Gautama Maharishi (Hindi: , Malay: Kutama Maharisi, Tamil: Kautaman, Thai: Khodam) is

one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages Rishi of the current Manvantara (seventh) [1]. He was one
of the Maharishis of Vedic times, known to have been the discoverer of Mantras -- 'Mantradrashtaa', in Sanskrit. The Rig Veda has several suktas (Sanskrit: 'hymns') that go with his name.
He was the son of Rahugana, belonging to the line of Angiras. The Devi Bhagavatam says that the
river Godavari is so named because of its association with Gautama. He had two sons by name
Vamadeva and Nodhas, both themselves discoverers of Mantras. There is a hymn called Bhadra in
the Sama Veda which again is ascribed to Gautama Maharishi.

Personal life
His wife is Ahalya, herself the 'mind born daughter' (Sanskrit: manasa putri) of Creator Brahma. The
Puranas speak of the story wherein it is described how Gautama won the hand of Ahalya by
circumambulating the divine cow in order to fulfill the stipulation of Brahma that whoever first goes
round the whole Earth will win the hand of Ahalya. The 'chief priest' (Sanskrit: Purohita) of King
Janaka of Mithila, by name Shatananda, was the son of Gautama and Ahalya. Gautama's sixty-year
long penance is mentioned in the Shanti parva of the Mahabharata. The Narada purana describes
the story of the 12-year famine during which Gautama fed all the Rishis and saved them.
Gautama was one of the famous seven rishis termed Saptarshi. He was the progenitor of the
Gautama gotra. He was the son of Rahugana.
With Bharadvaja, Gautama shares a common ancestry as they are both descended from Angirasa,
and sometimes they are both bracketed together under the name Angirasa.
The sons of Gautama are Vamadeva and Nodha. The 4th book of the Rigveda is that of the
Vamadeva Gautama family.

Legends
The descent of Lord Shiva as Trimbakeshvar, that constitutes the source of the Jyotirlinga nearby,
happened for the sake of Gautama. The Brahmanda Purana mentions that one of the sub-branches
of the Raanaayani branch of Sama Veda was initiated by this Gautama. Some famous disciples of
Gautama were Praachina-yogya, Shaandilya, Gaargya, and Bharadwaja.
According to the Ramayana, Rishi Gautama once went to take bath in the river Ganges early
morning. The king of the devas, Indra, was fascinated with Gautam's wife, Ahalya. Indra came in
the form of Gautam and made love to Ahalya. As he was escaping, he was caught by Rishi
Gautama who was returning to the Ashrama from his bath. Gautam cursed Ahalya and Indra both
for this act. Ahalya was converted to stone, while Indra was cursed with one thousand female
genitals (Sahasrayoni). Later, taking pity on both, Gautama converted both these curses to boons.
Indra's female genitals (yonis) became eyes, and he came to be known as Sahasraaksha. As for
Ahalya, Gautama granted her the boon that she would be brought back to human form by the
touch of the feet of Lord Rama and would reunite with him.

Author of the earliest Dharma-sutra

Gauatama was also the author of Dharma-sutra known as Gautama Dharma sutra [2][3] It is in fact
the earliest Dharma Sutra. It contains 28 chapters with 1000 aphorisms. Almost every aspect of the
observances of Hindu dharma - including the rules for the four Ashramas, the forty sanskras, the

four varnas, kingly duties, the punishments for various offences, the obsequies for the dead, do's
and don'ts of food consumption, the dharmas of women, the rules for Praayaschitta (atonement for
sins), and the rules of succession of property. In this sense Gautama's Dharma Shastra may
perhaps be considered the oldest law book of the world.
Akapda Gotama, the 2nd century founder of the school of philosophy that goes by the name of
'Nyaya' (Logic), is not to be confused with Gautama Maharishi.
[edit] References
1. ^ Inhabitants of the Worlds Mahanirvana Tantra, translated by Arthur Avalon, (Sir John
Woodroffe), 1913, Introduction and Preface. The Rishi are seers who know, and by their
knowledge are the makers of shastra and "see" all mantras. The word comes from the root
rish Rishati-prapnoti sarvvang mantrang jnanena pashyati sangsaraparangva, etc. The seven
great Rishi or saptarshi of the first manvantara are Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulaha, Kratu,
Pulastya, and Vashishtha. In other manvantara there are other sapta-rshi. In the present
manvantara the seven are Kashyapa, Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni,
Bharadvaja. To the Rishi the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to
Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu,
and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of Rishi are the Brah-marshi, born of
the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis
through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are
makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as Jaimini.

