Shloka 1.49.13
अहल्याशापमोक्षः — The Release of Ahalya and Indra’s Restoration
ददर्श च महाभागां तपसा द्योतितप्रभाम्।लोकैरपि समागम्य दुर्निरीक्ष्यां सुरासुरै:।।।।प्रयत्नान्निर्मितां धात्रा दिव्यां मायामयीमिव।स तुषारावृतां साभ्रां पूर्णचन्द्रप्रभामिव।।।।मध्येंऽभसो दुराधर्षां दीप्तां सूर्यप्रभामिव।
dadarśa ca mahābhāgāṃ tapasā dyotitaprabhām |
lokair api samāgamya durnirīkṣyāṃ surāsuraiḥ ||
prayatnān nirmitāṃ dhātrā divyāṃ māyāmayīm iva |
sa tuṣārāvṛtāṃ sābhrāṃ pūrṇacandraprabhām iva ||
madhye ’mbhaso durādharṣāṃ dīptāṃ sūryaprabhām iva ||
And he beheld Ahalyā, most blessed, her radiance kindled by austerity—so subtle that even men, devas, and asuras gathered together could scarcely perceive her. She appeared divine, like an illusory form fashioned with special care by the Creator: like the full moon’s light veiled by mist and clouds, and like the unassailable brilliance of the sun shining amid the waters.
Rama beheld the highly fortunate Ahalya, shining brilliantly with the power of her asceticism. She could not be seen even by men, suras or asuras joined together. She looked divine and illusory as if created with special efforts by Brahma. Though not clearly visible, she was shining bright like the light of the full Moon muffled by mists in the sky and like the inviolable light of the Sun reflected in the water.
Inner purity and tapas have moral-spiritual reality: dharma is not merely social reputation; austere truth can preserve a person’s essential radiance even under curse and concealment.
Upon entering the hermitage, Rāma beholds Ahalyā in a concealed, luminous state—visible now in anticipation of release.
Ahalyā’s endurance and ascetic purity—her tapas sustains a divine brilliance despite long invisibility and suffering.