Valmiki | The Adikavi, the Poet of Poets, of India, who gave the world the immortal epic, the 'Ramayana'. By profession a highway robber, he came under the spell of Maharshi Narada and became a 'Brahmarshi' . He not only sang the matchless greatness of Sri Rama, but gave shelter to his wife Seetha Devi, and taught the epic to Sri Rama's sons Thousands of years ago there lived a hunter who lived by robbing and looting. He lived in a jungle with his wife and children and no traveller who passed through the jungle was safe. If need be he never hesitated to kill the innocent pilgrims to achieve his object. One day Devarshi Narada passed through the forest. As usual the hunter was on the look out for victims and as soon as he saw a sage approaching joyously singing and playing on his Veena, he thought he would have best of the chance to get rich. With a thud, he jumped down before the sage from the branch of a tree where he was hiding. Flashing his sword he threatened, "Give away all that you possess. Otherwise I will kill you." Narada was the son of Brahma Deva himself and he was never afraid of any one. He saw God in all and loved at all. He looked kindly into the eyes of the hunter and said, "Why do you want to kill me? I have never harmed you." The robber replied, "It is not because of anything you did that I want to kill you. I want your wealth to maintain my wife and children. If you obstruct me in getting them I will kill you." Narada was not perturbed by his threatening attitude. He said, "Very well my boy, you may do as you please. But please tell me one thing. You say that you are committing all this sin for the sake of your wife and children. They who are sharing the wealth earned by you, will they share the sins that you are earning too? The robber was non-pulsed. He never thought of the matter in this light before. He replied, "Of course, they will have to. Why else should I commit sins for their sake?" Narada moved his head in disagreement and said, "No, they will not. If you have any doubt, go and ask your wife and children." The robber was suspicious that Narada might be playing a trick on him to escape. He sternly said, "No, I won't leave you and go. You are just trying to hoodwink me and escape." Narada laughed at his suspicions and assured, "No, my son, I promise you that I won't escape. I will surely wait for you till you return. If ;you don't believe me, tie me up to one of these trees and go to your house." The robber tightly bound Narada to a nearby tree and hurried to his home. Ever since the sage asked him the strange question he was disturbed in his mind. Had he been ruining himself with sins to no purpose? He went home and called out his wife and all the children. He said, "My dears, you know how I had been earning wealth by robbing and killing, to maintain you all. You have been sharing all that I earned. Won't you be sharing the sins earned by me also?" The wife and children were horrified at the suggestion. They said, "We are your dependents and it is your duty to maintain us. We never asked you to commit sins for the purpose of the wealth. If you choose to commit sins, it is your own look out. How are we concerned with it? You alone will have to bear the result of your sins." Suddenly the eyes of the robber were opened. He realised that he was accumulating terrible sins from which there was no escape. Why should he lead a sinful life for these people? He ran back to where Narada was and hastily untying his bonds fell at his feet. Deep in grief, he begged, "Mahatma, in ignorance I have committed many sins. Please tell me how I can redeem myself. I have no more desire to lead this life of sin. Pray, save me." Narada rejoiced at his transformation. He lifted the robber to his feet and told him, "Fear not, my son. There is one name, the Taraka, which redeems even the greatest of sinners. Repeat the name with all your mind and soul in it. All your sins will be washed away soon." He then whispered in his ears the sacred name, "Rama" and asked the robber to repeat it. The whole of his life was spent in doing and saying only harsh things. So the robber could not utter the word "Rama" try as he might. But Narada was too kind to leave him thus. So he tried another method. He slowly uttered the word "Ma ra" inverting the sacred name. This time the robber could pronounce the letters, "Ma ra" , Ma ra...." And he started repeating the letters in quick succession... "Ma ra, Ma ra, Ma... Ra.... Ma Ra...Ra...ma...Rama....Rama....Rama..." Thus after a time without his realising it, the robber was repeating the Taraka nama. He was captivated by the charm of the sacred name and he went on repeating the name forgetting his surroundings. He sat on like that continuously without moving and without opening his eyes and years passed away. Seeing him sitting like an immovable stone, ants, worms and insects crawled fearlessly near him and on him and built their homes and nests. The ant hills grew and grew until they covered him fully and he could not even be seen. This undisturbed tapas washed off all his sins and at last he gained a vision of Lord. Overflowing with great joy and bliss, he rose from his seat shedding off the ant hills around him. As he rose from the ant hills, "Valmika" as they are called in Sanskrit, he came to be called Valmiki. Since then Valmiki Maharshi lived on the banks of the Ganges in an ashram of his own. One day while he was returning from the river after the morning bath he saw a Krouncha birds couple, flying joyously in the sky and having their love play. He was charmed by the innocent joy of the birds and continued to look at them in blissful rapture. Just then an arrow struck the male bird in the heart who fell down bleeding and pitiously crying. Seeing her mate gone, the female bird arose in great grief and flying round and round the body of her mate, moaning and shining. The bird's wordless grief was so pitiable, that the kindly sage's heart was touched. Tears came out of his eyes and he felt all the misery of the small bird in his own heart. He looked around and saw a hunter crouching nearby. In infinite mercy and sorrow Valmiki cried out, "A future, O hunter, none you will have For killing the Krouncha in the midst of love" Then he suddenly stopped surprised at his own words. For it was not his usual way of speaking.... these words contained a rhythm and a melody. He realised that it was a poem that came out of his heart's anguish, the first poem that he ever composed. In fact it was the first sloka in the history of the world for no one wrote any poetry till then. He later on wrote Ramayana, the story of the incarnation of Lord Vishnu as Rama in a melodious, beautiful verse. It is sung reverentially by all Hindus daily, even though thousands of years passed away since it was composed. Valmiki is acclaimed as the Adi Kavi, the first poet and is gratefully remembered by all poets when they begin to compose a new poem. In Santana or the Hindu religion it is always said that you should never ask the origin of rishi or river. |
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