Valmiki Jayanti: All about the great sage Valmiki

Updated: Oct 16

आदय वाल्मीकए नमो नमः

Aadaye Valmikaye Namo Namah

“Aadaye" refers to Valmiki as the "Adi Kavi," or the first poet. "Valmikaye" refers to his name."Namo Namah" is a respectful salutation meaning "I bow to you repeatedly."

Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Ashwin (September-October), to honour his great contributions to Indian literature and spirituality.

myNachiketa presents a few lines about the great sage ValmikiJi on the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti.

Valmikiji is one of the greatest sages and the first poet (Adi Kavi) in the history of Indian literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, one of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient Indian history. Valmikiji’s life story is an inspiring tale of the realisation of self and God.

Valmikiji’s original name was Ratnakara and in his early days, he used to rob people to make a living. One day, seven Rishi’s (sages) were passing by a forest. When Ratnakara saw them, he decided to rob them, but when he approached them, the Rishis said that they didn’t have any wealth. One of the Rishi's asked the reason for him being a robber. Ratnakara told the Rishi that he does it to feed his wife and kids. Hearing this, the Rishi told him to ask his family if they would share the burden of his sins, just like they share the wealth he gets from the robbery. Ratnakara's wife and kids refused to share his sins.

This realization brought a change in Ratnakara and he asked the Rishi to show him the right way of living. The Rishi told Ratnakara to chant “Mara”. He chanted the same for years and years with complete devotion and sacrifice. His devotion was so deep that he eventually reached wisdom that the word “Mara” is “Rama”. Once again after many years, when the Rishi’s were passing by the same forest, they heard the sound “Rama”. They realised that the sound was coming from an anthill. On removing the anthill, they saw Ratnakara, and since then they named him “Valmiki”.

Valmiki in Sanskrit means “anthill”. The Rishi’s blessed him as one of the greatest poets. Thereafter, ValmikiJi with his spiritual power and knowledge, earned the respect of everyone around.

One day, Narada Muni visited ValmikiJi in his Ashram. He told the story of Prabhu Shri Rama to Valmikiji and asked him to write it down. Then one day, Bhagwan Brahma visited Valmikiji in his Ashram. He also told him to write the story of Prabhu Shri Rama and to even write about the things that he didn’t know. Valmikiji with his meditative power saw every incident of Bhagwan Ram's life as if it were happening in front of him.

After that, Valmikiji wrote the complete epic of Ramayana. The epic Ramayana narrates the life of Bhagwan Rama (the prince of Ayodhya) highlighting his inspiring journey and his faith towards truth and righteousness. The epic consists of about 24,000 verses, divided into seven books (Kandas). The Ramayana not only tells the story of Rama but also talks of dharma (duty), devotion, love, and the triumph of good over evil. The Ramayana has been a guiding light for millions of people for centuries, not just in India but across the world. It has been translated into numerous languages and adapted into various art forms, including theatre, dance, and television. It is the story of Bhagwan Ram, his obedience to his father when he served in exile for 14 years, his duty as a husband towards Devi Sita, and his immense love for his brothers. It is a story that teaches that good always wins over evil.

ValmikiJi played an important role in the actual events of the Ramayana as well. When Devi Sita was living in Valmikiji’s Ashram, she gave birth to the twin sons of Bhagwan Rama, Luv and Kusha, who were raised and educated by Valmikiji. It was in ValmikiJi’s ashram that Luv and Kusha learned the Ramayana and later sang it before the Bhagwan Rama himself.