Ancient Indians Satya Samhita

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Gautama Maharshi (Part 1)
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The Siva Purana contains many stories of the great Gautama Maharsi. There is also a reference to
him in the Vishnu Purana. And the Valmiki Ramayana has one story about him.
So we have a lot to talk about today.
Gautama, A Vedic Composer and the author of the Nyaya Sastra.
Veda Vyasa, arranged some of the hymns that Gautama wrote into the Rg Veda. Gauthamas own
sons and disciples made a different compilation or collection of Gautamas hymns. So if your
forefather studied under Jaimini and other disciples of Vyasa, they will have a somewhat different
set or recension, than the descendants and disciples of Gauthama. Gautama is also famous for the
Nyaya Sastra.

http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/darshanas/nyaya.pdf

Gautama, the maternal grandfather of Hanuman. (from Siva Maha Puranam)

One very interesting thing that I found out about Gauthama Maharshi in the Siva Purana, is that he
was Anjanas father. And Anjana is Hanumans mother. And Hanuman or Anjaneya is every childs
favorite, from Valmikis Ramayana. Hanuman was a Vanara. Many children like Hanuman not only
for the wonderful things that he did, and his nice nature, but also for his very long tail. We know
now, that Vanara means forest dweller and that the Vanaras were definitely human, by the species
definition. But we shall keep this knowledge in a small box, put a lid on it, and continue to love
Hanuman with a long and handy tail, just like the centuries of Indians loved him before us. There,
that is decided! After all, we are not muggles!

Jai Hanuman!
Gautama, the paternal grandfather of Nachiketas. (Katha Upanishad).
Another interesting thing that I found in the Katha Upanishad is that, Nachiketas was the son of
Yaajasrava, who was the son of Yajasrava, who was Gauthamas son. And Nachiketas was the small
boy who went and visited Mrutyu (Death), got 3 boons and one extra from him and learnt all about
the Brahman (the great, absolute, formless God) and about a special Naciketas Fire for use in the
Vedic Yajnas. Sri Krishna used some slokas from the Katha Upanishad in the Bhagavad Gita. So we
know how important it is.
Gautamas son Satananda was the priest of Raja Janaka, Sita Devis father and Sri Ramas father-inlaw.
Many, many Indian boys are called Gautam, these days. And they think that they are named after
Gautama Buddha. But do you know that Price Siddhartha who became the Buddha, was named
after his aunt Gautami, who raised him? Gautami is the name of the river Godavari. And did you

know that the river Godavari is was named Gautami after Gautama Maharshi? So if your name is
Gautham, may be you are named after Gautama Maharshi himself!
Gautama Maharshi was a phenomenally gentle and forgiving soul. Once, when a cow was eating up
his crops, he tried to shoo it with a blade of grass!

Indians love cows!

Gautama Maharshi, Water Resources and Agriculture. (from the Siva Maha Purana)
We know that the most ancient humans of all, lived off the land, not by tilling it, but by eating the
roots and shoots and fruits and leaves and any animals they could easily catch. Even today, the
remotest of tribes who have managed to escape civilzation live that way, live as hunter-gatherers.
In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, the Sentinelese, the Jarawa and the Onge live like that
even today.
Here is a story about Gautama and agriculture from the Siva Purana.
Once upon a time, lived a famous sage Gautama, with his devoted wife Ahalya. They lived on a
mountain called Brahma (Brahmagiri), in the South. He performed a very long and difficult
penance, there.
At that time there was a very long period, with no rain at all. There was not enough water to sustain
a green leaf, let alone higher forms of life. All the Munis (sages) and people and birds and animals,
started leaving the place.
Then Gautama Maharshi, an expert in Pranayama, went into deep meditation on Varuna Deva for 6
months. Then Varuna Deva appeared before him and offered him a boon. (It is interesting for us to
see that Gautama did not do a Yajna, he did a Tapas, and that it was directed towards Varuna Deva
and not towards Indra. In recent times, yajnas were performed for rain, in Tirupathi and in Kerala,
and Indra was the Deva that they asked for help).

