Valmiki

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This article is about the Indian sage. For the Indian caste community,
see Valmiki caste. For other uses, see Valmiki (disambiguation).

Valmiki

Sage Valmiki composing the Ramayana

Personal

Religion Hinduism

Pracheta (father)
Parents

Movement Dharmic movement called Valmikism is based on

Valmiki's teachings

Notable work(s) Ramayana

Honors Adi Kavi

Maharishi

Valmiki (/vɑːlˈmiːki/;[1] Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, Vālmīki [ʋɑːlmiːki])[A] is celebrated as

the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature.[2] The epic Ramayana, dated variously
from the 5th century BCE[4][5] to first century BCE,[6] is attributed to him, based
on the attribution in the text itself.[7] He is revered as Ādi Kavi, the first poet,
author of Ramayana, the first epic poem.
The Ramayana, originally written by Valmiki, consists of 24,000 shlokas and
seven cantos (kaṇḍas).[8] The Ramayana is composed of about 480,002
words, being a quarter of the length of the full text of the Mahabharata or
about four times the length of the Iliad. The Ramayana tells the story of a
prince, Rama of the city of Ayodhya in the Kingdom of Kosala, whose
wife Sita is abducted by Ravana, the demon-king (Rakshasa) of Lanka.
Valmiki's Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BCE to 100 BCE[9] or about
co-eval with early versions of the Mahabharata.[10] As with many traditional
epics, it has gone through a process of interpolations and redactions, making
it impossible to date accurately.
British satirist Aubrey Menen says that Valmiki was "recognized as a literary
genius," and thus was considered, "an outlaw," presumably because of his
"philosophic scepticism,"[11] as part of an "Indian Enlightenment" period.
[12]
 Valmiki is also quoted as being the contemporary of Rama. Menen claims
Valmiki is "the first author in all history to bring himself into his own
composition."[13]

Contents

 1Early life
 2The first shloka
 3Role in Ramayana
 4Role in Mahabharata
 5Reincarnation
 6Pragat Diwas
 7Temples
 8In popular culture
 9See also
 10References
o 10.1Notes
o 10.2Citations
 11External links

Early life

The youthful sage Narada at the white-bearded Valmiki's hermitage

Valmiki was born as Agni Sharma to a Brahmin named Pracheta (also known
as Sumali) of Bhrigu gotra,[14][15] According to legend he once met the great
sage Narada and had a discourse with him on his duties. Moved by Narada's
words, Agni Sharma began to perform penance and chanted the word "Mara"
which meant "die". As he performed his penance for several years, the word
became "Rama", a name of the god Vishnu. Huge anthills formed around Agni
Sharma and this earned him the name of Valmiki. Agni Sharma, rechristened
as Valmiki, learnt the scriptures from Narada and became the foremost of
ascetics, revered by everyone.
There also exist some legends about Valmiki having been a thief before
turning into a rishi. The Nagara Khanda of the Skanda Purana in its section on
the creation of Mukhara Tirtha mentions that Valmiki was born a Brahmin,
with the name of Lohajangha and was a devoted son to his parents. He had a
beautiful wife and both of them were faithful to each other. Once, when there
was no rain in the region of Anarta, for twelve long years, Lohajangha, for the
sake of his hungry family, started robbing people that he found in the forest. In
the course of this life he met the seven sages or the Saptarishi and tried to
rob them as well. But the learned sages felt pity on him and showed him the
folly of his ways. One of them, Pulaha gave him a Mantra to meditate upon
and the Brahmin turned thief got so engrossed in its recitation that ant-hills
came up around his body. When the sages returned and heard the sound of
the mantra coming from the ant-hill, they blessed him and said, "Since you
achieved great Siddhi seated within a Valmīka (an anthill), you will become
well-known in the world as Vālmīki."[16][17]

The first shloka

Valmiki was going to the river Ganges for his daily ablutions. A disciple by the
name Bharadwaja was carrying his clothes. On the way, they came across
the Tamasa Stream. Looking at the stream, Valmiki said to his disciple, "Look,
how clear is this water, like the mind of a good man! I will bathe here today."
When he was looking for a suitable place to step into the stream, he saw
a crane couple mating. Valmiki felt very pleased on seeing the happy birds.
Suddenly, hit by an arrow, the male bird died on the spot. Filled by sorrow, its
mate screamed in agony and died of shock. Valmiki's heart melted at this
pitiful sight. He looked around to find out who had shot the bird. He saw a
hunter with a bow and arrows, nearby. Valmiki became very angry. His lips
opened and he cried out,
मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः।
यत्क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधीः काममोहितम्॥'

mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhā tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ

yat krauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam [18]

You will find no rest for the long years of Eternity

For you killed a bird in love and unsuspecting [19]
Emerging spontaneously from Valmiki's rage and grief, this is considered to
be the first shloka in Sanskrit literature. Valmiki later composed the
entire Ramayana with the blessings of the god Brahma in the same meter that
issued forth from him as the shloka. Thus this shloka is revered as the first
shloka in Hindu literature. Valmiki is revered as the first poet or Adi Kavi and
Ramayana, the first kavya (poem).

