Shloka 1.48.19
अहल्याशापवर्णनम् (The Account of Ahalyā’s Curse and the Deserted Hermitage near Mithilā)
मुनिवेषं सहस्राक्षं विज्ञाय रघुनन्दन।मतिं चकार दुर्मेधा देवराजकुतूहलात्।।
muniveṣaṃ sahasrākṣaṃ vijñāya raghunandana | matiṃ cakāra durmedhā devarājakutūhalāt ||
O delight of the Raghus, Ahalyā—misguided in judgment—recognized the thousand-eyed one in a sage’s guise, and, out of fascination for the king of the gods, gave her consent.
O Delight of the Raghus! the evil-intentioned Ahalya, inclined towards the king of thecelestials and knowing him to be the thousand-eyed Indra in the guise of the ascetic, consented for the union.
Dharma teaching here is accountability of choice: even when temptation is powerful, knowingly consenting to wrongdoing is portrayed as a failure of discernment and truth-alignment (satya).
Viśvāmitra states that Ahalyā recognized Indra despite the disguise and still consented, motivated by fascination with his status.
The implied virtue is viveka (moral discernment). The verse marks its absence (durmedhā) as the critical inner lapse leading to later consequences.