An ungrateful brahmin. He left his parents to fend for themselves and began wandering. He finally reached the land of the tribals. They worshiped him and gave him a house to stay in. He married a widowed tribal woman and began staying there. He ceased being a brahmin and took up the tribals’ way of living. Many years later, a brahmin youth was wandering around looking for a brahmin house to stay in and finally reached Gautama’s house, since he was a brahmin by birth. Gautama reached there too with the animals he had slain during the day, with blood on his body. The youth saw this state and advised Gautama to go back to his original home. Gautama began thinking about this after the youth left the next morning without consuming anything. Gautama gave up the tribal life and began wandering again. He joined a group of merchants and they were attacked by a wild elephant in the forest. Many died, but Gautama escaped and finally reached a banyan tree where he fell asleep. On that tree lived a garuda named Nadijankha. He came back after his evening ablutions and sat near Gautama. He also gave Gautama food and asked about him. Gautama told him that he was a poor brahmin and was desperate for some money. Nadijankha had a rich friend – a rakshasa king who lived nearby. He was called Virupaksha and Nadijankha sent Gautama to him. Virupaksha gave Gautama lots of gold and Gautama returned to the banyan tree and once again Nadijankha was again a gracious host. But an evil thought took form in Gautama’s head – he wanted to eat Nadijankha’s flesh. He killed Nadijankha while he was asleep, packed his meat and set off again. A few days later, Virupaksha was worried for his friend and sent his son to check on him. When he reached there, he only found Nadijankha’s feathers and bones. He realised what had happened and quickly caught up with Gautama and captured him. He took him to Virupaksha, who cut him up and fed him to the dasyus. But even they didn’t want the meat. Virupaksha lit Nadijankha’s pyre and bid goodbye to his friend. Then, Surabhi, at Brahma’s instruction, came down from the skies and brought back Nadijankha to life. Nadijankha was distressed about Gautama’s death and requested Surabhi to bring him back to life. He did so and Gautama embraced Nadijankha. They sent Gautama away with his gold and he returned to Shabaralaya. He raised a set of sinful children and the devas cursed him to be in charge of a naraka as per Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapters 168-173.

Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 102 mentions another Gautama who was a scholarly brahmin. Once when he was traveling in the forest, he came across a baby elephant. He took it home and raised it. When it grew up, Indra appeared before him in the form of Dhritarashtra and began trying to take it away. Gautama found out and though he was offered a thousand cows and wealth, he refused to part with it. Indra was pleased with this and took them both to swargaloka as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 102.

Mahabharata Shalyaparva Chapter 36 verse 79 features another Gautama. He was a scholar and sage and had three sons –  Ekata, Dwita, Trita.

The Mahabharata Sabhaparva Chapter 4 verse 17 mentions another Gautama who was a regular at Yudhishtira’s court. He was also present at Indra’s court as per Mahabharata Sabhaparva Chapter 7 verse 18. When he was living in Girivraja, he maintained relations with a shudra woman and their son was Kakshivan as per Mahabharata Sabhaparva Chapter 21 verse 3.

A powerful sage who has been mentioned extensively in the epics. His antecedents are however unknown, though his wife Ahalya’s is easily known. (see Ahalya)

As per Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 51 verse 2, Gautama’s eldest son was Shatananda. He also had 2 other sons named Chirakari and Sharadvan. As per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 139 verse 2, Sharadvan was born with arrows in his hands. Chirakari has been mentioned in Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapter 266. He was named so because he always delayed doing things. Sharadvan also came to be known as Gautama as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 129 verse 2. It is because of this that his children Kripa and Kripi are also known as Gautama and Gautami. In addition to these sons, Gautama also had a daughter and she cried when his disciple Utanga bought firewood once as per Mahabharata Ashwamedhaparva Chapter 56 verse 11. But her name is not known. The Vamanapurana Chapter 4 mentions Jaya, Jayanti and Aparaji as Gautama’s daughters.

Once when Gautama was away, Indra visited the hermitage. Since it was the wife’s duty to serve the guest when the husband was not around, Ahalya did so. She gave him fruits and after refreshments, he left. Gautama heard this from her when he came back and became suspicious about her. He summoned Chirakari and asked him to behead her, and left for the forest. Chirakari, as usual, began thinking about it – disobeying the father was a sin, but killing the mother was even bigger a sin. Gautama also began thinking about the issue in the forest, after all his wife had committed no wrong, and yet he had asked his son to kill her. He rushed back and found that Chirakari had still not done the deed. He was happy and blessed that his son would live long.

Utanga was the disciple of Ahalya’s husband Gautama, who liked him more than the other disciples. Despite sending all the other disciples away, he let Utanga stay on at the hermitage. In time, Utanga became old.

Once Utanga went to fetch wood, and when he came back, he was so tired that he collapsed. The guru was saddened and asked him why he was this tired. Utanga told him that though he had completed hundred years at the hermitage, the guru had not given him permission to go and it was because of this sorrow that he had started becoming old. Gautama gave him permission to go and Utanga asked him what he wanted as gurudakshina. See Uttanga for details.

Indra once slept with Ahalya disguised as Gautama. The sage cursed them both. See Ahalya for details.

Once the Ayodhya king Kanmashapada spent 12 years in the forest because of Vasishta’s curse. As per Gautama’s advice, he prayed to Shiva at Gokarna and was released from the curse as per Shivarathrimahatmya. Gautama (known as Nodhas) created Rigveda Mandala 1 Anuvaka 11 Sukta 68. Lakshma once built a palace named Vaijayanta near Gautama’s hermitage as per Uttararamayana. Gautama was considered one of the saptarishis as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 133 verse 50. As per Mahabharata Sabhaparva Gautama lived in Brahma’s court. Gautama once blessed that Satyavan’s father Dyumatsena’s eyesight would be restored as per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 298 verse 11. During the Mahabharata war, Gautama reached there and requested Drona to stop the war as per Mahabharata Dronaparva Chapter 190 verse 36. Gautama was one of the sages who visited Bhishma when he was lying on the bed of arrows as per Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapter 47 verse 10. Once Gautama meditated on top of the Pariyatra mountain for sixty thousand years. Then Yama appeared and Gautama received him as per Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapter 129 verse 5. Once Gautama was insulted by Indra and cursed that his moustache would turn green as per Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapter 352 verse 23. He also advised the king Vrishadarbhi against receiving gifts as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 93 verse 4. When Gautama was born, the radiance from his body dispelled the darkness around. Thus he got his name (Gau – light, tamas – darkness) as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 93 verse 94. Gautama was one of the sages who swore that he had not stolen Agastya’s lotuses as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 94 verse 19.

The mother of the asura Madhupa. She is said to have been born from Brahma’s face as a result of his desire in the beginning of Kritayuga as per Uttararamayana.

A chapter in the Mahabharata.

In ancient India, killing cows (gohatya) was considered a big sin. The sinner would have to drink barley water for a month, and he would live in a cowshed wearing the dead cow’s skin. For two months he would abstain from sexual activity and bathe in cow urine. He should take care of the needs of cows and donate ten cows and a bull after maintaining a vrat, failing which he would have to donate all his wealth to brahmins. If a cow is stopped for killing it, the person stopping it would have to do one fourth of the above. Tying it up would mean doing half and finding a weapon for killing the cow would mean doing three fourth as per Agnipurana Chapter 156.

An attendant of Skanda as per Maabharata Shalyaparva Chapter 46 verse 3.

A maha yajna as per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 30 verse 17.