See Also : Gautama Maharshi (Part 1), Ahalya Gautama Maharshi (Part 2) and Gauthama Maharshi (Part 3) : The Illustrious Gauthamas
The following information is quoted/referred from The Nyaya Sutras of Gotama : by Satis Chandra Vidyabhusana.
- The people of Mithila (modern Darbhanga in North Bihar) hold that Gautama, husband of Ahalya was the author of the foundation of Nyaya philosophy and point out as the place of his birth in a illage named Gautamasthana.
- A fair is held every year on the Chaitra Sukla Paksha Navami. (This is also celebrated as Rama‘s wedding day in Andhra). Gauthamasthana is situated 28 miles north-east of Darbhanga and has a mud-hill of considerable height considered the hermitage of Gautama) at the base , lies the celebrated “Gautama-kund. Gautama’s well. The water tastes like milk and feeds a perenneial rivulet. It is called Kshirodadhi (literally the sea of milk).
- Two miles to the east of the village there is another village named Ahalyasthana, where between a pair of trees lies a slab of stone identified with Ahalya in her penance state.
- In its vicinity there is a temple which commemorates the emancipation of Ahalya by RamaChandra. The Gautama- Kund and the Kshirodadhi river, which still exist at Gautamasthana verify the account of Gotama given from the Rigveda while the stone slab and the temple of Ahalya-sthana are evidences collaborating the story from the Ramayana.
- The tradition in the town of Chapra says that Ahalya’s husband Gauthama, the founder of the Nyaya Philosophy resided in a village now called Godna at the confluence of the Sarayu and Ganga.
- Gauthama, the son of Rahugana, (mentioned in the Rg Veda) was a priest in the royal family of KurusRanjaya. Satananda the son of Ahalya was a priest of Janaka maharaja, Sita Devi‘s father.
- akSapada, the founder of nyAya Philosophy as per Vayu Purana, was the same as Ahalya’s husband Gauthama of Mithila.
- Akshapada was the author of the Pitr-Medha Sutra and Gauthama Dharma Sastra, according to Anantayajvan, (a commentator on the sutras.)
- Gauthama had another asrama at Prabhasa according to the Vayu Purana (beyond Girnar in Kathiwar)
- See Also : Gautama Maharshi (Part 1) for Gauthama’s asrama along Godavari as per Siva Purana
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