Role in Ramayana

Rama with Sita on the throne, their children Lava and Kusha on their laps. Behind the

throne, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna stand. Hanuman bows to Rama before the throne.
Valmiki to the left.

Valmiki played an important role in Uttarakāṇḍa, the last chapter of the

epic Ramayana. The Uttarakāṇḍa may not have been originally worked by
Valmiki. The scholars Robert and Sally Goldman, for example, have pointed
out: "Much of the narrative focuses on figures other than Rāma and is
narrated only indirectly by Vālmīki, being placed in the mouths of other figures
such as Agastya."[20] It is believed to have been taken up from Sesha
Ramayana.[citation needed] According to the legend, Rama sent Sita to the forest. Sita
finds refuge in Sage Valmiki's ashram, where she gives birth to twin
boys Lava and Kusha. Lava and Kusha were Valmiki's first disciples, to whom
he taught the Ramayana. Bala Kanda of the epic also tells the story of Valmiki
narrating the Ramayana to Lava and Kusha, who become his disciples. [21]

Role in Mahabharata
Valmiki was present during Mahabharata time and he was one of the many
sages that visited Yudhisthira after war. He told Yudhisthira the benefits of
worshipping Shiva. Once upon a time, some ascetics that possessed the
homa fire cursed Valmiki as guilty of Brahminicide. The sin possessed him as
soon as he was cursed. So he prayed to Shiva and he became cleansed of all
his sins. He later told Yudhisthira that he should also pray to Shiva like him. [22]
Sita in Valmiki hermitage

Reincarnation
Vishnudharmottara Purana says that Valmiki was born in the Treta Yuga as a
form of Brahma who composed Ramayana and that people desirous of
earning knowledge should worship Valmiki.[23] He was later reincarnated
as Tulsidas, who composed the Ramcharitamanas, which was the Awadhi-
Hindi version of the Ramayana.[24]

Pragat Diwas
Main article: Pargat Diwas
The full moon day of Hindu month of Ashvin is celebrated as the birth
anniversary of the poet. The day is also known as Pargat Diwas or Valmiki
Jayanti, and is a major festival of the followers of the Balmiki religious sect of
Hinduism.[25]

Temples
The Balmiki sect of Hinduism reveres Valmiki, where he is also known as Lal
Beg or Bala Shah, as a patron saint, with a plethora of mandirs (temples)
dedicated to him.[2][26]
An area in Chennai, Tiruvanmiyur is believed to derive its name from Sage
Valmiki, Thiru-Valmiki-Oor. There is a temple for Valmiki located in this place,
which is believed to be 1300 years old. [27][28]
Shree Valmiki Mata Maha Samsthana is a temple dedicated to Valmiki in
Rajanahalli, Karnataka.
Valmiki Ashram, a site considered to be the original ashram of Valmiki, is
located in Chitwan district of Nepal.[29] The site is near the Triveni
Dham pilgrimage site.[30]

In popular culture
Several Indian films have been made on the life of the poet, beginning with G.
V. Sane's Valmiki (1921); it was followed by Surendra Narayan
Roy's Ratnakar (1921), Ellis Dungan's Valmiki (1946), Bhalji
Pendharkar's Valmiki (1946), Sundarrao Nadkarni's Valmiki (1946), C.S.R.
Rao's Valmiki (starring Rajkumar 1963) and Valmiki (starring N. T. Rama Rao;
1963), and Arvind Bhatt's Sant Valmiki (1991).[31][32]
Bhatt's film which starred Suresh Oberoi in the titular role remains unreleased
after a case was filed against Oberoi for remarks deemed offensive by
members of the Valmiki caste in India.[32]

See also
 Balmiki caste
 Chuhra
 Rama
 Vyasa

References
Notes
1. ^ Valmiki is also known by devotees as Balmiki, Lal Beg and
Bala Shah.[2][3]

