Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 48: Gautama Curses Ahalyā
Text 1.48.20
मुनिवेषं सहस्राक्षं विज्ञाय रघुनन्दन।
मतिं चकार दुर्मेधा देवराजकुतूहलात्॥
muni-veṣaṁ sahasrākṣaṁ vijñāya raghu-nandana
matiṁ cakāra durmedhā deva-rāja-kutūhalāt
muni-veṣam = disguised as the sage Gautama; sahasra-akṣam = to be the thousand-eyed Indra; vijñāya = despite] knowing him; raghu-nandana = O beloved descendant of Raghu; matim cakāra = decided to [unite with him]; durmedhā = the unintelligent lady; deva-rāja-kutūhalāt = because of the extreme eagerness of the king of the devas.
O beloved descendant of Raghu, [despite] knowing him to be the thousand-eyed Indra disguised as the sage Gautama, because of the extreme eagerness of the king of the devas, the unintelligent lady decided to [unite with him].
Ahalyā understood that this was Indra in the disguise as her husband because of the following reasons. Sage Gautama had never ever entreated her before in this manner [out of her seasonal periods]. Other than Indra, nobody had the capacity to enter the sage’s āśrama. She had also heard [from various sources] that Indra had hankered for her for a long time.