Valmiki

The conversion of Ratnakara

“Valmiki”, the one who emerged out of Valmika/anthill, was the name given by the Saptarishis or by Narada, to the ascetic so engrossed in penance that he was unmindful of anthills that were built around him.

Among the various names that are attributed to him, Ratnakara, Agni Sharma and Lohajangha are most popular. Varying accounts describe his early life. While some speak of Agni Sharma being Narada’s disciple, some tell us of how he took to robbing passers by to feed his family. During one such attempted robbery, he is supposed to have come across the Sapta rishis, who transformed him.

Another popular legend states that he was asked to chant the word, “mara” which when chanted continuously becomes “rama-rama...” Whoever initiated him into this mantra, took his/their leave and returning after an inordinate amount of time to discover the sound of chants emanating from an ant-hill.

Valmiki, as he came to be known, was instructed by Narada to compose the story of Raama, the ideal, the Purushothama, for Valmiki wanted to write about a man who was “virtuous, pious, ever truthful and tenacious”, one who possessed the 16 virtues.

The first shloka

When Valmiki along with a student went to bathe in a river, he witnessed a hunter shoot an arrow at a male Krauncha* bird which was at play with a female. The bird fell dead to the ground and its mate was deeply distressed. A saddened Valmiki uttered a curse in “anushtupchandassu”, a metre, and in perfect Sanskrit grammar. As it was born out of his sadness/shoka, it came to be called shloka.

*Sarus crane known to mate for life.

But Valmiki was not happy, as the grammatically perfectly structured verse was actually a curse. As he was pondering about this, Lord Bramha appeared before him and told him that this would indeed be the style of composition of the story of Raama, which would be called the Raamayana.

Bramha with a play of words converted Valmiki’s curse to mean that Raama and Sita were sitting on the branch when a hunter, Raavana, separated them both... And if we pray to the one who destroyed Raavana, we will be blessed. He also granted Valmiki the power to see the events that had unfolded in the past, the present, and those which were yet to unfold. He blessed Valmiki stating that the Raamayana will remain in the hearts, minds and lips of men so long as the sun and moon exist.

Thus, the blessed Valmiki became “AadiKavi” or the first poet!

It was a rare occurrence for the author/poet to not only be a contemporary of the characters of the epic, but to feature in the epic as himself, playing an active role in the events that unfolded in Ayodhya during the reign of Raama.

When Raama sent a pregnant Sita away from the palace, he instructed Lakshmana to leave her at the hermitage of Valmiki. It was here that Sita gave birth to her sons, the princes Lava and Kusha, who lived among the people at the hermitage, unaware of their identity.

The rendering of Raamayana

Valmiki composed the 24000 verses that was the Raamayana. These verses were orally taught to Lava and Kusha, the twin children of Raama and Sita, who were growing up in his hermitage, and who learnt to recite them melodiously.

Valmiki invited numerous rishis to his hermitage to listen to the delightful rendering of the Raamayana by Lava and Kusha. The overjoyed rishis wishing to reward the boys, had nothing worthwhile to gift.

They are said to have given away their only belongings...kamandalu*, loincloth... while those who did not possess even these, gave the boys their heartfelt blessings.

*the small jug that hermits carried with them always

Valmiki, then sent the boys to Ayodhya to sing the Raamayana, to reach the ears of Raama, himself. Valmiki taught the boys only six kaandas, concluding with the coronation of Raama, as the seventh kaanda would have revealed to the boys, their identity. This has given rise to speculation that the Uttara kaanda was not composed by Valmiki but was an extrapolation.