Rishi valmiki

INTRODUCTION ‘Valmika’ means an anthill in Sanskrit. The sage, who composed the great epic, Ramayan, under the inspiration of Lord Brahma and Brahmarshi Narad, got the name after intense austerities. During his austerities termites built a mound around him. Before he became a sage, Valmiki led a life of crime as a robber called Ratnakar. Originally he belonged to the family of Bhrigu Rishi. But as a boy, he got separated from his parents in a forest and they could not trace him despite vigorous search. Finally, they gave up the futile search thinking their son may have fallen prey to wild animals. Actually, the missing child fell into the hands of a childless robber couple. They took kindly to him and brought him up as their own son. That is how Ratnakar began his career as a robber. (Adhyatma Ramayan). Ratnakar married a shudra woman and had children by her. One day he had an encounter with the seven rishis in a forest and that changed his life for the better and turned him into a great sage and a premier saint-poet. Ratnakar tried to rob the sages of their clothes. They tried to convince the robber that his activities were very sinful. It was for the first time that somebody was speaking to him in such gentle language. Initially, their words did not seem to have any effect on Ratnakar, who thought what he was doing was in the best interests of his aged parents and other members of his family. After reasoning with the robber, the sages noticed a change in his gruff behavi...

In the Bharadvāja, Agastya, Bhrigu, Dadhīchi, Pippalāda, Āruṇī, and Mudgala and how these accounts teach us regarding forgiveness, charity, Guru-Bhakti, among other things. Now let us look into the life accounts of few more Rishis. Maharshi Vālmīki – the Author of Ramayana Rishi Valmiki is called the ‘Ādi Kavi’ or the first poet in the Sanskrit language. He wrote the Ramayana, the story of the life of Lord Rama in 24,000 verses. The Ramayana has become so popular that even outside India, people in many countries like Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Laos, Malaysia, China, and Japan have their own versions of Ramayana based on Rishi Valmiki’s original version. Thousands of years ago, a dacoit named Ratnākara (also called Valya Koli) lived in the forests of north India. He earned his living by robbing and killing travelers, who were passing through the forest. He would steal their belongings and food, and take them home to feed his own children and wife. One day, Sage Nārada was passing through the forest. Suddenly, Valya came from behind a bush and threatened to kill Nārada, unless he gave up his belongings. Nārada asked Valya as to why he lived this life of robbing and killing. “To feed my family,” replied Valya. Nārada then asked him, “Don’t you know, it is a bad crime to kill and steal from others? You will get bad Karma (i.e. fruit of action), and suffer punishment for it later. Will your family also share your bad Karma with you just like you share your loot with them?” “Of...

Published on 27th January, 2017, in The Speaking Tree. Rishi Valmiki is known as Adi Kavi, the first poet, who composed the first mahakavya, epic, the Ramayana, that chronicles the life of Rama, prince of Ayodhya. In the final chapter of the epic, Uttara Kanda, we learn how he teaches the story to Luv and Kush, the sons of Sita and Rama, who are born in the forest after Sita is sent away from Ayodhya by Rama to avoid a royal scandal — following public gossip casting aspersions on her character. Later, in the same chapter, Valmiki has a conversation with Rama, when he testifies to Sita’s purity. The Vedic Sanskrit used in the epic suggests it was composed over 2,000 years ago, describing events that took place 3,000 years ago, perhaps even earlier. We don’t know much about the great poet-sage. However, about five hundred years ago, a new set of stories start to emerge, that speak of a man called Ratnakara who is forced by poverty to turn to robbery and is made to change his ways by sages, either the Sapta Rishis, seven celestial sages — or by Narada. He realises that the burden of his crime is his alone, and will not be shared by those who benefit from his crime. To help him out, the sages tell him the eternal story of Rama, which was narrated by Shiva to Shakti, and overheard by the crow Kakabhusandi. Impressed, Ratnakara wishes to be devotee of Rama. So the sages tell him to chant Rama’s name. But Ratnakara’s mind is so polluted by rage and suffering that he cannot pronou...

Seven Kaands of Ramayan Ramayana is one of the most authentic and most popular religious text in Hinduism .It is one of the lengthiest ancient epic and consists of nearly 24000 verses(written in Anustubh meter), divided into seven Kandas, the first and seventh being the later addition by Tulsidas Ji. The epic is divided into seven Kandas,which are as follows: 1.Baal Kaand It begins with sage Valmiki questioning sage Narada if there is any man who is truly righteous in deeds and virtuous in character.Narada tells Valmiki about Rama and describe his physical characterstics and the quality he posseses. This book describes how Valmiki wrote the Ramayana and how it was taught to Lava and Kusha.It describes how Maharaja Dashrath who could not concieve a son got four sons with the advise of Rishi Rishyasringa .The miraculous birth of Rama and his three brothers Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughana, their early life ,their life in gurukul is described in this book. The following verses describes the birth of Shri Rama and how all the celestial bodies were at the most auspicious astrological positions. नक्क्षत्रे अदिति दैवत्ये स्व उच्छ संस्थेषु पंचसु । ग्रहेषु कर्कटे लग्ने वाक्पता इंदुना सह ॥१-१८-९॥ प्रोद्यमाने जगन्नाथम् सर्व लोक नमस्कृतम् । कौसल्या अजनयत् रामम् सर्व लक्षण संयुतम् ॥१-१८-१०॥ on the ninth day of Chaitra month [April–May,] when the presiding deity of ruling star of the day is Aditi, where the ruling star of day is Punarvasu (Nakshatra), the asterism is in the ascendant ...

