Humans have always followed a set of common rules since time immemorial.
However, it was not always like this. When the human race started to grow, they felt disorganized and lacked a sense of responsibility and conduct.
For the same reason, Lord Brahma created the Saptarishis, who led the way for wisdom and spiritual growth.
Of these, Gautama Rishi was the first to lay down the rules of living and conduct for humans.
Let’s read his amazing story.
Gautama Rishi’s Lineage and Legacy
Gautama Rishi was from the Saptarishi Angiras lineage. He was his great-grandson.
Gautama Rishi was married to Ahalya, one of the “Panchkanyas” (five virgins) and the most beautiful woman created by Lord Brahma.
Together, they had two sons and were grandparents to Kripa and Kripi (from the Mahabharata).
Gautama Rishi was a sage without an ego and was approachable by celestial beings and humans. He conducted his meditation and penance with patience and grit.
Gautama Rishi and Ahalya
Gautama Rishi’s wife Ahalya was the most beautiful woman in the universe. Such was her beauty that a celestial being once approached her when she was alone in the hermitage.
The celestial being made a run for it when he sensed Gautama Rishi approaching. However, he was seen by Gautama, and this angered him. He cursed Ahalya, and she instantly turned into stone.
But, being a kind-hearted and selfless Rishi, he immediately regretted his decision to cure his wife.
But unfortunately, the cure could not be taken back. So, to nullify the curse, he nullified it by blessing that Ahalya would return to being herself by the touch of Shere Ram’s feet. This incident has a special mention in the Ramayan epic.
Gautama Rishi’s penance in the Himalayas
The act of cursing his own wife made Gautama Rishi realize that he had a lot of spiritual growth to do to control his anger.
He headed for the Himalayas to do penance as a means of asking for forgiveness from the supreme lord.
While being there, other sages came to him to become his followers. He accepted each one of them with an open heart.
It so happened, once there was a severe drought in the region where he had set up his hermitage. Gautama Rishi decided to sit for uninterrupted meditation to ask for help from Lord Varuna, the God of water.
Pleased with his intense penance and centered meditation, Lord Varuna splashed a reservoir of water, which we now know as the River Godavari.
Gautama Rishi’s Realization
When mentoring and observing the sages under him, he realized that the sages did not have a focused goal for being with him. He observed that his pupils were of different ages and were not behaving appropriately.
This set Gautama Rishi to lay down rules of conduct, which he collectively wrote in the “Dharmasutra”.
In this, he explains the origins of true Dharma and how one can attain it with the right conduct.
He explains the importance of “Brahmacharya” for learners and the law of conduct for learners towards their teacher.
He further established, through his writings, the role of conduct for different life stages, judicial laws that would be appropriate for giving punishment and reward, and rules to be followed for personal rituals, life marriage, funeral and even divorce and child custody.
Thus, we see how farsighted Gautama Rishi. His foundational work on rules of conduct has been a basis for present-day rituals as well.