Citations
1. ^ "Valmiki". Random House Webster's Unabridged
Dictionary.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b c Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Castes and
Scheduled Tribes. Institute for Sustainable Development.
2000. p. 479. ISBN 978-81-261-0655-4.
3. ^ O'Brien, John (2006). The Construction of Pakistani
Christian Identity. Research Society of Pakistan.
p. 125. ISBN 978-969-425-096-0.
4. ^ "All Indian life is here". The Guardian. 23 August 2008.
Retrieved 27 April 2015. Read 5th Paragraph
5. ^ Pattanaik, Devdutt (8 August 2020). "Was Ram born in
Ayodhya". mumbaimirror.
6. ^ "Sri Aurobindo on the Indian Epic
Ramayana" (PDF). uwf.edu. University of West Florida. p. 2.
Retrieved 27 April 2015. read end paragraph of page 2
7. ^ Valmiki, Robert P. Goldman (1990). The Ramayana of
Valmiki: An Epic of Ancient India. Vol. 1. Princeton University
Press. pp. 14–15. ISBN 0-691-01485-X.
8. ^ "Valmiki Ramayan". valmikiramayan.net. Desiraju
Hanumanta Rao & K. M. K. Murthy. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
9. ^ "harking back : Myths and facts of the beginnings of
Lahore".
10. ^ Goldman, Robert P., The Ramayana of Valmiki: An Epic of
Ancient India pp. 23
11. ^ Menen, Aubrey (1954). "Introduction", The Ramayana, p.4.
Charles Scribner's Sons: New York. [ISBN
unspecified]. LCC 54-5919. LCCN 54-35716.
12. ^ Menen (1954). "The Indian Enlightenment", p.9.
13. ^ Menen (1954). "The Heritage of the Gluttons", p.81.
14. ^ Vishwanath S. Naravane (1998). Sages, Nymphs, and
Deities: Excursions in Indian Mythology. The Author. p. 86.
15. ^ History Of Ancient India (a New Version) : From 7300 Bb
To 4250 Bc. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. 2006.
p. 720. ISBN 9788126906154.
16. ^ "The Skanda Purana, Nagara Khanda, Chapter 124,
Creation of Mukhara Tirtha".
17. ^ The Skanda Purana, Part 17, (Ancient Indian Tradition and
Mythology Series, Vol. LXV). Motilal Banarsidass Publishers
Pvt. Ltd. 2002. p. 506.
18. ^ Sacred-Texts.com IAST encoded transliteration (modified
from original source to accurately reflect sandhi rules)
19. ^ Buck, William and van Nooten, B. A. Ramayana. 2000,
page 7
20. ^ The Rāmāyaṇa of Vālmīki: The Complete English
Translation, ed. Robert P. Goldman and Sally J. Sutherland
Goldman, Princeton Univ. Press, 2021, p. 19. ISBN 978-0-
691-20686-8.
21. ^ Rao, T. S. Sha ma; Litent (1 January 2014). Lava Kusha.
Litent.
22. ^ "The Mahabharata, Book 13: Anusasana Parva:
Anusasanika Parva: Section XVIII". www.sacred-texts.com.
Retrieved 17 October 2022.
 23. ^ Mythology of Vishnu and His Incarnations by Manohar
Laxman Varadpande (2009), p. 166.
24. ^ "When is Tulsidas Jayanti; why is it celebrated?". The
Statesman. 4 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
25. ^ Lakhanpal, Ujjwala (19 October 2021). "Valmiki Jayanti
2021 Date: History, Significance and Puja
Timings". TheQuint. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
26. ^ Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical
Guide. Penguin UK. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
27. ^ "Archive News". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
28. ^ "Maharishi Valmiki temple". Columbo Post. Archived from
the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 28
November 2020.
29. ^ "माडीको मणि वाल्मीकि आश्रम चेपुवामा". Karobar Daily. Retrieved 17
October 2022.
30. ^ "चितवनको वाल्मीकिको साधनाभूमि र सीता आएर बसेको स्थल वाल्मीकि आश्रम
Nepalpatra". nepalpatra.com. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
31. ^ Ashish Rajadhyaksha; Paul Willemen
(2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge.
p. 315. ISBN 978-1-135-94318-9.
32. ^ Jump up to:a b Suresh Oberoi and Ors v. Dev Singh Assur
and Ors [1991] INPBHC 10311 (1 February 1991), High
Court (Punjab and Haryana, India)

External links
  Quotations related to Valmiki at Wikiquote
  Media related to Valmiki at Wikimedia Commons
  Works by or about Valmiki at Wikisource
 Works by Valmiki at Project Gutenberg
 Works by or about Valmiki at Internet Archive
 Works by Valmiki at LibriVox (public domain
audiobooks) 
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