Valmiki Ramayana 1.49.10 — Bala Kanda, Sarga 49, Shloka 10

अहल्याशापमोक्षः

The Release of Ahalya and Indra’s Restoration

Devanagari script

इन्द्रस्तु मेषवृषणस्तदाप्रभृति राघव।गौतमस्य प्रभावेन तपसश्च महात्मन:।।।।

Transliteration

indras tu meṣavṛṣaṇas tadāprabhṛti rāghava |

gautamasya prabhāvena tapasaś ca mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

O Rāghava, von jener Zeit an trug Indra die Hoden eines Widders; so groß war die Macht des erhabenen Gautama und seines tapas (seiner Askese).

Word by Word

• indraḥ: Indra
• indraḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• tu: indeed/and
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात)

• meṣavṛṣaṇaḥ: having a ram’s testicles
• meṣavṛṣaṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: meṣa (मेष) + vṛṣaṇa (वृषण) (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; बहुव्रीहि: ‘one whose testicles are (those) of a ram’

• tadāprabhṛti: from then onwards
• tadāprabhṛti: Kālādhi karaṇa (कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय) + prabhṛti (अव्यय)
• Form: Compound-like adverbial phrase; ‘from that time onwards’

• rāghava: O Rāghava
• rāghava: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāghava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• gautamasya: of Gautama
• gautamasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• prabhāvena: by the power
• prabhāvena: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• tapasaḥ: of austerity
• tapasaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• mahātmanaḥ: of the great-souled (one)
• mahātmanaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular; कर्मधारय: mahā + ātman = ‘great-souled’ (epithet of Gautama)

Context

O Son of the Raghus! illustrious Gautama's power of ascetism was such that thenceforth Indra possessed the testicles of a ram.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvāmitra
• Rāma (Rāghava)
• Indra
• Gautama

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

Tapas and truth-backed authority: spiritual discipline (tapas) rooted in dharma has transformative power, and wrongdoing meets proportionate consequence.

What is the narrative situation?

Viśvāmitra explains to Rāma the lasting mark of Indra’s punishment resulting from Gautama’s curse.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

Gautama’s tapas (austerity) and moral authority—his spiritual force upholds dharma through just consequence.