Gautama asked Varuna to make it rain. Varuna said, How can I disobey the Gods and make it rain?
Please ask for something that I can do. Then, Gauthama, who wanted to help others, said, Please
give me a water source, that never dries and gives us rewards everyday. Then Varuna made
Gauthama dig a shallow pit (as deep as a hands breadth), and filled it with water, that would
never be exhausted, that would be called Gauthama tirtha. And the special reward of that Tirtha
was that any tapas, or charity, yajnam, or shraddham performed in that place would also have
everlasting effects.
(So if we go to Gautham Tirtha in Brahma Giri and do one good deed there, the good luck or
punyam from that, would last for ever.)
Then Gauthama used that water, for all his daily activities and for growing grains like rice, barley
and others that he could used for his havan (yajanam). Slowly, the place had grains, trees, flowers
and fruit of many kinds. Lots of rishis heard about this place and started coming to live there and all
the animals, birds and other living things, returned. It was the best forest in the Mandala (world?).
And, because of the inexhaustible water supply, there was never a drought again.
Gautama and Gautami Godavari: Water Resources, Irrigation and Agriculture (from Siva
Mahapuranam).
We already learnt how Gautama, meditated on Varuna and created a small, inexhaustible, pond of
water, that was sufficient for his asrama (place of comfort a hermitage). That was Gautama tirtha.
Now, here is the story of the river Gautami or Godavari and Gautama. This is also from the Siva
Purana, the 25th and 26th Chapters of the KotiRudra Samhita.
One day Gautama asked his students to fetch some water. Some wives of the other rishis
(rshipatnis) also reached the water spot at the same time. And they wanted to go first. The
students came back and told Gautamas wife about this. So she went along with them, and helped
them get the water back for Gautama, who used it for his daily activities.
(One of the important reasons that many ancient settlements and civilizations developed near
water sources, like lakes, ponds and rivers, is because water had to be generally transported by
hand.)
Anyway, the other ladies did not like this, so they complained to their husbands. They exaggerated
and the event and made their husbands very angry. Those rishis were driven by fate to believe
their wives and they decided to go and have a word with Gautama.
Then, instead of talking to him, they started praying to Ganesa. Ganesa is Vighneshwara,
Vighnakarta and Vighnahantra. That means our Ganesa can make trouble, putting obstructions
(blocks) in our way and he can remove them. Ganesa is another huge favorite with Indian children.
His head is shaped like an elephant and he has a nice trunk, to help him eat sugar cane and sweets
that he loves. That is why Ganesha has such a big belly. Since we love Ganesa so much, we are not
going to ask silly questions like how elephant heads go with human bodies. It is so and thats that.
Every year, children pray to Ganesa on Vinayaka Chaviti day and eat as much as their tummies can
hold.

From deignflute.wordpress.com
Ganesa is Bhakthaadhina. That means he loves his devotees and he is quite helpless where we are
concerned. He will give us what we ask for.
The Rishis were in a real bad frame of mind. They asked Ganesha to drive Gautama out of the
hermitage and humiliate him. What a terrible thing to ask for! Gajanana (Ganesa), lovingly tried to
tell them, that they were doing the wrong thing. He reminded them how helpful Gautama was to
them during the draught. He said, you have done such a good tapas, you should also ask for
something very good. But the Rishis, whose minds were foggy, insisted on having their own way.
Ganesa advised them not to hur their benefactor, in many, many ways, but they were obstinate.
Ganesa felt bound to grant them their wish. This tells us two things. Indians believed that God does
not enter our mind and change it for us. And Indians also believed that God is bound to grant the
wishes of his devotees.
Gautama did not know a thing about all this. He and his wife, did their daily duties, happily. Then
one day, a weak cow, wandered into Gautamas watered, grain fields. Because of Ganesas boon,
that trembling cow started eating the grain. Gautama, just happened to come there at that time
and tried to drive the cow out with a single strand of straw. And even as Gautama was looking on,
that cow collapsed onto the ground and died.
The other rishis and wives gathered round and started faulting Gautama. The astonished Gautama
called Ahalya and spoke sadly. Oh Devi! What happened here and how? The Supreme Lord

