Valmiki: The Great Author of Ramayana

The Saint Valmiki was the author of the great Indian epic book Ramayana. He was a Hindu sage who lived somewhere around the beginning of the 1st millennium BC.

He is referred to as the Adikavi & also the original creator of the Hindu sloka. This Hindu sloka is a form in which the majority of the great Indian epics like the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and other Puranas are composed and written.

True Sage Valmiki

Valmiki (/vɑːlˈmiːki/; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि[ʋaːlmiːkɪ], Vālmīki) was a true sage and Maharishi. Panduranga Rao has described this particular Sage in his own words which are given below:

True Sage Valmiki
True Sage

“He was purity, penance, benevolence, and meditation personified and the sole object of his dedication and contemplation was Man, a man leaves his selfish existence and lives for others identifying himself with the composite culture of the cosmic creation.”

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The work which established the name and fame of this particular poet and also has made him immortal in the minds of every Indian is the Ramayana.

Maharishi वाल्मीकि Naming Story

Maharishi वाल्मीकि was a Brahmin by his birth and belonged to the lineage of Bhrigu. Because of his fate, he was brought up in a family of robbers.

Valmiki Naming Story
Naming Story

He accidentally met the seven sages who are also famous by name of Saptarsis. He also met the sage Narada who completely changed his life.

He used to repeat the Ramanama constantly. Due to this, he was able to attend the supreme state of a Maharishi or the great sage.

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Since an ant Hill had grown over his full body because of his long period of austerities and the poised state of penance, he became famous all around the world by the name of Valmiki.

Vision and Mission

When the mythical Sage Narada came to the hermitage of sage वाल्मीकि, he welcomed him with due honor and then post the question to him that who was an ideal man.

Vision of Valmiki
Vision and Mission

Narada replied to this particular question in the form of Samkshepa Ramayana which became the foundation and the basis of the magnificent 24000 verses edifice, which was built by sage वाल्मीकि.

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He then left for the river Tamasha, along with his disciple Bharadwaj.

The pious pleasant and placid river reminded वाल्मीकि about the nature and the modest quality of his hero. He then visualized a pure and pious man along with his mind which was reflected in the deep waters.

In the next minute, he then witnessed a cruel and heartless hunter who mercilessly killed a male bird that was in love with its mate or partner.

The wailing of the distressed female bird moved the heart of sage वाल्मीकि to such an extent that he spontaneously gave a very powerful curse to the hunter.

But this particular curse came out from the mouth of sage Valmiki in the form of a shloka with a perfectly metrical composition

This composition surprised sage वाल्मीकि himself and he said the following lines:

“No — You shall not command any respect in society for a long time as you have shot dead an innocent bird engrossed in love”.

After this particular incident, sage Valmiki got turned into a prolific poet.

Command of Lord Brahma

Lord Brahma commanded sage वाल्मीकि for doing something which was out of this world. The powerful emotions of sage found an equally powerful medium for their manifestation.

Command of Lord Brahma
Command of Lord Brahma

It was a very spontaneous outburst from his inner voice which finally motivated him along with the divine will.

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When he returned to his hermitage, Lord Brahma who is also known as the 4 faced God or the creator of the universe appeared in front of him & then commanded him for composing an epic poem on the story of Lord Ram.

Lord Brahma also said that you have already heard the story from the great Sage Narada through his newly discovered meter.

Lord Brahma also gave him the boon of the visions of all the different incidents and the revelations about the big secrets which are connected to this particular story.

Thus, according to the steps told by Lord Brahma sage वाल्मीकि composed the epic story Ramayana which was also known as by the name of the way of the conduct of the life story of Lord Ram.

It also became famous by the name of the story of Lord Ram’s march in search of truth and righteousness.

The contemporary heroes of the story Ramayana, Maharishi वाल्मीकि gave very little information about himself in the story because he was a Sage who had dedicated his complete life in the honor and contemplation of God and also to offer his services to the humanity.

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There is no account of his own life in the history accept that he has been described briefly and modestly on only two occasions, that is, his cameo in the Ramayana and Valmiki description in his own words.

Role in Ramayana

He is considered to be one of the first sages whose hermitage Lord Ram has visited him along with his wife and brother on their way to Chitrkut, after they left the holy city of Ayodhya.

Valmiki in Ramayana
Role in Ramayana

He welcomed them with all the love and affection. He constantly murmured and uttered just one word which was Asyatam. The meaning of a particular word is to be seated.

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He felt honored when Lord Ram accepted his request and sat for a while along with family. The other occasion was when Lord Ram banished Sita, it was sage वाल्मीकि who sheltered her and also reared up her twin sons Luv and Kush.

When both of them recited the epic poem in his royal court, lord Ram invited sage वाल्मीकि and also requested him for bringing Sita along with him so that she can prove her chastity before the elders and all the sages present in the kingdom.

He was offended by this particular statement but kept his composer and said that Sita would comply with the wishes of Lord Ram because he is her husband.

While presenting Sita in the prayer hall sage Valmiki uttered the words that show the perseverance and penance which sage Valmiki had practice in his entire life.

Valmiki – In His Own Words

Sage वाल्मीकि was a prolific poet and writer who wrote the Ramayana. He has been noted in the various history books as one of the greatest literary people who were present in Indian mythology.

Valmiki - In His Own Words
In His Own Words

He said about himself and described himself using the following words:

“I am the tenth son of the sage Prachetas. You belong to the great dynasty of Raghu. I do not remember to have uttered any lie so far in my life.

I say that these two boys are your sons. I performed penance for thousands of years. I shall not accept the fruit of all my penance if there is any blemish in Maithili (Sita).

I never entertained any ignoble thought, I never wronged any person, and I never spoke any vulgar word — I shall derive the benefit thereof only if Maithili is void of sin.”

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Conclusion

The sage Valmiki is famous in Indian mythology and history for his immense contribution to the field of literature and writing.

He is the writer of the world-famous Ramayana and has also written many other scriptures that have religious and historical importance.

He was known for his beautiful nature and effect writing and poetry skills.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

How many mentions of Valmiki are present in the Ramayana?

He did not mention much about himself in the Ramayana. Only at two places, he has described himself. One is about his cameo in Ramayana and the other is when he has described himself in his own words.

Why did Valmiki write Ramayana?

Sage वाल्मीकि wrote the Ramayana as it was instructed to him by the universe creator Lord Brahma to do so. Brahma also said that the story has already been narrated to Valmiki by the Sage Narada.

Why is Ramayana considered to be an epic story?

The Ramayana is an epic story which was written by sage Valmiki on the orders of Lord Brahma. The story consists of the life incidents of Lord Ram and Sita.