Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 48, Shloka 33
अहल्याशापवर्णनम्
The Account of Ahalyā’s Curse and the Deserted Hermitage near Mithilā
एवमुक्त्वा महातेजा गौतमो दुष्टचारिणीम्।।।।इममाश्रममुत्सृज्य सिद्धचारणसेविते।हिमवच्छिखरे पुण्ये तपस्तेपे महातपा:।।।।
evam uktvā mahā-tejā gautamo duṣṭa-cāriṇīm |
imam āśramam utsṛjya siddha-cāraṇa-sevite |
himavac-chikhare puṇye tapas tepe mahā-tapāḥ |
Having spoken thus, the radiant sage Gautama—an ascetic of great austerity—abandoned this hermitage and went to the holy peaks of Himavat, frequented by Siddhas and Cāraṇas, and there practiced penance.
'When the son of Dasaratha, the unassailable Rama enters this dreadful forest, you will be cleansed (of this sin)'.
FAQs
Dharma is upheld through detachment and disciplined spiritual practice: Gautama withdraws from the compromised setting and recommits to tapas in a sanctified place.
After issuing the curse and conditions for purification, Gautama departs the hermitage and proceeds to Himavat’s holy peaks to continue austerities.
Ascetic steadfastness (tapas) and renunciation: the sage prioritizes spiritual discipline and moral order over remaining in a painful domestic context.