(Paramesvara Siva) is angry with us. What should we do now? And where should we go? A killing
has come upon us.
Indians love cows because they share with us, the milk, that they give their own calves. So they are
like our mothers. Even today many Indian refer to cows as Gomata (cow mother).
The other rishis, their wives, sons and students also started insulting Gautama and Ahalya. They
said that the havirbhujas (the devas are called that because they accept havih, the offering put into
the fire and the pitarah (the forefathers) would never accept any offerings, if a cow killer remained
in their midst.
They asked Gauthama to take his Parivara (family, students and any other dependants and to leave
in a hurry. They started throwing stones at them and said bad things to both Ahalya and Gautama.
Gautama and Ahalya left the asrama and made a new one at a distance of one krosa as
demanded by them. (A krosa is either 500 bow-lengths or the distance at which a cows moo can
be heard or two miles).
He felt that he should not perform any Vedic Rites to the Devas and the Pitrus, while under the
Saapa (curse). After a fortnight of this painful existence, Gautama asked the other rshis, for a way
out. At first they were silent, but on his repeated, humble, requests they asked him to do
prayaschittam. Prayaschittam means a cleaning of the mind. They asked him to admit his fault and
go around the earth (Prthvi) three times and come back and observe a vow (of fasting) for a month.
Then go around Brahmagiri 100 and ekottara (eight?) times OR bring the Ganga and bathe in her
and make one crore earthern images and worship Deva. Then bathe again in the Ganga and go
round the mountain eleven times more. Then bathe the Earthern Image (Parthiva) with one
hundred pots of Ganga.
Were they hoping he wouldnt be able to do any of this? Or is there a hidden story behind these
numbers?
Gautama chose the Ganga option. He went around the mountain and then made an earthern image
(parthiva). Ahalya followed him and his students and their students (prati sishyas) served both of
them.
Siva was pleased and appeared before Gautama along with all his Ganas. What are Ganas?
They are Sivas followers who fought on his side in battles and his son Ganapathi (Ganesa), was in
charge of them. Elders do not let children sleep in the evenings because that is when Siva goes
about with his Ganas. Gana also means to count, Ganitha means mathematics in Sanskrit.
Ganapathi not only wrote the Mahabharata down for Vyasa, he also commanded Sivas ganas.

How the Chola Kings visualized Ganas

Siva asked Gautama to ask him for a boon. Gautama then looked at the beautiful form of Siva and
praised him once more. He joined his hands together in an Anjali (how you do a Namaste today),
and he asked Siva to remove his sin. Siva was delighted to listen to Gauthama. He laughed and
said, You are no sinner, even sinners will become pure if they take one look at you. You have been
betrayed by the other rishis. Even looking upon such people is a sin. Gautama was so surprised to
hear this. Then he bowed to Siva again and said, No, they did me good, because now I have a
darshan of you. Siva was pleased again and gently said, Make a wish!.

Gautama thought everyone thinks I am a sinner, so I still have to fulfil my vow. So he respectfully
asked Siva to give him the Ganga. Then Siva took the essence of the sky and the earth which
Brahma had given him on his wedding day and gave him the water of the Ganga in the form of a
beautiful girl.
Gautama bowed down to Ganga Devi and asked her to purify him. Siva also asked Ganga to purify
Gautama. Ganga said, it is Sivas Sakthi (power), that purifies everything, but as you asked, I shall
purify the sage and his whole family. Then I will go home.
Then Siva told her, Oh Devi! You have to stay here. You can leave when the KaliYuga of
the 28th Manu, Vaiwaswatha occurs.
Ganga Devi said, If you stay too, along with Ambika (mother Parvathi), and your Ganas, then that
will be great, and I will stay here. When Siva agreed to this, all the other Devas, Brahma and
Vishnu came there and they were very thrilled with the place.
Ganga requested all of them to stay too and they promised to visit once in 12 years whenever
Guru (Jupiter) visits the Simha Rasi (Leo) and to stay there for that entire period.
In that place, Ganga is called Gautami (Gautamas daughter) and Siva is called Tryambakeswar. It
is one of the Jyotirlingas of Siva. Look here for map and photos.