Express News Service Across South-East Asia, in every country except Vietnam, it is celebrated in dance, drama and ballad, in art and craft. It has been written about and discussed by personalities as eminent as C Rajagopalachari and RK Narayan. Akbar had it translated into Persian, the manuscript completed in 1584 CE. It has been hotly debated, its nuances and characters, its plot elements and poetry dissected, for many centuries. Millions, both in India and outside, can quote freely from it. The Ramayana, the story of Rama––loved, respected, venerated. And when an epic is of such epic proportions, it is hardly surprising that there will always be something more to be said about it, as Ami Ganatra sets out to do in her Ramayana Unravelled: Lesser-Known Facets of Rishi Valmiki’s Epic. At the start of the book, Ganatra explains the ‘varied’ nature of the Ramayana as most people know it: how there are supposedly some 300 versions of it, besides the many retellings that are abound. She goes on to emphasise the pre-eminence of the version composed by Rishi Valmiki, and then devotes the book to examining Valmiki’s Ramayana, from different aspects and angles. An artwork depicting Rama and Sita’s wedding After an introduction to the Ramayana, Ganatra presents a brief summary of the epic, before going on to the bulk of her book, which she divides into three parts. The first part, ‘Context and Settings’, explains how Valmiki came to compose the Ramayana. Beyond this, Ganatra explai...

Ramayan is an ever inspiring epic which helps us what to do at each and every stage and age of life, which are the most important life lessons enabling us to learn and walk in the path of Dharma. It is often very intriguing to know the facts of Ramayan and one of such interesting timeline fact is what would be the real ages and lifespan of the characters according to Shrimad Valmiki Ramayan. The age of Maharaj Dasarth during Shri Ram’s gurukul days is known in the Valmiki Ramayan. Rishi Valmiki mentions the age of Maharaj Dasarath during the visit of Rishi Vishwamitr to Ayodhya. When Rishi Vishwamitr asked Maharaj Dasarath to send along Shri Ram with him, Maharaj Dasarath mentions that in his age of sixty thousand years, and in this age it would be unfitting to be away from Shri Ram. Shri Ram was born on the ninth day of the Chaitra month in the Punarvasu nakshatr and Bharat was born on the Pushya nakashtra and the twins Lakshman and Shatrughan were born in the Aslesha nakshatr, thus making Shri Ram elder to the other three brothers by one day. The age of Shri Ram and Mata Sita during exile is mentioned in the conversation of Ravan and Mata Sita at Panchavati. Mata Sita mentions to Ravan that Shri Ram was of twenty five years when he was sent to exile and she was eighteen years of age. With this it can be assumed that Shri Ram was crowned as the king of Ayodhya, he would be thirty nine years of age. The age of Ravan is a quite interesting one to study. It is written in the...

The world celebrates Dussehra as a mark of victory of Shri Ram over Ravan. The great epic of Ramayan is the story of how a virtuous human, with his conduct, behaviour, choices and courage becomes an inspiration for millions around the world. Ramayan is recited, heard, learnt and practised in innumerable forms not only in India, but also in the whole of the world with great devotion and fervour. However, the bliss of being engrossed in the chant of Shri Ram is due to the great contribution of Adi Kavi Rishi Valmiki, who was the world’s first poet and who wrote the first Makahakavy Ramayan for us to understand the greatness of Shri Ram. Previously, Valmiki was called as Ratanakar, who was a hunter. With the divine intervention of Rishi Narad, he seeked true knowledge. Rishi Narad asked him to chant the words MA RA and asked him to observe penance. Ratanakar went on to chant the two words for years together and the two words came to be transformed as RA MA. One day, a group of rishis passing through heard the chanting coming from the anthill and dug it. They saw Ratnakar in the anthill shining with radiance. As he came out of an anthill (valmikam in Sanksrit), he was renamed Valmiki. After the transformation of Ratnakar into Rishi Valmiki, Brahma Ji appears in front of him and reveals the real purpose of his birth. He mentions to Rishi Valmiki that the virtues of Shri Ram, his conduct and abiding to principles of truth need to be known for the mankind to follow the path of Dh...