indra disguised as her husband. In that moment, she has a lapse in judgment. (Anyone would, regardless of our commitment status, if someone powerful and attractive made a move on us.) She is aware of what she is doing.
When rishi Gautama catches them, he curses Indra to become a napunsaka (impotent). To Ahalya, he says, “Stay here. Do tapasya (austerity) as a penance for what you have done. When Rama comes, your penance will have ended and I will return.”
Much later, when Rama and Lakshmana do arrive led by the sage Vishwamitra, they notice that from the outside, the cottage looks deserted. When they enter, the see Ma Ahalya, her aura radiating after years of tapasya. Rishi Vishwamitra terms her as a devarupini (goddess-form), tejasvini (intelligent, noble, brave). Rama and Lakshmana touch her feet, which is when she gets up to host them. (No, Rama does not keep his foot on her stone.)
Then, rishi Gautama also returns, and she and he resume their lives.
Would it have been easier for Ma Ahalya to take the route of revenge and victimhood when she was caught? By all means. Or she could have collapsed into perpetual shame.
But she didn’t. She didn’t compound one mistake with another one. Instead, she chose to correct it through tapasya. Her transgression turned out to be a defining moment that spurred her to outgrow desire and fear and become a rishika, a sage. In effect, she was able to turn adversity into opportunity for self-growth. And it came from faith in a higher power.
Without faith, every obstacle seems like the end of the world. Or it makes us take a wrong turn. But with faith, the obstacle doesn’t stop us from our purpose. Rather, overcoming it becomes our purpose. As Marcus Aurelius said, the obstacle becomes the way.
Ma Ahalya’s story teaches us that our most challenging or vulnerable moments need not define us. They can become the crucible for our personal growth, helping us turn adversity into opportunity.
Keep the faith in a higher power. It is the light inside that keeps you shining bright and destroys all evil. Then, you may or may not avoid missteps, but you definitely will evolve beyond them.