Dear children,

I am sure you enjoy reading the biographies of the great visionaries of the world. The bed-time stories which your parents or grand parents tell you, must have some or other reference to the Ramayana, the great epic of India. Do you know the name of the author of this great piece of writing? In this update I shall tell you about that legendary, eminent personality of our country, Valmiki.

Valmiki, universally accepted and applauded as adikavi, the first among the poets – in India and particularly in Sanskrit – was the foremost to ascertain a metrical expression of epic dimension. He had the apparition to match the emotional ecstasy of an elevated soul endowed with compassion and concern for all living beings. It was in such a state of identification of the human being with the universal that his immortal epic, the Ramayana, originated from his heart.

Valmiki born as 'Ratnakar' is a legendary Hindu sage . He was the tenth child of Pracheta. There is a religion based on Valmiki's teachings and it is called Balmikism. The Ramayana consists of 24,001 verses in seven cantos (kandas) and tells the story of Rama and Sita. Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC.

Maharishi Valmiki is accepted by many Indian communities as the author of the Yoga Vasistha, this particular piece of work was taught to Rama when he was disillusioned with the world in large. The Yoga Vasistha is an incredible piece of text which discusses a wide array of philosphical issues. Moreover, it appears to have been written over 5000 years ago. At his hermitage he taught both males and females. He gave Sita shelter after her banishment from Ayodhya.

The great Valmiki, originally named Ratnakar, was from a Kirata Bhil community. Valmiki Muni was from a backward caste community and his name before he became the Adi-Kavi (prime poet) who recorded the Ramayana, was Vailya. He was trained by the Narada Muni, who is thought to be a devotee of Vishnu or Narayana. In another legend that goes, Valmiki, originally Valia Koli, was a dacoit and a robber who would rob people passing through woods and dense forests. He would not only rob out of their possessions but also cut their ears and wear them in the form of a chain. One fine day, Narada Muni was passing through this forest and Valia Koli happened to confront him. Narada Muni asked Valia if he knows what he is doing. Valia replied saying that it is this which runs his family and the family is aware about it. Then Narada Muni asked Valia if his family members would share a part of a burden of his sins? Valia was so moved with this, he ran back to his home and asked every member of his family if they will share if the situation demands. No member of the family, neither his wife nor his sons replied in assertive. His wife said that the sins Valia is doing everyday are part of his life and it is his duty to feed his family and it is only he who is responsible for the sins he has been committing. Hearing this, Valia changed himself completely, from a dacoit to a Sage. He returned to Narada Muni and requested him to help enlighten himself, after which he became Sage Valmiki by penance.

Once Valmiki was taking a stroll on the bank of the river Tamasa along with his disciple Bharadwaja. The river-water attracted his concentration. The pleasing and composed movement of the waves seemed to remind the prophet of the mature and the reticent qualities of his hero. He visualized the purest spark and tranquil of a pious man’s mind reflected in the flowing stream. But the very next moment he saw a upsetting panorama of a female bird suddenly separated from her partner who was mercilessly shot by a malicious hunter. He could not bear the contrast he perceived between the crystal clear water reflecting a placid heart and the work of a heartless huntsman who shot at the pair of naïve, guiltless birds absorbed in the valid gratification of life for no fault of theirs and to no benefit for him moreover. These two incidents had an impression on his mind and his creative art, which led to his composition of the greatest epic on earth, the Ramayana.

It is unfortunate that men of letters know very little about this fêted poet worldwide repute except about his epic composition, the Ramayana. The poet did not say much about himself in his work nor could history keep any documentation and authentic account of his life – not even of the time he lived in. The word Valmika literally means an ant-hill that stands for deep meditation in a poised state of penance. Valmiki, the poet, is a product of this penance. Kalidasa, a great admirer of Valmiki, glorifies this aspect in his famous line in Meghasandesa.The revelation and the influence of Valmiki are seen at their best while portraying the character of Sita as an ideal woman – a sculpt for reticence, a pictogram of sophisticated simplicity, an incarnation of elegance and dignity, an austere observer of moral code of behavior, an exceptional paradigm of ultimate love and a singular amalgamation of valor and kindness. There are three important characters in the Ramayana who made significant contribution to the advancement of the march of Rama from Ayodhya to Mithila, Kishkindha and Lanka. They are Vishwamitra, Lakshmana and Hanuman—and these characters were created by Valmiki with utmost care.

The Ramayana, as envisaged by Valmiki, is a stride in search of man – a man whose humanity stands out spirituality by the asset of its translucent transitoriness. Rama, the central figure of this march of cult presents a rare amalgamation of individual decorum and celestial ignite. He kept the sparkle to himself and within himself and widen the bouquet of complete love, warmth, concern, restoration and healing to the planet around him. These are the vital human values and virtues more accomplished than sermonized by Rama, the man of Valmiki’s vision. These traits of the main character by their instinctive penchant dominated almost all the other characters in the Ramayana. Good and bad are only virtual terms for a great soul like Rama. They do not have any unconditional meaning for him from a comprehensive point of view. They can be changed, altered and converted if the human advance is maintained with valor, obligation and kindness. The effect of this policy and the values of life finds abundant design throughout the Ramayana.

The creative distinction of Valmiki lies in his genuineness in experience and ease in expression. There is tenderness in his words, equilibrium in his emotions and innate glibness in his commentary. He speaks less and makes his characters articulate for themselves. He has an inherent approach into the soul and a spectacular expertise in restraining the movements and the historic actions of his characters. The secret of his success as an epic poet of predictive vision lies in his all-absorbing penance or tapasya and unassuming firmness.

The intermediary and the communication are equally imperative for the epic poet and Valmiki has accomplished both. He never thought that his sincere concern for the pair of birds divided by a cruel shot would result in the magnum oeuvre campaigning the basic human qualities like adoration and compassion. It assumed the form of a world classic with a message for each era to come and for the entire living beings. Valmiki is revered as the first poet, and the Ramayana, the first kavya.

January 5, 2008

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