Gautama
Vedic age · Saptarṣi · Godāvarī tradition
Maharṣi Gautama is one of the Saptarṣi, and hymns of the Ṛgveda are attributed to seers of the Gautama family. His wife is Ahalyā. The Gautama Dharmasūtra, one of the oldest texts on dharma, bears his family name. (The Nyāya Sūtra is attributed to a later Akṣapāda Gautama, usually treated as a different person.)
Tradition links him closely to the river Godāvarī, also called Gautamī: the Purāṇas say his tapas at Brahmagiri near Tryambakeśvar brought the river down to earth.
In the Rāmāyaṇa, Ahalyā lives as if turned to stone under Gautama’s curse until Rāma enters the āśrama. Touched by Rāma’s presence she is freed, and Gautama returns to her — a story of forgiveness and grace.
Saptarṣi · Wife: Ahalyā · Godāvarī (Gautamī) · Gautama Dharmasūtra